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I am heading up to Buffalo this weekend. I am pretty familiar with Western New York. I hiked Letchworth and visited Canandaigua and Rochester about a year and a half ago. Growing up in NE Ohio, you could always make a quick trip out of it.
Going to Buffalo - it has been since I was younger being in the city (mid/late 2000s). My partner and I have decided to explore the city and head up to Niagara Falls and check out some of the state parks in the region and up by Lake Ontario before he starts his residency program in July. I was wondering if I could get suggestions on places to stay, visit and eat?
I will be leaving Saturday morning and coming back Monday evening. Here is what I figured so far (very vague for most places, so insight is very much appreciated on each):
(Saturday)
-Check out downtown, Allentown and Elmwood Village. It seems like there are some good parks heading north. Any suggestions? Any other neighborhoods to check out?
-Is Grand Island worth seeing? Any good city lakefront parks to visit?
(Sunday)
-Head up to Niagara Falls. Visit Niagara Falls State Park. Can I park at the state park and walk across the Rainbow Bridge and explore the Canadian side with my passport? I wasn't sure if that was frowned upon keeping the car parked at the park? It has been years since I have been to Niagara Falls and do the touristy stuff. Again, growing in in NE Ohio it wasn't far away and I remember going on middle school trips to Toronto and Niagara Falls, but I haven't done my research on the area.
In 2017 I did a week worth of hiking deep into Ontario towards Tobermory and Manatoulin, but crossing the border is not something I remember much of. I don't even remember them checking my passport. So I guess my question is what would be the process crossing (preferably walking) the Rainbow Bridge and walking the Canadian side which does seem to have significantly more to offer?
(Monday)
-What state parks are worth visiting up by Lake Ontario? If there isn't much to see I might just stop at Presque Isle on the way home. Is it still a $10 entrance fee for all state parks?
Thank you for any suggestions. Western New York is so underrated. I am excited to see more of it and actually stop in Buffalo this time.
I am heading up to Buffalo this weekend. I am pretty familiar with Western New York. I hiked Letchworth and visited Canandaigua and Rochester about a year and a half ago. Growing up in NE Ohio, you could always make a quick trip out of it.
Going to Buffalo - it has been since I was younger being in the city (mid/late 2000s). My partner and I have decided to explore the city and head up to Niagara Falls and check out some of the state parks in the region and up by Lake Ontario before he starts his residency program in July. I was wondering if I could get suggestions on places to stay, visit and eat?
I will be leaving Saturday morning and coming back Monday evening. Here is what I figured so far (very vague for most places, so insight is very much appreciated on each):
(Saturday)
-Check out downtown, Allentown and Elmwood Village. It seems like there are some good parks heading north. Any suggestions? Any other neighborhoods to check out?
-Is Grand Island worth seeing? Any good city lakefront parks to visit?
(Sunday)
-Head up to Niagara Falls. Visit Niagara Falls State Park. Can I park at the state park and walk across the Rainbow Bridge and explore the Canadian side with my passport? I wasn't sure if that was frowned upon keeping the car parked at the park? It has been years since I have been to Niagara Falls and do the touristy stuff. Again, growing in in NE Ohio it wasn't far away and I remember going on middle school trips to Toronto and Niagara Falls, but I haven't done my research on the area.
In 2017 I did a week worth of hiking deep into Ontario towards Tobermory and Manatoulin, but crossing the border is not something I remember much of. I don't even remember them checking my passport. So I guess my question is what would be the process crossing (preferably walking) the Rainbow Bridge and walking the Canadian side which does seem to have significantly more to offer?
(Monday)
-What state parks are worth visiting up by Lake Ontario? If there isn't much to see I might just stop at Presque Isle on the way home. Is it still a $10 entrance fee for all state parks?
Thank you for any suggestions. Western New York is so underrated. I am excited to see more of it and actually stop in Buffalo this time.
Downtown this weekend its worth visiting Canalside, and perhaps taking the bike ferry to the Outer Harbor just for the fun of it. Of course there is also the battleships and museums, along with probably some other ongoing events there. There are also several river and lake tour boats at Canalside. The Dragon Boat Festival is also going on all day Saturday on the Buffalo River at nearby Riverworks.
The Bidwell Farmers Market in Elmwood Village is ongoing on Saturday mornings, but it usually wraps up by about 12 noon.
Its also Juneteenth Weekend this weekend at MLK park.
Grand Island isn't worth a special trip for visitors, unless you want a lazy day at a small beach.
Yes you can walk across the bridge to Canada, and park at the State Park lot. The lots get full early during the summertime, not sure about early summer. Try to park in the lots closest to the bridge to make it easy on yourself. Passports are required.
On the Canadian side they recently opened a new Journey Behind the Falls tour, which is a 130 year old tunnel through the rocks that was once as part of an old power generating station. It exits right at the base of the falls.
Other park to visit in NY is Devil's Hole State Park, a few miles downstream of the Falls. It is on the Niagara Gorge, and if you are a hearty person you can walk/climb down the gorge to the water side (there are trails, but lots of stairs). Gorgeous, and not crowded. Can also go up to Fort Niagara (1726), right where the river meets Lake Ontario, for historical tours. Also, Lewiston is having its Garden Walk weekend, and Artpark in Lewiston (right along the gorge) is having its Strawberry Moon Festival (an indigenous festival).
Downtown this weekend its worth visiting Canalside, and perhaps taking the bike ferry to the Outer Harbor just for the fun of it. Of course there is also the battleships and museums, along with probably some other ongoing events there. There are also several river and lake tour boats at Canalside. The Dragon Boat Festival is also going on all day Saturday on the Buffalo River at nearby Riverworks.
The Bidwell Farmers Market in Elmwood Village is ongoing on Saturday mornings, but it usually wraps up by about 12 noon.
Its also Juneteenth Weekend this weekend at MLK park.
Grand Island isn't worth a special trip for visitors, unless you want a lazy day at a small beach.
Yes you can walk across the bridge to Canada, and park at the State Park lot. The lots get full early during the summertime, not sure about early summer. Try to park in the lots closest to the bridge to make it easy on yourself. Passports are required.
On the Canadian side they recently opened a new Journey Behind the Falls tour, which is a 130 year old tunnel through the rocks that was once as part of an old power generating station. It exits right at the base of the falls.
Other park to visit in NY is Devil's Hole State Park, a few miles downstream of the Falls. It is on the Niagara Gorge, and if you are a hearty person you can walk/climb down the gorge to the water side (there are trails, but lots of stairs). Gorgeous, and not crowded. Can also go up to Fort Niagara (1726), right where the river meets Lake Ontario, for historical tours. Also, Lewiston is having its Garden Walk weekend, and Artpark in Lewiston (right along the gorge) is having its Strawberry Moon Festival (an indigenous festival).
Have fun!
Thank you so much for the suggestions. This really helps. We talked about going to Hamilton as well. I have enjoyed my visits to Hamilton, but I really wanted to make this a Buffalo/Niagara Trip so we will see what we can fit into each day.
Canalside was an area I did quick research on. It looks like a nice area to walk around. Anything else in downtown worth exploring?
Are there any parks in the northern neighborhoods specifically worth going to?
Thank you for the suggestions on the Canadian side. Is there usually a long wait to cross the bridge if we walk?
I also really like the idea of the Devil's Hole State Park. Looks interesting.
Do you have any good suggestions for Indian or Thai restaurants? Any good ethnic restaurant suggestions would be appreciated.
Since you are heading up to Niagara Falls, I would suggest also checking out Lewiston and perhaps check out this historical site in Youngstown: https://www.oldfortniagara.org/
Thank you so much for the suggestions. This really helps. We talked about going to Hamilton as well. I have enjoyed my visits to Hamilton, but I really wanted to make this a Buffalo/Niagara Trip so we will see what we can fit into each day.
Canalside was an area I did quick research on. It looks like a nice area to walk around. Anything else in downtown worth exploring?
Are there any parks in the northern neighborhoods specifically worth going to?
Thank you for the suggestions on the Canadian side. Is there usually a long wait to cross the bridge if we walk?
I also really like the idea of the Devil's Hole State Park. Looks interesting.
Do you have any good suggestions for Indian or Thai restaurants? Any good ethnic restaurant suggestions would be appreciated.
Thank you!
Downtown itself is fairly quiet on weekend days, except for the areas near Canalside, Erie Basin Marina, and along the Buffalo River. Besides the tour boats and Dragon Boat festival, there are lots of places for kayak and possibly some paddle board rentals. In the evenings (and during theater season) it gets busier along and near Chippewa Street and Main Street in the theater district. Plenty of bars and restaurants. The Metro Rail is free at all above ground stations downtown, so it's easy to travel between Canalside and the Theater District if you don't want to walk. Also there are many pubs and breweries in the area. Check the hours, but the Pierce-Arrow Museum is also with visiting if you are an old car or history buff - they even built a full scale gas station designed by Frank Lloyd Wright inside the museum. You may also want to look up self-guided architecture tours in downtown itself, or sign up with one of the tour groups. Check out Double Decker Tours.
Delaware Park is THE big park in the city, north of downtown, same designer as NY Central Park. The areas of the park along Elmwood Avenue are worth a stroll, Mirror Lake, Hoyt Lake, Rose Garden, History Museum, AKG Gallery, Burchfield-Penny Museum, Japanese Gardens, and nearby Hotel Richardson (150 year old converted insane asylum) is with a visit, that have bar and cafe inside. The AKG Gallery is having its grand reopening after 4 years and a major expansion, part of the expansion is not yet complete for another couple of weeks, but I just got back from an early preview and it was awesome. There is also the Rose Garden, boating on the lake (restaurant overlooking the lake), and Shakespeare in the Park typically but you are a few days early for the season. On the NE side of the park is the zoo, which is good for kids and families but not spectacular, and in the adjacent Parkside neighborhood is Frank Lloyd Wright's Darwin Martin House (1903), which has been perfectly restored and is open for public tours.
My wife is a big Indian food fan, and her friends who visit from out of town insist Buffalo has some of the best Indian food they have ever eaten. My wife loves India Star and Jewel of India, located in the North Buffalo neighborhood (check out Hertel, Buffalo's "Little Italy" street, but it's much more than that). I can't even say that they are the best in town, as there are many Indian and Bangladeshi (with Indian dishes) restaurants constantly opening up all over the Buffalo and Niagara Falls areas, and she tends to stick with the places she knows. Last time I was in the Falls there were even Indian food carts near the state park. Another option if you like Thai is to check out one of Buffalo's Burmese restaurants, which include some Thai dishes along with Burmese options. Sun Cuisine (in the Black Rock neighborhood) seems to be the most popular.
As far as lines go, the later in the day you cross the longer he lines get. If I recall, the last time I walked across (pre-COVID) the Canadian side took longer than the US side, about 20-30 minutes.
I don't know if you are bike riders, but exploring the city by bike, especially on weekends, is a fantastic way to see the neighborhoods and get around. There are bike share stations (GOBike) all over the city, or maybe rent for the day at Buffalo Bike Tours or a place like Campus Wheel Works on Elmwood.
Last edited by RocketSci; 06-15-2023 at 11:21 AM..
I am staying halfway between Buffalo and Niagara Falls. So far it looks like this:
Early Saturday I am going to head up and visit downtown Buffalo and explore the lakefront areas first. I was going to visit city hall, but according to Reddit, the observation deck is under minor renovations until the end of June. I just found out about this free thing to do and was excited to see it. Oh well. We will head up into Allentown and Elmwood Village just to walk around. If you know of any restaurants or little shops to explore, I would be happy to hear suggestions. We will check out Delaware Park as well. After we are done urban exploring, we will head up to Lewiston to do some kayaking on the Niagara River. Hopefully this will be late afternoon and it will have some daytime heating working in our favor. Lewiston looks like it has a nice little district along Center Street. After this we will head to the hotel.
Sunday is going to be completely dedicated to Niagara Falls. My partner is from Georgia and he has never been. We will leave the hotel early and head over to Niagara Falls State Park, park the car and walk around a bit exploring the park and the American side. Eventually crossing the Rainbow Bridge and taking part in the Journey Behind the Falls. We will make sure our passports stay dry . I am assuming we should expect a delay crossing into Canada and back into the US.
Depending on how tired we are, I would like to try and make it to Whirlpool State Park and Devil's Hole State Park, but if we only make it to one, do you suggest Devil's Hole? I remember paying an entrance fee of $10 for Letchworth. Is that for all state parks?
Monday we will head up to Fort Niagara. Hopefully we will be able to see the Toronto skyline across the lake.
We are really looking forward to this trip. The information provided so far has really help decided what the itinerary should look like.
I am staying halfway between Buffalo and Niagara Falls. So far it looks like this:
Early Saturday I am going to head up and visit downtown Buffalo and explore the lakefront areas first. I was going to visit city hall, but according to Reddit, the observation deck is under minor renovations until the end of June. I just found out about this free thing to do and was excited to see it. Oh well. We will head up into Allentown and Elmwood Village just to walk around. If you know of any restaurants or little shops to explore, I would be happy to hear suggestions. We will check out Delaware Park as well. After we are done urban exploring, we will head up to Lewiston to do some kayaking on the Niagara River. Hopefully this will be late afternoon and it will have some daytime heating working in our favor. Lewiston looks like it has a nice little district along Center Street. After this we will head to the hotel.
Sunday is going to be completely dedicated to Niagara Falls. My partner is from Georgia and he has never been. We will leave the hotel early and head over to Niagara Falls State Park, park the car and walk around a bit exploring the park and the American side. Eventually crossing the Rainbow Bridge and taking part in the Journey Behind the Falls. We will make sure our passports stay dry . I am assuming we should expect a delay crossing into Canada and back into the US.
Depending on how tired we are, I would like to try and make it to Whirlpool State Park and Devil's Hole State Park, but if we only make it to one, do you suggest Devil's Hole? I remember paying an entrance fee of $10 for Letchworth. Is that for all state parks?
Monday we will head up to Fort Niagara. Hopefully we will be able to see the Toronto skyline across the lake.
We are really looking forward to this trip. The information provided so far has really help decided what the itinerary should look like.
Looks like a busy weekend.
It might be fun to start your visit at Riverworks on Saturday (along Buffalo River, adjacent to downtown) during the Dragon Boat Festival. Free admission, lots of events, food and drink, vendors, etc. It's an awesome venue converted from old grain elevators, recognizable by the 100 foot tall "6-pack" of elevators painted like Labatt's cans. It starts early and lasts all day. Michigan Street bridge is closed there, so need to take Ohio Street bridge, right on Gansen Street after crossing the bridge. You can see the complex across the river as you drive along Ohio Street.
Lots of places along Elmwood and in Allentown to stop and visit or eat, too many to recommend. When on Elmwood or in Allentown just pick a place and you likely can't go wrong.
If you want to start your day slowly in a little up and coming neighborhood off the strips you can head over to Five Points (West Side, intersection of West Utica, Rhode Island, and Brayton Streets) and visit Remedy House, Butter Block, or Five Points Bakery for coffee and pastries.
If you like wings, Gabriel's Gate on Allen is known to have some of the best in town. Of course, Anchor Bar (originator of Buffalo style wings) is on Main Street right at the edge of Allentown, so even if you don't want a drink or a snack they also have a gift shop (I recommend eating at the bar instead of a table, food and conversations seem better).
Devil's Hole and Whirlpool parks are connected via the lower trail, which is a hike. I'm pretty sure that there is free parking along the Upper Trail near Devil's Hole, and you can easily walk the upper trail along the gorge. If you have any energy you can walk down to the lower trail, but you will probably be too exhausted to climb back up after spending a day at the falls. Not any amenities except gorgeous views, so it doesn't have to be a long or exhausting visit.
A heads up on food and places to go on Sundays and Mondays: Many shops and restaurants close on Sundays and Mondays, many other restaurants close early on Sunday. Be sure to check ahead of time if you plan on eating late on Sunday or on Monday, or that your destination is open. Will not be an issue in Niagara Falls or other tourist areas like Canalside. For neighborhood shops, many owners keep lazy hours, with posted hours being merely a suggestion. Sometimes longer, sometimes less...
Another FYI is that I keep up a set of neighborhood Flickr Albums, in case you want to do some desktop exploring beyond Streetview, broken out by neighborhood.
Last edited by RocketSci; 06-16-2023 at 09:33 AM..
We had a great time in Buffalo this past weekend/early week.
We left Saturday morning and drove to Canalside and walked around for a bit. The area was not as busy as I thought it would be, and the wind coming off of Lake Erie is a bit windier and colder than Cleveland or Erie from what I could tell. The weather was great though. Canalside seems like it can still grow quite a bit to reach maturation. I wanted to see more of downtown Buffalo, but we were hungry and the food we wanted was not in downtown. It seems like above ground rail is free, but once it heads below grade you have to start paying?
Leaving Canalside we went up 190 to Niagara Street to what I assume would be the upper west side to a bazaar that looked like it might have different food options, but it appeared to be under construction. Niagara Street in this neighborhood seemed to be up-and-coming.
We worked our way over to Elmwood Village and parked there. A small concert had the street closed (the band thought they were good - I will leave it at that ), but we parked well north of that and worked our way down toward the main area for restaurants and businesses. We ended up eating Burmese at Taste of Asia. There was only one other couple eating. Outside of the concert, the main area of Elmwood Avenue was rather quiet. I am so very impressed with the ethnic diversity that is starting to grow in Buffalo. The city must be doing a great job of reaching out to immigrants.
After lunch we walked south along Elmwood Avenue through some quiet neighborhood streets east toward Delaware Avenue to Allen Street. Allentown looks like it has a nice strip of restaurants and businesses there, too. There must be a large streetscaping project going on because the whole western half of the neighborhood district was closed to vehicle traffic.
Both Elmwood Village and Allentown are cute and have beautiful homes. I loved the diversity in the people. But for a Saturday with nice weather, it was quieter than I would have thought.
Sunday was completely devoted to Niagara Falls both the American and Canadian sides. Obviously very touristy, but my boyfriend is from Georgia and had never been. He enjoyed the plethora of views from both sides. I didn't even really think about it until I was crossing, but my fear of heights kicked in walking across Rainbow Bridge. Those views though were worth it.
Monday we explored Lewiston and Youngstown. We live in Youngstown, Ohio so we decided to kayak up by Youngstown, NY since we would be near Fort Niagara and it seemed like an interesting area to explore. Great setting. We kayaked between the American and Canadian border up to where the Niagara River empties into Lake Ontario. The weather was beautiful and while out in the middle of the river looking north you could clearly see the Toronto skyline and the CN Tower shining in the afternoon sun. Later we went down to Lewiston and explored their little central business district and ate a late lunch.
It is less than a 3.5 hour drive from Youngstown to Youngstown. I need to explore more of Buffalo. I had such a great time and the people are so friendly. There was a lot of Buffalo that reminded me of Cleveland. From the built environment, large Puerto Rican culture, lake culture and trying to grow your immigrant population (both Buffalo and Cleveland seem to have rapidly growing Asian districts). I think it is such an underrated city, and the traffic is a breeze (Monday rush hour).
I wish I would have seen Delaware Park and the "parkways" area. We just drove through on the way to our hotel. So much to do in your beautiful city. I look forward to hopefully future trips.
We had a great time in Buffalo this past weekend/early week.
We left Saturday morning and drove to Canalside and walked around for a bit. The area was not as busy as I thought it would be, and the wind coming off of Lake Erie is a bit windier and colder than Cleveland or Erie from what I could tell. The weather was great though. Canalside seems like it can still grow quite a bit to reach maturation. I wanted to see more of downtown Buffalo, but we were hungry and the food we wanted was not in downtown. It seems like above ground rail is free, but once it heads below grade you have to start paying?
Leaving Canalside we went up 190 to Niagara Street to what I assume would be the upper west side to a bazaar that looked like it might have different food options, but it appeared to be under construction. Niagara Street in this neighborhood seemed to be up-and-coming.
We worked our way over to Elmwood Village and parked there. A small concert had the street closed (the band thought they were good - I will leave it at that ), but we parked well north of that and worked our way down toward the main area for restaurants and businesses. We ended up eating Burmese at Taste of Asia. There was only one other couple eating. Outside of the concert, the main area of Elmwood Avenue was rather quiet. I am so very impressed with the ethnic diversity that is starting to grow in Buffalo. The city must be doing a great job of reaching out to immigrants.
After lunch we walked south along Elmwood Avenue through some quiet neighborhood streets east toward Delaware Avenue to Allen Street. Allentown looks like it has a nice strip of restaurants and businesses there, too. There must be a large streetscaping project going on because the whole western half of the neighborhood district was closed to vehicle traffic.
Both Elmwood Village and Allentown are cute and have beautiful homes. I loved the diversity in the people. But for a Saturday with nice weather, it was quieter than I would have thought.
Sunday was completely devoted to Niagara Falls both the American and Canadian sides. Obviously very touristy, but my boyfriend is from Georgia and had never been. He enjoyed the plethora of views from both sides. I didn't even really think about it until I was crossing, but my fear of heights kicked in walking across Rainbow Bridge. Those views though were worth it.
Monday we explored Lewiston and Youngstown. We live in Youngstown, Ohio so we decided to kayak up by Youngstown, NY since we would be near Fort Niagara and it seemed like an interesting area to explore. Great setting. We kayaked between the American and Canadian border up to where the Niagara River empties into Lake Ontario. The weather was beautiful and while out in the middle of the river looking north you could clearly see the Toronto skyline and the CN Tower shining in the afternoon sun. Later we went down to Lewiston and explored their little central business district and ate a late lunch.
It is less than a 3.5 hour drive from Youngstown to Youngstown. I need to explore more of Buffalo. I had such a great time and the people are so friendly. There was a lot of Buffalo that reminded me of Cleveland. From the built environment, large Puerto Rican culture, lake culture and trying to grow your immigrant population (both Buffalo and Cleveland seem to have rapidly growing Asian districts). I think it is such an underrated city, and the traffic is a breeze (Monday rush hour).
I wish I would have seen Delaware Park and the "parkways" area. We just drove through on the way to our hotel. So much to do in your beautiful city. I look forward to hopefully future trips.
Thank you for the ideas, RocketSci!
Glad you enjoyed the visit. Yes, Buffalo never gets super busy on weekends except during events (a plus or a minus depending on how you look at it). The previous 2 weekends were the Pride, Allentown, and Allen West festivals, and the streets along Elmwood and in Allentown were fairly packed. Last weekend I was on the other side of downtown at the Dragon Boat Festival, which was pretty busy, and probably pulled people away from Canalside some.
Westside Bazaar had a fire last year and is building out a new location on Niagara, so too bad you missed it. The new bazaar will be a lot bigger when it opens later this year.
Come on back anytime. I never had a chance to visit Youngstown Ohio, but as a kid I would hear a lot about it because (Youngstown boxing champ) Boom Boom Mancini's grandmother lived around the corner from us in Buffalo, and I knew his cousins really well. Ray and his dad would visit Buffalo often (yes that dates me as really old). I still haven't taken the time to explore Cleveland, either, other than very short visits, so I need to get moving.
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. I am assuming we should expect a delay crossing into Canada and back into the US.
