Things to Do If You Are Visiting Buffalo, NY-October 16 to 20, 2024. Buffalo is a great place for a vacation. Activities for kids,  great parks, museums, and tourist stuff you won’t want to miss. Note on Mondays, some restaurants may be closed – call before you go.

Kids

  • Trunk or Treat at Boys and Girls Club of Elma- October 19- Elma
  • Trunk or Treat at the Wurlitzer- Oct 19- North Tonawanda
  • Parkside Fall Festival- Oct 19- Buffalo
  • Buffalo Philharmonic Spooktacular- Oct 19
  • Trick or Treat Hike at Beaver Meadow Audubon- Oct 19- North Java
  • Aurora Players – James and the Giant Peach- Oct 18 to 20
  • 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- Zoomagination in evenings.

Nature

  • FREE Guided Walking Tours of Hoyt Lake at Delaware Park with Explore Buffalo- October 18 to November 16, 2024. 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- new expansion opened last summer. Open Mondays and Thursday- Sunday (closed Tuesday and Wednesday). FREE admission/Pay What you Can- Nov. 1
  • Burchfield Penny Art Center (across the street from Albright)- FREE Admission on Nov 8 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 Thursday, Friday and Saturday
  • Darwin Martin House (Frank Lloyd Wright)
  • Buffalo Naval Park at Canalside- Open Wednesday- Sunday- 10am to 5pm
  • 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 October 16 to October 20, 2024

  • Aurora Players- James and Giant Peach- Oct  18-20 and 25 to 27- East Aurora
  • Music at Babeville- Oct 18- New World Record’s 40th Anniversary
  • Music at Pausa- Alex McArthur and Bob Sneider- Oct 17
  • Music at Duende- Oct 17- Sue Kincaid and Doug Yeomans
  • Artisan Market at Richardson Hotel- Oct 18-19
  • Kenmore East HS Fall Craft Fair- Oct 19-Tonawanda
  • Full Moon Hike for adults at Tifft Nature Preserve- Oct 18
  • Hit N’ Run at Rock N’ Roll Heaven- Oct 18- West Seneca
  • Crawl-O-Ween-fundraiser for autism- Oct 19- East Aurora
  • Peak N’ Peak Fall Fest- Oct  19-20
  • Griffis Sculpture Park Night Lights- Oct17 to 19- East Otto
  • Music at Jazzboline- Wednesdays 6-9pm and Sunday Jazz Brunch-Amherst
  • Live Music at Riviera- Darryl Worlety and Keith Anderson – Oct 16
  • Byrncliff Resort Fall Golf Classic- Oct 19- Varysburg
  • Trunk or Treat at Boys and Girls Club of Elma- Oct 19- Elma
  • Trunk or Treat at Wurlitzer- Oct 19- North Tonawanda
  • Parkside Fall Festival- Oct 19- Buffalo
  • Vampires and Vixens Halloween Masquerade hosted by Dennis Rodman at Seneca Niagara Casino- Oct 19
  • Eternal Flame Hike at Chestnut Ridge Park- Oct 20
  • Buffalo Philharnonic Spooktacular for kids – Oct 20
  • Trunk or Treat Hike at Beaver Meadow Audubon – Oct 19
  • Jack O’Lantern 5k and Health Walk at Goat Island- Oct 19
  • Albright Knox -Art Alive- Oct 19
  • 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