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City in New York, United States
Photo: Quintin Soloviev, CC BY 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
The largest city in New York State's Niagara Frontier, Buffalo is a city full of surprises. Though Buffalo is sometimes the butt of jokes about chicken wings, its long-suffering sports teams, and the mountains of snow under which it is supposedly buried each winter, those in the know tell a different story: one of vibrant nightlife, world-class museums and cultural attractions, tight-knit neighborhoods with strong community spirit – and the sunniest summers in Northeastern United States.
Buffalo's central business district boasts monumental architecture, a revitalized historic waterfront, the vibrant Theater District, and the thumping dance clubs of Chippewa Street.
Allentown's hipster bars, rock clubs and art galleries are a lively counterpart to the sedate Delaware District's quiet residential streets. Both are heaven for architecture buffs, with charming Victorians lining the side streets off Allen Street and sumptuous Gilded Age mansions on Delaware Avenue's Millionaire's Row.
What once was Buffalo State College's student ghetto has now become a bourgie oasis in the heart of the city: if you have money to burn, the quirky fashion boutiques and gift shops along Elmwood Avenue are calling your name. Meanwhile, at the north end of the strip, the Museum District is home to some of Buffalo's best.
With more of a suburban feel than other Buffalo districts, North Buffalo is a diverse hodgepodge composed of Little Italy along Hertel Avenue, scruffy but pleasant University Heights, and the beautifully-landscaped, historic residential areas of Parkside, Central Park, and Park Meadow.
Long the epicenter of Hispanic culture in Buffalo, the West Side now boasts a veritable United Nations of immigrant communities and a nascent arts scene along Grant Street, ramshackle Victorian cottages in Prospect Hill and the West Village gradually being spruced up to their former glory, and waterfront parks galore. To the north are historic Black Rock and working-class Riverside.
Separated from the rest of the city by the Buffalo River, proudly Irish South Buffalo can seem like a city unto its own: to the north, the historic Old First Ward, Cobblestone District, and redeveloped Larkinville; to the east, pleasant parkland and quiet residential streets; to the west, the grain elevators and rail yards of Buffalo's mighty industrial past; along the lake shore, the redeveloped Outer Harbor, a popular summer playground.
Disregard those who deride the East Side and be rewarded with the jaw-dropping sight of huge, ornate churches built by 19th-century German and Polish immigrants, an educational look into Buffalo's African-American history, and cultural attractions like the Buffalo Museum of Science in this off-the-beaten-path district.
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Formerly the Buffalo & Erie County Historical Society Museum
Has by far the most extensive collection of artifacts relevant to the history of Buffalo and Western New York from pre-Columbian times to the present day. It was built for the Pan-American Exposition in 1901, so it is perhaps not surprising that the Exhibition is a particular focus of the exhibits.
The shipping industry was greatly important to Buffalo's economy in earlier times, and the Lower Lakes Marine Historical Society's mission is to pay tribute to and increase awareness and appreciation of, that facet of local history. To that end, a wide variety of historic artifacts, old photographs, models, and interpretive materials relevant to the Great Lakes shipping trade are displayed in a warm and airy museum in what was once the offices of Howard H. Baker and Company, a ship chandlery that served Buffalo Harbor in the 19th century.
Easily the most storied jazz club in the city, founded in 1918. The club continues to function as a venue for live jazz, but it also contains a museum with a range of artifacts and exhibits that detail the history of the club and of jazz music in Buffalo.
Once the home of Rev. Dr. J. Edward Nash, who was a personal friend of such luminaries of black history as Booker T. Washington and Adam Clayton Powell, and was instrumental in the founding of the local chapter of the NAACP. Today, his house is open as a museum that contains exhibits chronicling the history of Buffalo's African-American community. Also, the house itself is architecturally significant as a particularly good example of the wood-frame, partially prefabricated "Buffalo doubles" that were built here by the thousands around the turn of the century.
Exhibits antique cars and automotive memorabilia, especially Pierce-Arrows, the luxury sedans produced in Buffalo in the early 20th century. The location of a Frank Lloyd Wright-designed filling station constructed according to an original 1927 blueprint.
This modest-sized building houses an extensive collection of antique fire trucks and other artifacts, as well as historic photographs and exhibits related to the history of the Buffalo Fire Department.
The Albright-Knox Art Gallery boasts one of the premier collections of modern and contemporary art in the nation, with the impressionist, cubist, surrealist, abstract expressionist, and pop art styles. Artists such as Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, Joan Miró, Jackson Pollock, and Andy Warhol are well-represented among its collection. Works of other styles and periods are also on display, and the Albright-Knox plays host to travelling exhibitions on a frequent basis. The Albright-Knox is housed in a magnificent Neoclassical structure that is a work of art in itself, emulating the Erechtheion in Athens. If you can't make it to the museum itself, another option is to check their website and/or social media for the whereabouts of the Albright-Knox Art Truck, a "mobile center for hands-on artmaking" hosting fun activities and classes for all ages and skill levels.
The mission of the Burchfield Penney Art Center is to showcase the unique culture of Buffalo and Western New York and the vibrancy of its creative community with displays of works by local artists. The backbone of the Burchfield Penney's offerings consists of the world's most extensive collection of paintings by Charles Burchfield, a renowned watercolorist who spent most of his career living in or near Buffalo. Temporary exhibitions, often with a local flavor, are also frequently presented.
Located at the former St. Francis Xavier Roman Catholic Church in the heart of historic Black Rock, the mission of the Buffalo Religious Arts Center is to salvage and display some of the works of religious art contained in the many churches and other places of worship that have closed their doors in the wake of Buffalo's half-century of population loss. St. Francis Xavier itself is a magnificent old building full of beautiful and uplifting art which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
With an area of 234 acres (93 ha), Delaware Park is the central node in Buffalo's park system and one of the largest and best-preserved examples of Frederick Law Olmsted's landscape architecture anywhere. All the classic Olmsted features are present here: a large, grassy meadow (now the site of the Delaware Park Golf Course), thick stands of trees, and Hoyt Lake, a 46-acre (18.5-ha) pond. Delaware Park is also the site of the Buffalo Zoo.
South Park resembles Delaware Park in miniature: a large lake in the middle, a small Meadow that's now the site of the 9-hole South Park Golf Course, and the Buffalo & Erie County Botanical Gardens, the park's marquee attraction.
Founded in 1898 and arranged carefully in Victorian style with over 1,500 varieties of plants. The lovely Victorian conservatory building was designed by Frederick A. Lord and William A. Burnham, who went on to design the conservatory at the National Botanical Gardens in Washington, D.C.
This 89-acre (36 ha) park along Buffalo's waterfront has a plethora of amenities — baseball diamonds, soccer fields, a swimming pool, a skate park and a dog run. Architecture buffs will enjoy the Buffalo Water Authority's historic Colonel Francis G. Ward Pumping Station, built between 1909 and 1915 in a style that's an eclectic hybrid of Beaux-Arts Neoclassicism and the Romanesque Revival.
A 20-acre (8 ha) park home to the Commercial Slip, once the western end of the mighty Erie Canal, on the side of which are the restored foundations of buildings dating to the mid-19th century. As well, the park has tour boats, a restored canal bridge, interpretive plaques, and the enthralling Buffalo and Erie County Naval and Military Park.
Built in 1822 as a buffer between the Erie Canal and the rough waters of the Niagara River, it was once a lively place of fishing shacks, canal boats, and pleasure steamers bound for Canada and Grand Island. Though those are long-gone, an extensive renovation in the 2010s reopened the pier as a scenic pedestrian walkway that offers unparalleled views of the Niagara River and Fort Erie. At the end, you're treated to an unequaled waterfront panorama, with the Erie Basin Marina in the foreground and the downtown skyline and grain elevators in the distance.
This 39-acre (16 ha) park features facilities for every outdoor activity imaginable: baseball diamonds, football and soccer fields, basketball and tennis courts, a swimming pool and an ice rink. Although Riverside Park is the least well-preserved of Buffalo's Olmsted parks, the scenic overlook provides a stunning view over the Niagara River, along with the River Rock Gardens, a chain of stone-bedded rain gardens peppered with greenery, traversed by footpaths, and centered on an elegant stone arch bridge.
For many decades an "unofficial" swimming hole for South Buffalo residents, Gallagher Beach is one of Buffalo Harbor State Park's marquee attractions, offering sunbathing, fishing, kayaking, and windsurfing. (Swimming is nominally prohibited, but enforcement is lax, and if you visit you'll likely see folks in the water. However, it's probably not a good idea to follow suit.)
264 acres (106 ha) of greenery that serves as an important wetland habitat for native wildlife such as beaver, fox, turtle, deer, and 264 species of native and migratory waterfowl. The 75 acres (30 ha) of freshwater cattail marsh are one of Western New York's largest natural expanses of this type of ecosystem. Fishing on Lake Kirsty is popular in the summer, as are guided nature walks; in winter, snowshoeing and cross-country skiing are on offer. The Makowski Visitors' Center is open all year.
Times Beach Nature Preserve is situated on former industrial land that has been reclaimed and cleaned of pollutants. These 50 acres (20 ha) adjacent to the harbor were the site of coal docks and a contained disposal facility for industrial waste before its opening to the public as a nature preserve. Though no facilities are available, boardwalks, nature trails and wildlife viewing blinds are on offer at this photogenic expanse of greenery that, in addition to its role as a haven for native flora and fauna, is one of the most important stopovers on the Great Lakes for migratory birds.
Serves as the traditional start of the summer festival season and held each year at the beginning of June at the Hellenic Orthodox Church of the Annunciation on historic Delaware Avenue. Showcases the cuisine, traditional music and folk dances of Greece, along with cultural exhibits and architectural tours of the beautiful church.
Live music, carnival rides, games, and attractions of all kinds on the first weekend in July. The star of the show is the food, with offerings from well-known Italian markets as well as demonstrations by chefs from local Italian restaurants.
A traditional Polish holiday that falls on the Monday after Easter, Buffalo hosts the largest Dyngus Day celebration in the world at its New York Central Terminal. After a parade, traditional Polish food and (even more popularly) drink are served in the old dining room, with polka bands attracting revelers to the dance floor. Celebrations are also held at St. Stanislaus, Bishop & Martyr Church, the Adam Mickiewicz Library, as well as Polish bars and taverns.
Kicks off with a flag-raising ceremony in Niagara Square, continues with a "Gay 5K" footrace through the streets of downtown, picks up intensity in Allentown with the Dyke March and a raucous street festival (21+ admitted), culminates in Canalside with the Pride Festival itself (a family-friendly event), and closes out with a beach party at Woodlawn Beach State Park in Hamburg.
This five-week-long garden festival has participating residents design and maintain beautiful gardens in their front yards for walkers to enjoy. In addition, there are bus tours of the area's various urban farms, nurseries, and community gardens, weekday open gardens, speakers, symposia, and the popular Front Yard Garden Competition. The Atlantic magazine cited this as the best event of its kind in the nation.
This celebration of genre-defying, boundary-pushing DIY art and spectacle takes place annually on the last week of July and the first week of August. Displays of music, dance, theater and visual arts, as well as more offbeat genres such as puppetry, fire art, mime and "miscellaneous insurrection", can be seen at venues around the city for free or for a nominal price.
Lovers of everything artisanal, take note: since 2014, the Jack Craft Fair features the handiwork of over 100 different artists and artisans for sale every mid-August at a different venue each year. Also features live music performances, interactive public art displays, and roster of about a half-dozen workshops.
Presented yearly in late September and early October. Highlights the cinematic contributions of individuals past and present hailing from Western New York, as well as films by lesser-known individuals around the world. In addition, there is an array of cinematic workshops and symposia.
Boasts over 1,100 slot machines and 36 table games.
Slot machines, video poker, and, in season, live harness racing.
Offers plays and musicals year-round in a comfortable and intimate setting, including "Buffalo Quickies" (a festival of one-act plays by local writers), the Maxim Mazumdar New Play Competition, and an annual presentation of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol each December. Also home to Theatre Plus, a troupe that puts on performances geared toward women.
Housed at the Andrews Theatre, the company has a broad focus: over the course of its history, the company has presented performances by the late French mime Marcel Marceau, the renowned Polish dramatist Kazimierz Braun, and Buffalo native Jesse L. Martin, whose work includes performances in the Broadway musical Rent and the television series Law & Order.
Develops and produces works by local playwrights. Also often presents theatrical productions by dramatists from outside the region.
Buffalo's premier venue for lavish Broadway-style musicals such as Dreamgirls, The Lion King, and Wicked, as well as live music and performances such as Sesame Street Live and the Radio City Christmas Spectacular.
Presents an assortment of productions and is available for private and corporate events.
Hosts a diversity of fare, including stand-up comedy sets and off-Broadway-style material that's often written and performed by Buffalo-area natives.
Nietzsche's stands out from the pack on Allen Street through sheer longevity; it's been presenting first-rate live music since well before most of the hipsters at the bar were born. In addition to the usual slate of local rock bands and singer-songwriters, Nietzsche's has been known to sneak in a nationally-known name here and there.
With an authentically gritty roadhouse vibe, the self-described "honkiest, tonkiest beer joint in town" is among Buffalo's premier places to see live local country, folk, blues and roots-rock acts.
Sizzling blues shows happen every Friday and Saturday night. Other genres like soul, funk, jazz and reggae crop up from time to time too, and if there's no band onstage when you visit you can still get your fix with the Internet jukebox and its encyclopedic selection of blues numbers.
Hosts big-band concerts on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday nights, as well as Sunday afternoons followed by a legendary open jam session in the evening.
Aside from the several-times-weekly performances of the Buffalo Philharmonic, Kleinhans features performances by other orchestras, small theatrical shows and popular music acts.
Hardcore wing lovers can make a pilgrimage to the "Home of the Original Buffalo Chicken Wing" on Main Street north of downtown to pick up all manner of chicken wing-themed T-shirts and other merchandise, but the flipside is that it's perhaps the only place in Buffalo that can justifiably be called a "tourist trap", with all the inattention to food quality and customer service the term implies. A good rule of thumb for those who simply want to tuck into a plate of wings is to stick to the branch locations. Besides wings, offerings also include a variety of salads, sandwiches (including that other standout of Western New York cuisine, beef on weck), and simple but hearty Italian fare.
Charlie Roesch was not the inventor of beef on weck but he and his descendants have certainly done the most to popularize the Buffalo specialty outside the immediate local area.
Burgers, tacos, wraps, chicken wings and fingers, and fast food of a similar nature is served at Jim's, but it's their famous steak hoagies that really put this place on the local radar.
The hot dogs served up at this place since 1927 have made Ted's among the best-loved of Buffalo's local traditions. Charcoal-broiled dogs come with the standard condiments of ketchup, mustard, onion and pickle relish available, as well as chili and cheese for a nominal extra cost — it should be noted, though, that Ted's chili sauce is distinctly different from what you'll find on Texas hots. Burgers, fries, onion rings, milkshakes, and soft drinks (including loganberry) round out the offerings.
Dishes out seemingly infinite permutations of grilled cheese sandwiches, with combinations of cheeses from the standard cheddar to brie and havarti, breads from Italian to sourdough to cinnamon raisin to panini, and toppings as creative as prosciutto, coleslaw, and fresh apples and pears. The modest selection of non-grilled-cheese offerings include a range of desserts, salads and (in season) hot soups. Their perennial Achilles heel is their service, which ranges from fast and friendly to slow and indifferent.
Broadly speaking, seafood comes in two forms here: the breaded and deep-fried variety (the shrimp po' boy is a popular item on the sandwich board, and haddock filets are a serviceable approximation of the Friday fish fry Buffalonians have been enjoying for generations) and as fresh, flavorful fish tacos, which are really the standout item on menu. Prices are fair, customer service is second to none — about the only bad thing you can say is their website exaggerates about the variety of offerings for folks who don't like seafood (choose between quesadillas and a steak hoagie in that case).
The "gourmet" in the name is no joke — though they'll happily serve you the standard ketchup/mustard/onion/relish setup, the heart and soul of this place is in artful creations such as the fiery "Holy Moly" where the heat of sriracha and jalapeños is tempered a bit by fresh guacamole, the sweet-and-savory "Violet Beauregarde" with cheese, crunchy fried onions, and blueberry glaze, and a faithful take on the Chicago hot dog.
Offers carnival food: fried dough (the house specialty), regular or loaded fries, cotton candy, corn dogs, and the like. The food is reliably good, house-made birch beer to drink is an authentic nod to an old-fashioned hometown favorite, and though prices are high, they're the only game in town for those looking to mine this offbeat culinary vein.
The original and still the undisputed king of Buffalo food trucks, staples include tomatillo pork tacos, braised beef burritos and "tricked-out nachos" — you can rest assured you're getting free-range, antibiotic- and hormone-free meats and locally grown produce. Wash it all down with an ice-cold Jarritos soda or HFCS-free Coke imported from Mexico.
Crawfish étouffée, shrimp and grits, the ever-popular jambalaya, and other downhome fare stay true to traditional Creole and Low Country recipes. A bit pricey for the portion size, but worth it.
Short but well-curated menu of Italian-inspired sandwiches, panini, and homemade cannoli for dessert. Customers tend to gravitate toward the Sicilian panini (Italian cold cuts topped with provolone, roasted red peppers, spinach, pesto, and Italian dressing) as well as the muffuletta sandwich (regular or spicy). If none of those are to your liking, they offer a build-your-own option as well.
Though there are some who say Bocce's is not quite as good as it used to be, the Pacciotti family's secret recipe is still often cited as the gold standard of Buffalo pizza. The usual array of wings, subs and sides are also offered, along with a decent fish fry. Also on Transit Road in East Amherst is the Original Bocce's Pizza, run by a different branch of the same family; local consensus says it's not as good.
The happy medium of Buffalo pizza, Franco's pies are offered with a respectable variety of toppings, but they're not as creative as Just Pizza; fresh-tasting and well-balanced, but not as artfully executed as Bocce's.
The closest thing to "gourmet" that you'll find in the realm of Buffalo pizza delivery, the creativity and endless variety on Just Pizza's menu have earned it comparisons to a homegrown version of California Pizza Kitchen — the online menu even suggests wine pairings to accompany their more popular specialty pies.
Among the best Buffalo has to offer — not only to citizens but to the whole country; they do a brisk business shipping all over the continental U.S. (a testament, again, to that outsize renown). La Nova's crust tends to be thicker and doughier than the average Buffalo pizza, the better to support the generous portions of toppings and mounds of cheese piled on top. And the wings are in the same league as Duff's and the Anchor Bar. (Those who'd like to try both the pizza and the wings — highly recommended — should opt for a Combo Pack).
Locally based, has the most stores.
Wegmans has traditionally been the local go-to for upscale specialty groceries.
A cooperatively-run purveyor of upscale natural, organic, and often locally sourced foods with locations in the Elmwood Village and on Hertel Avenue in North Buffalo.
Budget grocery store that boasts an especially good selection of fresh produce including an abundance of tropical fruits and vegetables.
Budget grocery store that has as an impressive meat selection and is the only discount supermarket in Buffalo that employs their own butchers.
Features a copious slate of smoothies of various styles: regular (various combinations of puréed fruits), "Fusion" (a healthier alternative where vegetables such as kale, golden beet, and spinach enter the picture), and "Fortified" (in full health-food mode here, featuring chia seed, turmeric, maca, and other trendy "superfoods"). Cold-pressed fruit juices, espresso drinks, and other beverages, as well as a selection of sandwiches, salads, and an all-day breakfast menu, are also available.
It's not exactly a local coffeeshop chain — the company has been Canadian-owned since 2004 — but Buffalonians still claim SPoT as their own based on the fact that Western New York is where you'll still find the vast majority of locations. High-quality house-roasted coffee is the name of the game, along with a range of sandwiches and panini, healthy salads, and other gourmet lunch fare; pricey but worth it.
An architectural masterpiece in the French Renaissance Revival style built in 1903 from a design by Louise Blanchard Bethune, the Hotel Lafayette is on Lafayette Square in the heart of downtown. Flat-panel TVs, banquet facilities, restaurant, coffeeshop, and two bars/lounges. Suites are available that contain full kitchens with refrigerator and stove. Complimentary breakfast.
The oldest continually operating hotel in Buffalo, the Lenox Hotel and Suites began its existence as a luxurious hotel and apartment building that counted a young F. Scott Fitzgerald among its early residents. The Lenox's ground floor is occupied by the Nina Freudenheim Gallery and a restaurant, the Lenox Grill, and it also boasts lovely views of downtown Buffalo and the waterfront from its upper floors.
Buffalo Marriott HarborCenter's rooms each feature a flat-panel TV, a workstation, a mini-fridge, coffeemaker, iron and ironing board, and panoramic views over either Lake Erie or the downtown skyline. For shopping, dining, and nightlife, HarborCenter offers a sports bar, the fine dining restaurant Panorama on Seven, and a Tim Hortons coffee shop as well as a full fitness room, laundry, and dry-cleaning services. Parking is available in the HarborCenter ramp or the Marriott's private ramp.
The Mansion on Delaware is a luxury boutique hotel in the Sternberg House, a beautifully restored 1870 French Second Empire-style mansion near the border of Allentown and downtown that was owned by a succession of wealthy Buffalo aristocrats of the 19th century. Butler service, fine dining, working fireplaces in most rooms. Popular for formal receptions such as weddings. Guests have access to the Buffalo Club’s Spa 388.
By car
The New York State Thruway (Interstate 90) runs east to west and connects Buffalo to other major cities and regions — New York City, the Hudson Valley, Albany, Utica, Syracuse, and Rochester to the…
By train
Buffalo is served by the following Amtrak lines:
By bus
The Buffalo Metropolitan Transportation Center, at 181 Ellicott St. downtown, serves as Buffalo's hub for intercity buses, a stop on most NFTA Metro Bus routes, and the city's main taxi terminal.
By boat
As the place where the Erie Canal met vast Lake Erie, Buffalo's early growth came thanks to the Great Lakes shipping industry.
By car
In addition to the Interstate highways mentioned in the "Get In" section, Buffalo has several intraurban expressways useful to visitors:
By public transportation
Buffalo's public transportation system is operated by the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority (NFTA).
By taxi
In Buffalo, taxis can generally be dispatched quickly and with ease; however, in general, the only places where they can be hailed on the street are at the airport and around the Metropolitan…
By bike
In terms of the development of infrastructure such as dedicated bike lanes on city streets and bike parking areas, Buffalo lags behind other "bikeable" cities such as Minneapolis, Portland, and…
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