Heritage Discovery Center

The crown jewel of the Buffalo River Greenway, a partially completed chain of parks and green spaces along the shores of the Buffalo River, Red Jacket Riverfront Park was established in 1997 on four acres (1.6 ha) of reclaimed industrial land in The Valley. A hundred years ago, the scene at the foot of Smith Street was dominated by railroad tracks, trains, industrial facilities, and freighters plying their way up and down the river, but the only legacy of that period left today are a couple of railroad bridges and the foundation of a traffic control tower that was demolished in the 1980s. What Red Jacket Riverfront Park does have is plenty of shady spots for fishing and picnicking, great views of the inland end of Elevator Alley (including the quarter-mile-long (400-m) Concrete-Central Elevator, Buffalo's largest), walking trails, and a boggy wetland area that's reminiscent of what was here before the encroachment of industry. Also present in the park is a monument to its namesake, a Seneca Indian chief and orator who eloquently plead his people's case before the U.S. Senate and received a medal from President Washington in return.

An odd sight to see amongst the restored warehouses, quirky restaurants, and trendy craft distilleries of Larkinville, this roadside shrine was built around 1950 by local barber Joseph Battaglia, inspired by a vision he had of the Virgin Mary several years earlier. In the ensuing years, Our Lady of Seneca Street has attracted the attention of local Catholic devotees, who still deliver prayers to the Blessed Mother by mail (the postal service drops them in the adjacent mail slot), the area preservationist community (who sprung into action to save the shrine when Battaglia's former barber shop — now the parking lot to its rear — was razed in the late 1980s), and dramatist Tom Dudzick, whose 2009 play Miracle on South Division Street was based on Battaglia's vision and its aftermath.

Elevator Alley Kayak is not only easily the most reasonably priced of the myriad new kayak rental outfits that have popped up in Buffalo, but their staff is also a strong contender for the most helpful — they're as adept at advising visitors on the practical side of kayaking as they are at pointing out the landmarks along the Buffalo River — and Mutual Park presents a much less daunting scenario for the novice kayaker, with only a small step down from the launch into the boat. Once on board, you're free to paddle around the river and harbor at your leisure for however long you're reserved the boat (but do make sure not to overstay your reservation; they tend to get prickly otherwise). However, if you prefer, you can also opt for a slate of scheduled guided tours that focus on either Buffalo's industrial history or the natural environment that's beginning to reclaim a place along area waterways, presented by the staff in conjunction with Explore Buffalo or the Audubon Society and the Western New York Land Conservancy, respectively. And if you leave your Elevator Alley Kayak session hooked on this hot new pastime, you can check out their retail shop in the historic Barrel Factory two blocks away on Vandalia Street.

Located at the Hydraulic Hearth restaurant on Swan Street, (716) GAL-LERY bills itself as Buffalo's smallest art gallery. It's a repurposed 1950s-era phone booth where works from a local artist are displayed. Pick up the phone and it plays a recording that tells you a bit about the artist and his or her work. The featured artist changes on a bimonthly basis. There's also a "gift shop" that consists of a 50-cent vending machine that dispenses stickers and temporary tattoos designed by local artists.

Named for a former county sheriff native to South Buffalo, this 3½-acre (1.4-ha) park is located on the Bailey Peninsula, at the junction of Cazenovia Creek and the Buffalo River on the west side of Bailey Avenue (parking is at the northwest corner of Bailey and McKinley Parkway; a footpath leads over the creek to the peninsula). Along with the Seneca Bluffs upstream, Higgins Riverfront Park is different from the other elements of the Buffalo River Greenway in that the site was never used for heavy industry, being located too far upstream for freighters to go and away from any railroad tracks. Today, it's a wetland habitat for the type of wildlife that frequented the area prior to urbanization, such as fox, snapping turtle, beaver, white-tailed deer, and birds such as kingfisher and great blue heron. At the bank of the river there's a kayak launch and some nice places for fishermen to cast their lines, or you can take it all in while strolling along one of the manicured walking trails.

An expanse of meadows, wetlands and forests on a natural floodplain of the Buffalo River just a few hundred feet (meters) from Thomas Higgins Riverfront Park, the land on which the Seneca Bluffs sit was a truck farm before going fallow in the middle 20th century. Today it's been redeveloped as a park and nature preserve very similar to its downstream counterpart. The Seneca Bluffs are not only a haven for wildlife but also a great place for fishing — particularly walleye, which teem in this stretch of the river. Walking trails crisscross the greenery, but otherwise it's just you and nature.