Things to Do If You Are Visiting Buffalo, NY- December 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  22
  • Holiday Lights at Stony Brook Neighborhood- Dec22 to January 1, 2025
  • Polar Express on Medina Railroad– Dec 22
  • Brunch with Santa at Tewksbury Lodge- Dec 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

  • 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  22, 2024

  • Music at Duende- Dec 22- Charlie Brown Christmas
  • FREE Cheektowaga Symphony – Dec 22
  • Buffalo Bills- Dec 22 at 4:25pm in OP (note time changed from 1pm)
  • Breakfast with Santa at Patino 250- Dec 22 and 24
  • THE CAZ-  Dec 27- Charlie Brown Christmas
  • Jazz Brunch at the Terrace in Delaware Park – Dec 22
  • Music at Jazzboline- Jacob Jay on Dec 22
  • Brunch with Santa at Tewksbury Lodge- Dec 22
  • FREE Holiday Movies at East Aurora Theater- Dec  22
  • Music at Town Ballroom – TDec 27 and 28- Lowest of the Low
  • Pellicano’s Winery  New Year’s Eve Party- Dinner- Dec 28- Hamburg
  • Poinsettia Show at Buffalo Botanical Gardens- Daily to January  6, 2025
  • Music at Molly Maguires- Dec 27- The Scales
  • Music at Pausa- Dec 27- Star People with Alex McArthur
  • Music at Albright Knox Museum – Dec 26- Adam Bronsteinand AB Trio
  • Foosball Tournament at Riverworks- Dec 27 and 28
  • Kootsie Ball at Saturn Club- Dec 28
  • 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