Things to do in Buffalo

I used to go to college across the street so I spent many hours here for school and leisure. This museum has a diverse collection ranging from classical to contemporary. They blend the two periods together throughout the galleries so when you’re viewing you’ll see a piece from the 1800s and then you’ll see something from the 20th century. I like this technique because it keeps you on your toes. Big names like Warhol, Van Gogh, deKooning, and Lichtenstein are here.

This home was built by Frank Lloyd Wright and perfectly encapsulates his Prairie-style architecture. Last time we visited with family they were restoring the home. Under new conditions you can only view the main floor of the home, but what you do see is amazing. Wright designed this home to mirror aspects of nature. The woodwork is meant to resemble a tree and its branches. The position and shape of the windows are all calculated to let in and project just the right amount of sunlight.

Frederick Law Olmsted, one of the designers behind New York City’s Central Park, designed this beautiful park. Spanning over 350 acres, the city park includes the Forest Lawn Cemetery, the Buffalo Zoo, the Buffalo & Erie County House, the Darwin-Martin House, and the Albright-Knox Art Gallery. That said, there's a lot to do -- you could make an entire week out of visiting each location. I really like biking through the park. The trails are interesting and the scenery is gorgeous, outdoors NY.

Attention all Frank Lloyd Wright fans! This boathouse was intended for the University of Wisconsin and was designed by Wright between 1905 and 1930. Obviously things didn’t go as planned because this specific boathouse just opened in 2006 on the roaring Niagara River. Today the West Side Rowing Club, one of the nation’s oldest rowing clubs, uses the facility. If you contact them you can arrange for a tour of its inside. The building’s exterior is well worth checking out too.

Recently, on a lengthy layover in Buffalo, I was faced with two options; people watch in the train station or find out what Buffalo has to offer. I decided to combine the two and went people watching at the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens. The Botanical Gardens houses nine greenhouses, each featuring plants and flowers from different regions, the most impressive of which is situated as guests enter. The Palm Dome is 67' high and houses tropical fruit trees and astoundingly tall palms.