Things to Do If You Are Visiting Buffalo, NY- December 18 to 22, 2024. Buffalo is a great place for a vacation. Activities for kids,  great parks, museums, and tourist stuff you won’t want to miss.SO, if you are visiting, you can now say you experienced a snowy Buffalo winter.

Kids

  • FREE Family Movies at East Aurora Theater-  Dec 21 and 22
  • Holiday Lights at Stony Brook Neighborhood- Dec 18 to January 1, 2025
  • Polar Express on Medina Railroad– Dec 21-22
  • East Aurora Carolcade- Dec 21
  • Brunch with Santa at Tewksbury Lodge- Dec 21 and 22
  • Explore and More Children’s Museum for young kids- carrousel at Canalside where the museum is location- 44 Prime St.- Open – Wednesday to Sunday
  • Aquarium of Niagara in Niagara Falls- Open daily
  • Herschell Carrousel Museum- open Wednesday to Sunday
  • Buffalo Museum of Science, 1020 Humboldt Parkway- open daily
  • Buffalo Zoo- Open daily

Nature

  • Winter Solstice Walk at Reinstein Woods- Dec 21
  • Signs of Winter Changes at Reinstein Woods- Dec 21
  • FREE Guided Walking Tours of Hoyt Lake at Delaware Park with Explore Buffalo-   December 28. FREE but register.Meets at the Lincoln Statue near the rose garden at 199 Lincoln Parkway (behind Albright Knox).
  • Niagara Falls State Park- bring a passport and you can do both sides (US and Canada)- Illumination at Night. Cave of the Winds,  Maid of the Mist ,Terrapin Point, Lots 2 and 1. NY Residents 65+ can get free parking during the week – slide driver’s license under scanner at parking area
  • Letchworth State Park- Grand Canyon of the East
  • Reinstein Woods is a great place for an easy walk as well- ponds, wildlife

Museums

  • Albright Knox Art Museum- Open Mondays and Thursday- Sunday (closed Tuesday and Wednesday). FREE admission/Pay What you Can- Jan. 3, 2025
  • Burchfield Penny Art Center (across the street from Albright)- FREE Admission on January 10, 2025 and live music at 5:30pm. Second floor has terrific glass exhibit.  Closed Monday and Tuesday- Open Wed-Sunday.
  • Pierce Arrow- Auto, Bike, Motorcycle Museum- Open from 11 am to 4pm- this is a really cool museum- check it out. Open Friday and Saturday
  • Darwin Martin House (Frank Lloyd Wright)
  • Buffalo Naval Park at Canalside- Open Wednesday- Sunday- 10am to 5pm- closed for the winter but you can still see the ships from the walkway
  • Herschell Carrousel Museum- open Wednesday to Sunday
  • Buffalo Museum of Science, 1020 Humboldt Parkway- open daily

Tourist Stuff

  • Vidler’s 5 and Dime in East Aurora
  • Get Wings and Beef on Weck (weck is short for kimmelweck bun which is a bun sprinkled with coarse salt and caraway seeds instead of sesame). Do NOT go to Anchor Bar-while it may have invented the wings, they are not the best here. Bar Bills or Hamlin and Main in East Aurora are the best for wings and Beef on Weck.
  • FREE Tour of Buffalo City Hall (at  65 Niagara Square)- Monday- Friday starting at Noon but you must register for the tour – call 716-245-3032. There are other city tours- Explore Buffalo.
  • Our Lady of Victory Basilica- 767 Ridge Road, Lackawanna- rivals the churches of Europe, open, do not have to be Catholic to view the amazing architecture. And, it is down the street from the Buffalo Botanical Gardens. Wayside Family Restaurant- 2301 S. Park is inexpensive and good  food in causal environment–just down the street from the gardens.
  • Buffalo Naval Park (at Canalside- boardwalk, Explore and More there as well)
  • Frank Lloyd Wright Martin House- 125 Jewett Parkway- near the Buffalo Zoo.
  • Niagara Wine Trail
  • Buffalo Naval Park at Canalside- tours end in fall but still cool to see big ships
  • Lots of Places for live music- Sportsmen’s Tavern (almost daily music), Pausa, Duende at Silo City, Town Ballroom, Chandelier at Salvatore’s (it’s an experience in itself), The Cove in Depew
  •  Riverworks- restaurant, ferris while, silos, entertainment
  • Mall- Galleria
  • Roycroft- Inn – food and music on Friday nights, center for craft movement- shops
  • Gambling- Seneca Casino downtown and Hamburg Gaming, Plus at Niagara Falls Seneca

Events on December 17 to 22, 2024

  • Music at Duende- Dec 19- Charlie Brown Christmas
  • THE CAZ-  Dec 18- George Scott Big Band with Melissa Kate
  • Music at Jazzboline- Dec 18- Tim Britt and Jacob Jay on Dec 22
  • Music at Albright Knox- Dec 19- Elliot Scozzaro Quintet
  • Carolcade in East Aurora- Dec 21
  • Roycroft Inn Holiday Spectacular to Support Rural Outreach- Dec 19
  • Brunch with Santa at Tewksbury Lodge- Dec 21 and 22
  • FREE Holiday Movies at East Aurora Theater- Dec 21 and 22
  • Music at Town Ballroom – Tribute to Joe Strummer and the Clash- Dec 20
  • Winter Holiday Market at Richardson Complex – Dec 18 to Dec 22
  • Music at Talty’s – Dec 18- Maria Sebastian plus FREE Buffet
  • Pellicano’s Winery Ugly Sweater Party-Music by Vinyl Cocktail- Dec 21
  • Poinsettia Show at Buffalo Botanical Gardens- Daily to January  6, 2025
  • FREE Cheektowaga Symphony – Dec 22
  • Music at Babeville-Dec 18- Hamell on Trial with Velvet Bethany
  • Music at West Falls Center for the Arts- Dec 19- Charles Dickens Christmas Carol
  • Music at Riviera- Dec 18- Little River Band, Dec 20- Tribute to Frankie Valli and Four Seaons, Dec 21- Mike Super- Magic and Illusion
  • Music at Molly Maguires- Dec 20- Space Junk
  • Live Music at Hamburg Gaming-Dec 20- Acoustria, Dec 21- Triple Threat
  • Music at Lion and Eagle- Dec 19- Voices
  • Music at Pausa- Dec 19- Mary Ramsey and Friends
  • Music at the Cove-Dec 20- Welcome Distraction and Double Shot and Dec 21- Nerds Gone Wild Ugly ChristmasSmas Bash
  • Buffalo Bills- Dec 22 at 1pm in OP
  • Music at Jazzboline- Wednesdays 6-9pm and Sunday Jazz Brunch-Amherst
  • Pasta Night on Wednesdays and Pizza Night at Pellicano’s Winery on Fridays– 6736 Boston State Road in Hamburg. If you want beer, there is Hamburg Brewing sort of across the street at 6553 Boston State Road.
  • Southern Tier Brewery- 7 Scott Street- food and huge screens for watching sports- near Canalside