Things To Do In, And Near, Buffalo NY

With a city population of 290,000, and a metropolitan area population of 950,000, Buffalo NY has a lot to offer visitors. This page presents brief overviews of some of the more-popular and interesting things to do in and near Buffalo. This page is divided into three sections, “In Buffalo and Nearby Communities”, “Niagara County and Nearby Areas”, and “Further Afield”.


In Buffalo and Nearby Communities


Architectural Tours of Buffalo – The City of Buffalo has a very rich architectural history, from the 32-story art-deco Buffalo City Hall, to the 1901 Goldome Bank Building, and many, many more, Buffalo’s architectural heritage is impressive. Guided tours of multiple sites are available for reasonable cost, including Architecture Tours – Visit Buffalo, and Walking Tour Catalog : Explore Buffalo.


Buffalo and Erie County Naval & Military Park – Located on Buffalo’s Inner Harbor, the Buffalo Naval Park features and excellent museum, numerous outdoor land exhibits, three museum ships: USS Little Rock (light cruiser), USS The Sullivans (highly-decorated WW2 destroyer), and USS Croaker (WW2 and Cold War attack submarine), together with numerous historical monuments.


Canalside – in mid-May, Canalside, on Buffalo’s Inner Harbor, offers vibrant waterfront views, outdoor dining, and early-season events before summer crowds arrive. Visitors can enjoy walking paths, historic canal features, and scenic boat tours. It’s the perfect time for fresh air, local food, and relaxing by Lake Erie’s shoreline in Buffalo’s lively downtown district.


Buffalo History – The Buffalo History Museum, located adjacent to Delaware Park (designed by Frederick Law Olmstead) is the only remaining building from the 1901 Buffalo Pan-American Exposition, it features an array of historical exhibits, ranging from relics from the 1901 assassination of President William McKinley in Buffalo, to a Spring 2026 exhibit on Buffalo’s world-famous rock band, the Goo Goo Dolls. In addition, companies such as Buffalo History Tours offer guided tours of historic sites of interest in Buffalo.


AKG Art Gallery – Western New York’s premier art gallery, the AKG, which completed a $230 million expansion in 2023, is located in north Buffalo, adjacent to the 265-acre Delaware Park designed by Frederick Law Olmstead.


Local Performing Arts – Buffalo has a vibrant theater and concert community. Performances of plays, concerts, and other entertainment is available in a variety of local venues, including KeyBank Center (18,000-seat arena in downtown Buffalo), Shea’s Buffalo (3,000-seat performance theater in downtown Buffalo’s Theater District, and the region’s premier location for touring Broadway productions, Shea’s 710 (theater across Main Street from Shea’s Buffalo), Alleyway Theater, Theater of Youth, Kleinhans Music Hall (home of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra), Riviera Theater (in nearby North Tonawanda NY), and many local nightclubs. Please check each venue’s calendar for shows, times, and pricing.

Buffalo Bisons professional baseball – The Bisons are the Triple-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays, playing in downtown Buffalo’s Sahlen’s Field. The Bisons have a homestand on May 12- 16, 2026 versus the Worcester Red Sox. The Bisons offer MLB-level play for minor league prices. Constructed in 1987, the 22,000-seat Sahlen’s Field started the MLB’s current architectural trend in preferring “old style”-looking stadiums with clean lines of sight, modern conveniences and a large array of food and beverage choices.


Frank Lloyd Wright’s Graycliff – This residence, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, was built between 1926 and 1931. It sits on a 65-foot cliff overlooking Lake Erie, blending architecture with stunning natural views. Located 16 miles from downtown Buffalo, on the Lake Erie shoreline in the southwestern portion of the Town of Hamburg, Graycliff’s new visitor center will open in February 2026.


Buffalo Raceway – Located 13 miles south of downtown Buffalo in Hamburg NY, Buffalo Raceway features a spring schedule of trotter horseracing and its associated casino.


Battlefield Sites – For history buffs, the Niagara River area features a number of Eighteenth and Nineteenth Century battlefield sites. Even though one of these, Old Fort Erie, is located directly across the Niagara River from downtown Buffalo, these sites are described, below, under the heading, “Niagara County and Nearby Areas”.

Niagara County and Nearby Areas

  • Niagara Falls – Known worldwide as one of the most incredible waterfalls anywhere, Niagara Falls straddles the US-Canada border, and sees the fresh water from four of the five Great Lakes plunging approximately 167 feet over the Niagara Escarpment. The Falls are considered one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World. Attractions in and near Niagara Falls NY and Niagara Falls ON are listed below. Most attractions involve an admission fee or parking fee. The Rainbow Bridge at the Falls allows convenient vehicular access between the two sides. Crossing the border requires either a valid passport, passport card, “intelligent” drivers license or other form of RealID.
    • Niagara Falls State Park (NY) – Allows pedestrian access to the US Falls and Goat Island, the Cave of the Winds, and the US boarding for the Maid of the Mist.
    • Queen Victoria Park (ON) – Landscaped park adjacent to Horseshoe Falls. Parking costs may be more expensive than on the US side. Allows access to the Journey Behind the Falls, Canadian boarding for the Maid of the Mist, and the 1905 Niagara Falls Power Station (open as a museum; the building features significant architectural elements; visitors can take an elevator down 170 feet to walk through the half-mile long former tailrace tunnel to an extraordinary view of the Falls from the level of the lower river).
    • Skylon Tower – Constructed on a bluff 200 feet above Horseshoe Falls, this 500- foot-tall structure features an observation deck and high-level, rotating restaurant.
    • Niagara Power Project – New York State’s biggest electricity producer, the Niagara Power Project includes a visitor center and areas open to the public. The facility is a little over one mile below the falls.
    • Seneca Niagara Casino – Located in Niagara Falls NY, this facility is a full- service casino, and features several theaters with various performing arts.
    • Fallsview Casino and Casino Niagara – Each located in Niagara Falls ON, these facilities are full-service casinos. Fallsview Casino includes a 1,500-seat theater with various performing arts.
  • Niagara-on-the-Lake (ON) – Approximately 35 miles from Buffalo, the beautiful village of Niagara-on-the-Lake is located on the Canadian side where the Niagara River flows into Lake Ontario. Niagara-on-the-Lake resembles a village in southern England, featuring many quaint shops, inns and B&Bs, fine dining, and numerous well-regarded Niagara Region wineries. The Shaw Festival, in Niagara-on-the-Lake, features multiple, professional theatrical productions, including musicals, comedies, and dramas, open annually between early April and mid-October.
  • Battlefields and Historic Sites – Because the Niagara River, and the Portage around Niagara Falls, was the choke point for transit from the Atlantic Ocean to the center of the continent in the Eighteenth and early Nineteenth Centuries, opposing armies have clashed for control of the waterway at numerous locations, leaving behind a rich legacy for history buffs and tourists. Local sites are listed below, from south to north, in the direction of the River’s current. Some include an admission fee. Crossing the US- Canadian border requires a valid passport, passport card, “intelligent” drivers license or other form of RealID.
    • Old Fort Erie, Fort Erie ON – This restored Nineteenth Century fortification was the scene of a six-week siege in August-September 1814, with thousands of US and British casualties. The fort is directly across the Niagara River from downtown Buffalo.
    • Ridgeway Battlefield, Ridgeway ON – Fought on June 3, 1866, this hours-long skirmish between a brigade of American Civil War Veterans of the Fenian Brotherhood and a brigade of Canadian militia was part of an Irish attempt to occupy Canada and trade it for Irish independence. The battlefield is eight miles west of Buffalo.
    • Chippewa Battlefield, Chippewa ON – This battlefield site, directly on the Niagara River bank, features monuments, walking trails, and interpretive signage, for the battle fought here on July 5, 1814. The battlefield is approximately five miles south of Niagara Falls ON.
    • Lundy’s Lane Battlefield, Niagara Falls ON – Located on Drummond’s Hill, less than one mile from Horseshoe Falls, the Battle of Lundy’s Lane, fought on July 25, 1814, was the most savage and costly battle of the War of 1812, until the Battle of New Orleans. Several monuments and the original cemetery where the fighting occurred mark the battlefield today.
    • Queenston Heights Battlefield, Queenston ON – Located atop a height towering out of the Ontario Bank of the Niagara River, eight miles downstream of Niagara Falls, ill-trained, invading US forces were decisively defeated at Queenston Heights by a smaller force of British regulars on October 13, 1812. Today, the battlefield features a 180-foot-tall monument to the British commanding general, who was killed in the Battle.
    • Fort George, Niagara-on-the-Lake ON – This restored earthen and palisade fortification from the War of 1812 was taken by US troops in 1813. Today, visitors have free access throughout the restored fortifications.
    • Old Fort Niagara, Youngstown NY – With nearly 300 years of history, Old Fort Niagara commemorates the three-week siege of its French garrison by a combined force of British regulars, American colonists, and Indians, in July 1759, during the Seven Years War/French and Indian War. On December 13, 1813, British troops savagely overpowered the fort’s US garrison during the War of 1812 and occupied it until the end of the war. Nearby grounds served as a World War 1 US training camp and World War 2 POW camp.

Further Afield

  • Toronto – With a city population of more than 2.8 million, and a metropolitan area of more than 7.5 million, Toronto, Ontario, is one of the largest and most vibrant cities in North America, located just 90 miles from downtown Buffalo NY. Just a few of the things to do in Toronto in Mid-May, other than the city’s year-round collection of world-class museums, fine restaurants, theater, and the MLB Toronto Blue Jays, are the following. A valid passport, passport card, or intelligent driver’s license/RealID is required to cross the US-Canada border. Visit Toronto | Destination Toronto.
  • Letchworth State Park – Located approximately 60 miles east-southeast of Buffalo, Letchworth State Park is very much worth a visit, featuring a 600-foot-deep rock gorge through which the Genessee River cascades over three major waterfalls, plus other attractions. Visitors in the area may also want to see the Mount Morris Dam (approximately 250 feet high and 1,100 feet long, across the Genessee River) and the nearby National Warplane Museum.
  • National Comedy Center – Often voted as one of the best museums in the United States, the National Comedy Center, located in Jamestown NY, approximately 70 miles south of Buffalo, is well worth a visit.