Things to Do If You Are Visiting Buffalo, NY-  February 23 to March 1, 2025. 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 admission to Albright Knox Art Museum Feb 23 to 24- for Erie County residents
  • FREE Admission to Buffalo Museum of Science- Get a Pass at Your Library- February
  • FREE Ice skating at the Rotary Rink at Fountain Plaza downtown- February to March 16
  • FREE admission at Corning Museum of Glass for kids and teens– all the time
  • 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- Outdoors

  • Cross Country Ski and Shoeshow at Byrncliff Resort- Varysburg
  • Downhill Ski- Holiday Valley
  • 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

  • Burchfield Penny Art Center (across the street from Albright)- FREE Admission on March 14, 2025  from 10am to 8pmand live music at 5:30pm. MAKE SURE YOU SEE the Stanford Lipsey Art Glass Collection on the second floor as it is closing February 23–it is terrific as surpasses even Corning5:30-8pm – Rod Bonner Trio- R&B, Soul, Funk,5:30-7:30pm – All Ages Art
  •   Albright Knox Art Museum- Open Mondays and Thursday- Sunday (closed Tuesday and Wednesday). FREE admission/Pay What you Can- March 7
  • 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 February 23 to March 1, 2025

  • FREE admission to Albright Knox Art Museum Feb 23 to 24- for Erie County residents
  • Colored Musicians Club 108th Anniversary at Buffalo History Museum- Feb 23
  • FREE- Cheektowaga Symphony Concerts- Feb 23
  • NYC Beer Brewer’s Invitational – Feb 23- Orchard Park
  • Music at Jack Rabbit- Jazz Brunch with Banjo Juice Jazz Band
  • Mardi Graski at Potts Banquet Hall- Feb 23- LeeRoy Zydeco
  • Music at Molly Maguries-  Feb 28- O’Hannon and Friends
  • Music at Buffalo Iron Works-Feb 27- Vincent Antone with Wax Future
  • Junior League Decorator Show Sneak Peak-$17- Feb 23- George Urban House
  • Dutch Collection- 14,000 Tulips/Daffodils at George Eastman Museum- Rochester-Feb  23
  • Music at Sportsmens- Feb 23- Central Groove- Fundraiser for 8th District – $25, Feb 24- Vinyl Happy Hour with JeffMeiers-$15, Feb 25- The Fritz at Noon-free and Twang Gang- $10
  • Music at Town Ballroom -Feb 28- Bayker Blankenship
  • Live Music at Chick’s-Feb  28- Steelhorse
  • Music at Babeville-  March 1- All Star Project
  • Music at Diamond Hawk- Feb 26- Screaming Pineapples
  • Music at Roycroft Inn- Samuel Tambe Band – Feb 28
  • Live Music at Pausa- Feb  27- Alex McArthur Quartet
  • Music at Chandelier Bar at Salvatore’s- Feb 27- Terry Savastano
  • Strictly Hip at Hollywood Theater- March 1 – Gowanda
  • Schultz Antique Estate Auction – Feb 27 to March 1- Clarence
  • FREE-Buffalo State Jazz Ensemble Concert- Feb 25
  • Buffalo Wine and Chocolate Festival at Statler- March 1
  • Music at Electric City- WBFO The Bridge live with Crespobeats- Feb 27
  • Music at Riviera- Tribute to Doobie Brothers- Feb 28
  • New York State Winter Classic Fishing Tournament- Jan 1 to February 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