Welcome to Buffalo! This city in western New York is known for its chicken wings, frigid, snowy winters and NFL team. What may seem like a sleep rust belt city surprised me with the sheer number of natural wonders within a short drive.
I’m not going to lie, I started with this itinerary without any guiding theme but quickly learned about all the cool waterfalls in the area.
So, I planned out a weekend trip hitting some of the most unique while also incorporating a few of the city’s other iconic sites.
As with other articles similar to this, I have yet to attempt this itinerary. If you do, let me know how it ends up!
Friday
Evening
This itinerary has you ideally landing before dinner in western New York. Grab your rental and head west into the city.
To quickly acquaint yourself, immediately head to Anchor Bar. The unassuming dive bar is the birthplace of Buffalo Wings and has been since 1964. They’ve since expanded to hold a few locations around the country.
Surprisingly, Buffalo has a pretty robust theater scene! Head over to the Theatre District after dinner. I don’t know what’ll be showing, but be sure to check out some of the night’s performances at the Alleyway Theater, the Town Ballroom and Shea’s Buffalo Theater.
Saturday
Morning
Start your day by grabbing coffee from Wonder Coffeehouse. This small coffee shop is set inside an abandoned warehouse on an island and is adjacent to the waterfront Buffalo RiverWorks. Grab one of their highly rated coffees for the road.
Personally, I want to see Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site. It’s a necessity to visit every NPS site! This spot in downtown Buffalo marks where the former President was inaugurated after President McKinley’s death.
Afternoon
From here, it’s a 30 minute drive up Interstate 190 to Niagara Falls.
Buffalo’s big-ticket destination is Niagara Falls State Park. The state park plays home to America’s side of one of the most famous waterfalls.
Inside the state park are several activities. Here’s a small bucket list:
- See the majestic view of Horseshoe Falls at Terrapin Point
- Gaze over American Falls from the Observation Tower ($1.25)
- Get absolutely drenched on The Maid of the Mist ($28)
- Stand 175 feet under the falls in the Cave of the Winds ($21/in-season; $14/off-season)
- Boulder along the Whirlpool Rapids Adventure Hike to whirlpools in the Niagara River at Whirlpool State Park
- Take an elevator into the ruins of the abandoned Schoellkopf Power Plant
- If you’re here past sunset, see the falls illuminate at night
Additionally, if you have the ability to do so, walk across the Rainbow Bridge to the Canadian city of Niagara Falls. This side is much more commercialized and there’s literally an endless array of things to do. For example:
- Bird Kingdom, a zoo dedicated to birds
- Quite a few indoor water parks
- The pathetic Marineland amusement park that closed all its rides
- One of 23 Rainforest Cafes
- A 175 foot ferris wheel
- Whatever Zombie Attack Niagara Falls is
See what I mean? You could probably spend a lifetime (and a life savings) in this town and still not see every tourist trap.
Evening
Spend the evening hopping around some of Buffalo’s breweries. Big Ditch Brewing Company and OSB Ciderworks are great places to start. They’re also right next to each other which is super convenient. OSB Ciderworks has as many as 16 ciders on tap. At the time of writing flavors included everything from a refreshing Cantaloupe Cucumber to a seasonal blueberry cider that claims to have extracted tastes from 128,700,090 blueberries. With pints as low as $7, I know it’d be hard for me to not try everything.
Sunday
Morning
Paula’s Donuts has four locations around Buffalo that make 30 different varieties of fresh donuts every morning. I’m intrigued by their viral Frosted Angel Cream.
After fueling up on donuts, make the 25 minute drive down US-219 to Chestnut Ridge and the trailhead for Eternal Flame Falls. What sets this 30-foot waterfall apart from any other is the gas leak sitting behind the wall of water. If you bring a lighter, you can literally light a flame behind the falls. The hike is only about 1.2 miles roundtrip.
While in the area, the actual hike along Chestnut Ridge is a pleasant four mile loop with views of the distant Buffalo skyline.
20 minutes west is the Hobuck Flats Waterfall Trail. A little over a mile, its a nice walk to a pretty waterfall. If you have extra time, I’d say the falls is worth a stop, but don’t miss your flight to see it.
Afternoon
On the way to the airport, swing by Glen Falls. The small falls is less than two miles north of the airport and well worth the trip. The adjacent Main Street of Williamsville is equally as charming.
Turquoise Skies 