Darwin D. Martin House

125 Jewett Parkway

Buffalo, NY

716-856-3858.

Admission charged includes tour of the Martin house and Graycliff, the Martin family's summer home on Lake Erie. Master designer and architect Frank Lloyd Wright went to Buffalo to design the headquarters of a soap company, and executives were so impressed by his work that several commissioned him to design homes. The 1904 Darwin D. Martin House in North Buffalo is a classic example of Wright's Prairie style. The house is undergoing renovation but is still open for tours Saturday at 10 am and 1 pm and Sunday at 1 pm. Advance reservations are required.

Graycliff is a summer home designed by Frank Lloyd Wright for the Darwin D. Martin family. Tours are April-October Tuesday-Thursday at 11 am and 2 pm, Friday at 3 pm, Saturday at 11 am and 3 pm, and Sunday at 1 pm and 4 pm   Albright-Knox Art Gallery

1285 Elmwood Ave., Buffalo. Phone 716-882-8700. Tuesday-Saturday 11 am-5 pm, Sunday noon-5 pm. Admission charged.

Free admission to the permanent collection Saturday 11 am-1 pm. Often ranked as one of the country's top museums for modern art, with works by Picasso, Matisse, van Gogh, Monet and other masters

Amherst Museum Restored historic buildings from the 1800s in a 35-acre/14-hectare park. Living-history demonstrations and tours are offered. The park is open April-October Tuesday-Friday 9:30 am-4:30 pm, Saturday and Sunday 12:30-4:30 pm; mid October-March Tuesday-Friday 9:30 am-4:30 pm. The historic buildings are open April-October only. US$5 adults, US$1.50 children. 3755 Tonawanda Creek Road (about 16 mi/26 km northeast of downtown Buffalo), Amherst. Phone 716-689-1440. http://www.amherstmuseum.org.   Burchfield-Penney Arts Center

Buffalo State College, Rockwell Hall

1300 Elmwood Ave., Buffalo.

716-878-6011

Tuesday-Saturday 10 am-5 pm, Sunday 1-5 pm. Admission Charged

Displays the world's largest collection of works by renowned American watercolorist Charles E. Burchfield. Handcrafted items from the Roycroft Arts and Crafts community in nearby East Aurora also are showcased.

African American Cultural Center

350 Masten Avenue Buffalo, NY 14209 716-884-2013

Hours: Box Office: Mon-Thu, 9am-9pm, Fri - Sat, 10am-6pm. Only open on Sun during productions, 3pm.

Admission Charged

The AACC is home to the Paul Robeson Theatre, a showcase for the talents of African American playwrights, directors and actors, as well as home of the Drum Performance Company.

Michigan Avenue Baptist Church

511 Michigan Avenue Buffalo, NY 14203

716-854-7976

Hours: Call for additional information

Admission Free

Michigan Avenue Baptist Church is Buffalo's best known underground railroad site. It is believed to be the oldest property continuously owned, operated and occupied by African-Americans in Western New York.  

Buffalo & Erie County Botanical Gardens

2655 South Park Avenue Buffalo, NY 14218 716-827-1584

Hours: 10 am-5 pm Tuesday through Sunday, with additional hours (until 7pm) Thursday. Closed on Monday. Admission Free Come take a stroll through the most intact Frederick Law Olmsted landscape and arboretum in the country. Exotic horticultural treasures from different climates can be found in the Victorian Tri-dome glass conservatory. Visit the annual flower shows and see perhaps the largest collection of ivy in the world.  

Buffalo Zoological Gardens

300 Parkside Avenue Buffalo, NY 14214 716- 837-3900

Hours: Jun 1 - Sep 6, 10am-5pm; Sep 7 - Dec 31, 10am-4pm. Grounds remain open one hour after gate closes. Closed Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Admission Charged The Zoo is a wonderful place for family fun, all year long! It's the only place in town to observe a wide variety of exotic and domestic animals in a natural setting.  

Broadway Market

999 Broadway Buffalo, NY 14212 716-893-0705

Hours: Mon - Fri, 8am - 5pm; Sat, 7am - 5pm. Closed Sundays, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Easter Sunday.

Admission Free Established in 1888, the Broadway Market is one of the oldest indoor markets in the United States. The market features old-world butcher shops and bakeries, candy shops and restaurants with an assortment of ethnic food vendors.

Forest Lawn Cemetery and Garden Mausoleums

1411 Delaware Avenue Buffalo, NY 14209 716-885-1600

Hours: Winter 7:30am-6pm; Summer 7:30am-5pm. Open holidays. Admission Free A breathtaking 269-acre cemetery designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, founded 1849with outstanding examples of funerary art. On the State and National registers of historic places.

Q-R-S Music Technologies

1026 Niagara Street Buffalo, NY 14213 716-885-4600 or 800-247-6557

Hours: Tours Mon - Fri, 10am & 2pm ONLY. Open year-round except holidays. Reservations preferred. Admission Charged Established in 1900, Q-R-S is the world's oldest and largest manufacturer of player piano rolls. Tour the factory to see how piano rolls are made. Historic instruments, as well as the latest compact disc player pianos on display. Rolls, CDs and tapes are available for purchase.  

Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site

641 Delaware Avenue Buffalo, NY 14202 716-884-0095

Hours: Mon - Fri, 9am - 5pm; Sat & Sun, noon - 5pm. Closed holidays. Admission Charged Historic house museum where Theodore Roosevelt was inaugurated as the 26th President in 1901.

Buffalo and Erie County Historical Society

25 Nottingham Court (at Elmwood Avenue) Buffalo, NY 14216 716-873-9644

Hours: Mon - Sat, 10am - 5pm; Sun, noon - 5pm. Open year round except major holidays. Admission Charged History lives here! The Historical Society offers engaging interpretive activities and exhibits for all ages utilizing its vast artifact, photograph and document collections to tell the stories of both ordinary and extraordinary people of Buffalo and WNY.

Buffalo & Erie County Naval and Military Park

One Naval Park Cove Buffalo, NY 14202 716-847-1773

Hours: Apr - Oct, daily, 10am - 5pm; Nov, Sat - Sun, 10am - 4:30pm. Open holidays. Admission Charged

This Buffalo waterfront attraction is purported to be the largest inland park of its kind in the nation. All branches of the Armed Forces are represented in the park's exhibits. Tour the decks and hulls of a guided missile cruiser, destroyer and WWII submarine. Inspect uniforms and memorabilia in the museum and exhibits aboard the ships. See planes, a tank and more!  

Buffalo Fire Historical Museum

1850 William Street Buffalo, NY 14206-1449 716-892-8400

Hours: Sat, 10am - 4pm. Closed holidays.

Admission Free

Dating from the 1850s, exhibits include an 1850 hand-pumper, an 1865 soda/acid cart, a 1907 hose wagon and steamer and a 1919 Arhens-Fox pumper.

Buffalo Museum of Science

1020 Humboldt Parkway Buffalo, NY 14211 716-896-5200

Hours: Tue - Sat, 10am - 5pm; Sun, noon - 5pm. Museum hours subject to change.  Closed Holidays.

Admission Charged An exciting world of hands-on learning in the Greater Niagara Region. From dinosaurs to exotic insects, explore more than a dozen fun filled exhibit halls tracing natural history and the human experience.

Buffalo Transportation/Pierce Arrow Museum

263 Michigan Avenue at 201 Seneca Street Buffalo, NY 14202 716-853-0084

Hours: Sat 12pm-5pm; tours by appointment. Admission Charged Western New York-made automobiles, cycles, and automobilia focuses on local transportation history. Cars from 1901 to the 1960s, muscle cars, Pierce-Arrow, Thomas Flyers and more. Unique “Women and the Automobile” exhibit presents an in-depth look at the role women played in all phases of the automobile industry throughout the 20th Century.

Cofeld Judaic Museum of Temple Beth Zion

805 Delaware Avenue Buffalo, NY 14209 716-836-6565

Hours: Call for additional information

Admission Charged Collection of more than a thousand Judaic artifacts dating from 10th Century to the present.

Iron Island Museum

998 Lovejoy Street Buffalo, NY 14206-1123 716-892-3084

Hours: Mon, 2pm - 6pm; Thu, 5pm - 9pm; Fri & Sat, 10am - 1pm, or by appointment. Closed Labor Day, Christmas & New Year's Day. Admission Charged Historic 1895 building with three rooms of artifacts including railroad history, military items, Hennepin Park memories, New York Central Terminal gallery and model.  

The Karpeles Manuscript Library Museum

453 Porter Avenue Buffalo, NY 14201 716-885-4139

Hours: Mon - Sat, 10am - 5pm; Sun, 1pm - 5pm. Call for holiday hours. Admission Free Buffalo is one of seven U.S. cities to house a Karpeles Manuscript Library Museum. Exhibit highlights include the Wright Brothers, the Louisiana Purchase, the early history of the Bible, and great classical music composers.

Lower Lakes Marine Historical Society Museum

66 Erie Street Buffalo, NY 14202 716-849-0914

Hours: Tue, Thu & Sat, 10am - 3pm. Admission Charged The museum - the former Howard H. Baker Company's ship chandlery built in 1830 - houses an extensive collection of maritime history relating to the creation of the Erie Canal. Photos, newspaper articles, model ships and wartime vessels are included in the displays of the 130-year history of boat building in Buffalo.

Mark Twain Museum of Buffalo

249 North Street Buffalo, NY 14201 716-881-1454

Hours: Tours by advance reservation only. Sat. 10am, Sun. 1pm, Wed. 1pm. Admission Charged Learn about Mark Twain's time in Buffalo and the colorful history of the museum's 1877 mansion home, designed by noted architect Richard Waite. Mark Twain Room

1 Lafayette Square Buffalo, NY 14203-1887 716-858-8900

Hours: Sep - May, Mon - Wed, Fri & Sat, 8:30am - 6pm; Thu, 8:30am - 8pm; Sun, 1pm - 5pm. Closed holidays. Admission Free The Mark Twain Room features the original handwritten manuscript of "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn," as well as an extensive collection of unique editions and Twain memorabilia covering 2 city blocks. The Central Library offers a host of resources for researchers, students and visitors, and the general public. Buffalo City Hall Observation Tower

65 Niagara Square Buffalo, NY 14202 716-851-5891

Hours: Mon. to Fri. 9am-4pm. Closed holidays and weekends. Admission Charged This commanding art-deco building dominates Niagara Square. The 21 exterior friezes represent the city's cultural and economic life. In the lobby, a colorful mosaic ceiling and murals depict Buffalo's history. Take the elevator to the 28th-floor observation deck for spectacular views of Lake Erie and the city.

Miss Buffalo/Niagara Clipper Cruise Boats

79 Marine Drive (business office) Buffalo, NY 14202 Erie Basin Marina (dock location) Downtown Buffalo 716-856-6696 or 800-244-8684

Hours: May to October. Public cruises available Tue.-Sun Admission Charged Providing narrated tours and dining cruises from the picturesque Erie Basin Marina in downtown Buffalo. Cruise the scenic waters of the Buffalo waterfront while viewing the city's magnificent skyline.

Other Nearby Attractions

Niagara Falls (20 miles NW of Buffalo)

Aquarium of Niagara

701 Whirlpool Street Niagara Falls, NY 14301

716-285-3575 or 800-500-4609

Hours: Call for days and hours of operation, closed Thanksgiving and Christmas

Admission Charged Dive into an ocean of discovery at Niagara's other water wonder! There are over 40 aquatic exhibits, including California sea lion demonstrations, harbor seals, and a colony of endangered Peruvian penguins.

Motherland Connextions

471 Hyde Park Boulevard Niagara Falls, NY 14303 716-282-1028

Hours: Mon - Fri, 9am–5pm; Sat., 9am-2pm year round except Sundays and holidays. Offering Underground Railroad tours, slideshows and mobile classrooms that make heritage tourism exciting. Understand the Underground Railroad by following the footsteps of those brave and hearty souls who took the secret passageways north to Canada.  

Seneca Niagara Casino

310 Fourth Street Niagara Falls, NY 14303 716-299-1100

Hours: Open 7 days a week, call for additional information

Admission Free Located in New York, just a few blocks from the majestic falls, the new Seneca Niagara Casino offers favorite table games and the latest coin-operated slots, plus a fabulous buffet restaurant, a pub, and a spectacular raised lounge in the center of the gaming floor.  

Niagara Aerospace Museum

345 Third Street Niagara Office Building Niagara Falls, NY 14303 716-278-0060

Hours: Call for additional information

Admission Charged Experience flight in a 140 seat surround sound theater. The Niagara Aerospace Museum's dazzling collection of aircraft, artifacts and space exhibits bring to life the dreams, determination and courage that characterize the pioneers of aviation history and space exploration. See the restoration of a rare World War I trainer airplane, the Curtiss J-N4D Jenny. Sit under a World War II parachute designed and made in Buffalo NY in 1942.  

East Aurora (20 miles SE of Buffalo)

  Herschell Carrousel Factory Museum

April-June Wednesday-Sunday 1-5 pm; July and August daily 11 am-5 pm; September-December Wednesday-Sunday 1-5 pm.

180 Thompson St.

Tonawanda.

716-693-1885.

Admission includes a ride on a restored 1916 carousel or a 1940s-era children's carousel. Group tours scheduled year-round.

Housed in the original Allan Herschell Co. factory complex, this museum explores the history of hand-carved wooden carousels, as well as the company's role in the development of the U.S. amusement-ride industry

Six Flags Darien Lake

9993 Allegheny Road (about 38 mi/61 km southeast of downtown Buffalo), Darien Center. Phone 585-599-4641

Open May-October; hours vary. Admission charged.

New York State’s largest theme park and resort boasts multiple roller coasters (including a suspended looping coaster and a wooden coaster), a water park and a section especially for younger children. Concerts and weekend festivals add to the fun.

Elbert Hubbard – Roycroft Museum

363 Oakwood Avenue East Aurora, NY 14052 716-652-4735

Hours: Seasonal Jun 1 - Oct 15 Wed., Sat. & Sun. 2pm-4pm or by appointment. Closed holidays. Admission Charged

A 1910 craftsmen bungalow containing a collection of books, letters, furniture, metal ware, leather crafts and art glass pertaining to Elbert Hubbard and the Roycroft Arts and Crafts Movement.

Explore & More…A Children’s Museum

300 Gleed Avenue East Aurora, NY 14052 716-655-5131

Hours: Wed - Sat, 10am-5pm; Sun, noon-5pm. Mon - Tue by reservation for large groups. Open year-round. Closed holidays except for Martin Luther King Day, President's Day and Columbus Day.

Admission Charged A fun museum designed for the many ways kids learn, featuring hands-on exhibits for ages 1-10. The museum encourages children to learn more about the world around them as they experiment, discover, play and learn.

Toy Town Museum

636 Girard Avenue East Aurora, NY 14052 716-687-5151