Main St. Gallery

The obligatory axe-throwing bar that any city that aspires to any level of coolness has to have nowadays. The procedure at Hatchets & Hops sees groups divided into teams of a maximum of six people which each face off in a round-robin, bracket-style tournament lasting about two hours. Admission is by advance reservation only (though the policy says 24 hours, they're usually booked out several weeks in advance, so reserve early) with a $100 deposit required at the time of purchase that can be transferred to a new session date and time within the window of the 2-week rescheduling/cancellation policy, but is nonrefundable. Prices are quoted per lane rather than per player, with no discount for teams of less than six people, so to maximize the bang for your buck you should try to come in a group numbering in a multiple of six. And, as you can imagine in a place with sharp objects flying around, they're dead serious about safety here — you have to sign a liability waiver before you begin, as well as review an exhaustive set of safety rules. Open-toed shoes are prohibited; loose-fitting or dangly clothing is strongly advised against; and you'll be escorted out if found to be intoxicated. (Notwithstanding that, there is a bar onsite — while tournaments are ongoing they only serve Snowy Owl Kombucha and Public Espresso, but afterwards you can freely indulge in a decent selection of local craft brews, wines, and ciders.)

An educational non-profit organization, the mission of the Western New York Book Arts Center (WNYBAC) is, in the words of its website, to "promote, encourage and develop the printing and book arts through education and access for individual artists and underserved communities". Presented at the WNYBAC are permanent exhibits detailing the history of printmaking, writing, bookbinding and related crafts, temporary shows featuring the work of local writers, artists and illustrators, and workshops that educate individuals and groups on techniques in bookbinding, papermaking, screen printing, and letterpress. The WNYBAC also holds Open Studios twice monthly for local artisans to work on their own projects.

Road Less Traveled moved in September 2018 to its own space in the former Baker Shoes building a couple blocks south of the Theater District proper), but its mission remains the same: developing and producing works by playwrights of local extraction. Its in-house program for developing local talent, the Emanuel Fried New Play Workshop, has been of especial assistance in Road Less Traveled's initiative to better reflect the increasingly diversified identity of Western New York in order to present local audiences with a picture of their world that is as true-to-life as possible, and to capture the interest of young people and others who may be new to the experience of live theatre. Additionally, Road Less Traveled Theatre often presents theatrical productions of exceptional quality by dramatists from outside the region.

Famous for boasting the "Finest in Underground Rock Since 1990" until its closure in January 2013, Mohawk Place is back and better than ever. Or, perhaps better said, it's just "back" — aside from a new floor, a few touch-ups to the original tin ceiling, and a bar that's more consistently well-stocked than before, new owner Rick Platt has kept the place true to its divey, eccentric roots, to the delight of the local musicians and fans who considered the place almost a second home. Mohawk Place's previous iteration was known to book the occasional nationally-known touring act and was beloved for such annual events as the Irving Klaws Halloween Party, the Annual Joe Strummer Tribute Show, and The Smiths vs. The Cure Dance Party; at this early date there's no word on whether any of that will continue to be the case, but the punk, metal, and hard rock scene in Buffalo is glad all the same to have the place open again.

Named for the Rotary Club whose $500,000 donation made its construction possible, the Rotary Rink has, since 1991, provided city residents with a unique opportunity to ice skate outdoors in an urban setting just steps from the Theater District, Chippewa Street, and downtown hotels and attractions. Skating at the Rotary Rink is very popular during winter events downtown such as the Christmas Tree Lighting, the New Year's Eve ball drop, and Winterfest, with the rink open extended hours during those times.

In the 19th century, "The Big Ditch" was a popular name for the Erie Canal, which, over the course of only a few decades, took Buffalo from a sleepy frontier backwater to one of America's foremost industrial centers. In much the same way, the Big Ditch Brewing Company's name pays homage to its role in the revival of Buffalo's proud brewing tradition, which was all but dead after the closure of Iroquois Brewing in 1972 but now comprises a growing legion of locally-owned craft microbreweries like the brand-new one on East Huron Street where they operate. During retail hours, Big Ditch's staff leads craft beer lovers on free tours of their production floor, where folks can watch two batches of beer a day get brewed, fermented, carbonated, and racked into kegs. Afterward, head over to the attached tap room and restaurant to sample the finished product.