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 the perfect 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.  

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 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 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 Buffalo City Hall is an Art Deco masterpiece with spectacular views of Lake Erie and the city.

Nearby Attractions

Aquarium of Niagara

701 Whirlpool Street Niagara Falls, NY 14301 (20 miles NW of Buffalo)

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! Highlights include California sea lion demonstrations, harbor seals, and a colony of endangered Peruvian penguins. There are over 40 aquatic exhibits.  

The Great American Balloon Co.

310 Rainbow Blvd South Niagara Falls, NY 14303 (20 miles NW of Buffalo) 716-278-0824

Hours:  Open May – October, call for additional information Take a 15 minute ride over Niagara Falls in the "Flight of Angels," a helium filled balloon.  

Journey Behind the Falls

6650 Niagara Parkway Niagara Falls, ON L2E 6T2 (22 miles NW of Buffalo) 877-642-7275

Hours: Daily 9am-5pm. Extended hours in summer months. Closed Christmas. Admission Charged Elevators transport you to viewing stations below and behind the Horseshoe Falls. Feel the thunder as the mist from water falling 13 stories sprays your face.

Toy Town Museum

636 Girard Avenue East Aurora, NY 14052 (20 miles SE of Buffalo) 716-687-5151

Hours: Mon - Sat 10am-4pm Admission Charged Younger visitors will delight in ToyWorks, a hands-on area where kids can try a number of different learning activities. Adults will enjoy the extensive collection of "Toys Through the 20th Century," "Toys from Around the World", and a host of regularly changing exhibits.

Vidler’s Five and Dime Store

676-694 Main Street East Aurora, NY 14052 (20 miles SE of Buffalo) 716-652-0481 or 877-VIDLERS Hours: Mon - Thu & Sat, 9am - 5:30pm; Fri, 9am - 9pm; Sun, noon - 4pm. Closed holidays. Admission Free Take a step back in time as you visit this old five and dime! Four connected vintage Main Street buildings offer shopping fun for the whole family.  

Grand Island Sportsman’s Niagara River Tour

3407 Wallace Drive Grand Island, NY 14072 (13 miles NW of Buffalo) 716-773-9067

Hours: Seasonal, May through October, call for reservations Admission Charged Select from a variety of charters aboard "Puppy Love," a 24' Bayliner Cruiser on the Upper Niagara River, Lake Erie or the Historic Erie Canal. Take a sightseeing cruise around Grand Island and see Niagara Falls from a unique vantage point. Visit the terminus of the Erie Canal where Governor DeWitt Clinton dedicated the opening of the canal in 1823. See the WWII warships and the Buffalo waterfront including its grain mills. Fish for walleye, bass or muskys. All tackle and bait are supplied. Scuba dive the crystal clear waters or visit one of the area’s beautiful beaches. Try your hand at water skiing or tubing. Stop at a riverside cafe for a famous Buffalo roast beef on weck sandwich, in which slices of juicy, rare roast beef and freshly grated horseradish are piled high on "kummelweck," an unusual hard roll crusted with pretzel salt and caraway.

Martin’s Fantasy Island

2400 Grand Island Boulevard Grand Island, NY 14072 (13 miles NW of Buffalo) 716-773-7591

Hours: Seasonal, mid-May - mid-Sep, Sun - Fri, 11:30am - 8:30pm. July & Aug, Sun - Fri, 11:30am - 8:30pm; Sat, 11:30am - 9pm.

Admission Charged

Martin’s Fantasy Island offers quality, safe and fun entertainment in a wholesome family environment.  Experience over 100 rides, shows and attractions in a clean, park-like setting. Live shows throughout the park include the Wild West Shoot-Out, an old-fashioned Western musical extravaganza, a children's puppet show and a '60s and '70s musical tribute show.

Arcade and Attica Railroad

278 Main Street Arcade, NY 14009 (46 miles SE of Buffalo) 585-496-9877

Hours: May - October, Sat. & Sun. 12:30pm and 3pm, July & August, Wed. Sat. and Sun., 12:30 pm and 3pm, Fri. 1pm. Call for December hours. Admission Charged Journey back in time on an early 1900s train pulled by one of the last original operating steam locomotives in New York State. Experience a living part of America's history.

Six Flags Darien Lake

9993 Allegheny Road Darien Center, NY 14040 (37 miles E of Buffalo) 585-599-4641

Hours: Seasonal, call for additional information

Admission Charged Theme park with over 100 rides, shows and attractions, including world class roller coasters, kiddie park, water park, and a concert venue.

Whirlpool Jet Boat Tours

The Riverside Inn 115 South Water Street Lewiston, NY 14092 (25 miles N of Buffalo) 905-468-4800 or 888-438-4444

Hours: Apr. - Oct. - departure times 10am, 11:30am, 1pm, 2pm, 3pm, 4pm, 5:30pm, 7pm (subject to change.) Open holidays. Reservations required.

Admission Charged Passengers ages six and up will experience history, scenery and excitement on an hour-long whitewater adventure through the Niagara Gorge.

Genesee Country Village and Museum

1410 Flint Hill Road Mumford, NY 14511 (62 miles E of Buffalo) 585-538-6822

Hours: May - Oct, 10am-4pm, until 5pm on weekends, holidays. Tue - Sun, 10am-5pm from Jul - Labor Day. Nov - Apr, Nature Center is open Thu - Sun, 10am-4pm. Admission Charged Spend a day in a 19th-century country village. Stroll among the 68 restored and fully furnished buildings and see how a log cabin settlement grew into a bustling community of stores, shops, schools, churches and fine houses.  "Villagers" in period dress tell you about 1800s Genesee Country and American life. Live demonstrations of crafts and tasks of the 19th-century take place every day, including blacksmithing, cooking, spinning and tending the gardens.

Herschell Carrousel Factory Museum

180 Thompson Street North Tonawanda, NY 14120-0672 (14 miles N of Buffalo) 716-693-1885

Hours: Apr - Jun 15 & Sep - Dec 30, Wed - Sun, 1- 5pm; Jun 16 - Labor Day, Sun - Sat, 11am - 5pm. Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's, Easter. Admission Charged

The building and 1916 carousel are listed on both the New York State and National Register of Historic Sites. Exhibits include an operating 1916 carousel, a 1948 kiddie carrousel, and 20 hand-carved carousel characters.