Things to Do If You Are Visiting Buffalo, NY- May 11 to 16, 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

  • Hidden Valley Animal Adventure Drive Thru Safari- Opens May 11-to June 22  – Sat/Sun
  • 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- new tiger and lion cubs

Nature- Outdoors

  • Best Places to Hike- Knox Farm State Park, Reinstein, Niagara Falls, Iroquois National Wildlife
  • 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
  • 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 June 13, 2025  from 10am to 8pmand live music at 5:30pm.
  •   Albright Knox Art Museum- Open Mondays and Thursday- Sunday (closed Tuesday and Wednesday). FREE admission/Pay What you Can- June 6
  • 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 from May 11 to 16, 2025

  • Music at the CAZ – May 11-  FREE  for Moms- Robert Thomas and the Sessionmen with Kody & Herren
  • Live Music at Babeville featuring on May 12- Kishi Bashi with Oshima Brothers
  • Mother’s Day Brunch -May 11 at Byrncliff Resort- Varysburg
  • Strawberries and Cream Gala at Acqua- May 11
  • Mother’s Day Brunch at Athenaeum Hotel at Chautauqua Institution- May 11
  • Mother’s Day Attica and Arcade Brunch Train Ride- May  11
  • Music at Town Ballroom –  May 11- Escape the Fate
  • Gather and Games- Mother’s Day board games and tea- May 11
  • Music at Electric City-May 16- Darude
  • Junior League Decorator Show- George Urban Mansion-May 11 to May 18
  • Music at Jack Rabbit-  May 13- Grace Lougen and Friends
  • Music at Buffalo Iron Works-  May 13- The Furious Bongos- Frank Zappa Project
  • Riviera Theater- May 16- Royal Scam- tribute to Steely Dan
  • Music at Sportsmen’s–  May 12- Jeremy Porter with Jungle Steve, May 13- April and Jack at Noon and Twang Gang, May 14- Joe Baudo Jazz and Buffalo Dead All Stars
  • Rochester Lilac Festival and Music Schedule– May 11 to 18
  • Music at the Cove- May 17- Hit N’ Run
  • Music at Chandelier Bar- May 15- Terry Savastano
  • Music at Hamburg Gaming-  May 16- Queen City Lights
  • Mother’s Day Attica and Arcade Brunch Train Ride- May 11
  • Molly Maguries-May 16- Punk 716
  • Music at Pausa- May 15- Mary Ramsey and Joe Rozler
  • Music at Jazzboline- Wednesdays 6-9pm-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