Explore Buffalo

Explore Things to Do in Buffalo

Buffalo has undergone a remarkable transformation in recent years, from a redeveloped waterfront and revitalized neighborhoods to a burgeoning craft beer scene and over $1 billion in new investment. Now there’s even more fun and exciting things to do in Buffalo! Like architecture? Visit seven Frank Lloyd Wright structures. Enjoy art and entertainment? Spend the morning with Charles Burchfield at the Burchfield Penney Art Center. History buff? Relive where President Theodore Roosevelt took the oath of office. Looking for something more casual? Take in the scene at Canalside or Larkin Square. Or check out Niagara Falls. (Yes, THAT Niagara Falls!)

 

Need help navigating? Our itineraries will help you hit the high points, Buffalo wings (invented at the city’s Anchor Bar) and all!

The garden and exterior of the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Martin House in Buffalo, NY

48 Hours in Buffalo

A visiting writer’s Buffalo bucket list

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 Part of the Heritage Arts Mural Project, “We Rise by Lifting Others” showcases Niagara Falls’ Hero of Public Housing, Doris Jones

Visual Arts

Why Buffalo is the next big art destination

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YOUR GUIDE TO Spring

Savor our spring delights

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 A bustling sidewalk with outdoor cafe seating in the Elmwood Village neighborhood in Buffalo, NY

Neighborhoods

Your guide to seeing Buffalo like a local

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 Exterior shot of the Guaranty Building's ornamental facade in Buffalo, NY

Architecture

A textbook for a course in great American buildings

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 Jet skis, boats and floating cabanas fill Buffalo's waterfront

Fun on the Water

Experience our exhilarating waterfront revival

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 Interior shot of a packed Shea’s Performing Arts Center during a performance in Buffalo, NY

Entertainment

A city of artistic fervor and amplified exuberance

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Discover Trending Buffalo Hot Spots

Stop scrolling and dive into the best the BUF has to offer. Before long, you’ll be capturing #IntheBUF-worthy content yourself.

Chris Hawley is an urbanist and preservationist who loves all things Buffalo. He is also the owner of Eugene V. Debs Hall in the Broadway-Fillmore neighborhood.

  1. Essex St. Pub

    Essex St. Pub opened in 1986 in a building dating to 1886. A jukebox and pool table bar, it’s a great spot for late night shenanigans and chowing on barbecue. Don’t miss the “Macky Joe,” a sloppy Joe with mac’n cheese on top.

    530 Rhode Island St., Buffalo
    essexstreetpub.com

  2. Eddie Brady’s Tavern

    Eddie Brady’s Tavern is where gruff Irishmen, downtown law and finance types, and college good-times seekers collide. Of any Buffalo tavern, Brady’s feels truest to its pre-Prohibition saloon heritage. Among other nightly specials, Brady’s offers the city’s best turkey and gravy dinner—available on Mondays.

    97 Genesee St., Buffalo
    eddiebradys.com

  3. Arty’s Grill

    Arty’s is like walking into the East Buffalo of 1972. Polka is playing over the speakers and Polish import beers are cheap and free-flowing. Prepare yourself for stories from regulars of the old neighborhood, and their visions for a revived Central Terminal—Buffalo’s vacant, iconic train station, only steps away.

    508 Peckham St., Buffalo
    facebook.com/ArtysGrill

  4. Gene McCarthy’s

    My tough Irish grandmother wore out the same McCarthy’s barstools when she was my age, and I imagine this bar feeling much the same as it did then. Even as it’s evolved with the times—McCarthy’s is now a craft brewery with the best beer garden in town—it is still a working man’s tavern in the shadow of the grain elevators. The best Buffalo wings in town? Quite possibly.

    73 Hamburg St., Buffalo
    genemccarthys.com

  5. Rohall’s Corner

    This Black Rock tavern is a museum-piece of the Streamline Moderne Style of the 1940s. The sweeping curves of the bar, ceiling, and even the lit glass block entryway communicate a city on the move. Few places are friendlier as a neighborhood gathering spot.

    540 Amherst St., Buffalo
    rohallscorner.com

A family wearing ponchos admires Niagara Falls from a boat

Niagara Falls

A Wonder of the World at Buffalo’s Doorstep

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 A person taking photos of blooming flowers in a garden in Buffalo, NY

Stop and Smell our Flowers

An inspirational extravaganza of garden experiences

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 Exterior shot of the historic Michigan Street Baptist Church in Buffalo, NY

African American Heritage

Follow Freedom’s Footsteps in Buffalo

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 War of 1812 reenactors in British uniforms at Old Fort Niagara

History Happened Here

A Continental Crossroads of the American Experience

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