Experience Buffalo This Summer, The City Guide will tell you what to do! Options

[Chrissy K]

School is finally out for summer!!

If you find yourself in Buffalo in the meantime, check out the City Guide to see what there is to do! You'll want to take advantage of the fact that Buffalo State is the only urban SUNY campus.

There is so much to do in and around Buffalo this time of year, from hiking, biking, and rafting, to Thursday at the Square and other music festivals - and the City Guide breaks it all down for you!

A great place to eat any time of the day is Pano's, open 7am-1am, located a few blocks from Buff State at 1081 Elmwood. While you're there, be sure to check out all of the unique shops nearby, such as Half & Half Clothing at 1088 Elmwood Avenue.

If you are visiting Buffalo State for the first time, check out the Virtual Tour and Flash Tour to see what to expect and how to get around.

Have fun and enjoy the summer!

[lisajanderson]

I really enjoy hiking, biking, and visiting historical sites. Looks like there are quite a few options. Can anyone recommend some of the better places to visit first? Thanks!

[Chrissy K]

Buffalo is an awesome place for all of the activities you mentioned! If you have transportation to get out to the greater Buffalo area, I have lots of ideas for you (lots of these are right in the city though and easy to get to with public transportation).

Hiking
For hiking and other outdoor activities, start at Tifft Nature Preserve- it has five miles of nature trails and always educational programming going on!

One of the best hikes in the area is the Niagara Gorge on the American side of the Niagara Falls. Tons of trails and obviously great views. Poke around this website and you will definitely see that there is a lot to do at Niagara Falls besides just the touristy stuff.

My favorite trail to hike is the Eternal Flame out in Orchard Park, NY... about a 20 min drive from Buffalo State. The trail is just a few miles and there is a surprise at the end!

Biking
As for biking, it sounds like the Erie Canal Heritage Trail would be perfect for you since you are interested in history as well! I have never been there, so you'll have to let me know how it is!

Historical Sites
Buffalo is definitely the place to be for historical sites!

Right across from the college is the Historical Society - how convenient!

I can remember going on an underground railroad tour when I was young and thought it was amazing! Highly recommended

There are tons of historical tours going on all the time (some of them are even biking tours!) so keep an eye on this website for ideas: http://www.preservationbuffaloniagara.org/.../buffalo-tours/

Other
Here are just some other ideas I thought you might be interested in:

• Forest Lawn Cemetery - sounds creepy but I love to ride my bike through here. Cemeteries like this one used to be used as public parks and picnic places for families. Read about it on the city guide here: http://buffalostate.edu/sights.xml
• Frisbee golf - there is a pretty fun course at Chestnut Ridge park in Orchard Park near the Eternal Flame trail I mentioned. Definitely worth checking out!
• Olmsted park system - Frederick Law Olmsted designed the park system for Buffalo and the surrounding areas. Unfortunately it is not as cohesive as it once was, thanks to major highways being put in, but I recommend visiting all of the parks! Delaware Park is right across the street from Buffalo State (next to the Historical Society).
• Frank Lloyd Wright - If you are interested in history and architecture, definitely get a tour of the Frank Lloyd Wright houses in the area, they are amazing! Start with the Darwin Martin House, which is located in the heart of Buffalo.
• Old Fort Niagara - An actual fort with amazing history and great tours! If you are in the area right now, I would suggest attending Buffalo State College day at the fort from 9am-5pm on Wednesday, June 22, 2011. You can not only observe the fort, but also visit the BSC Archaeological Field School Open House under the direction of Susan Maguire, Assistant Professor in the Anthropology Department - "Tour the French Castle, enjoy the grounds and see the Visitor Center. Archaeological excavations will run from 9:00 to 3:30 and historical demonstrations run from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Valid Buffalo State ID is required for admission."

Those are just a few ideas for now... enjoy your summer! Let me know if you have any questions, and I'd love to hear every else's favorite outdoor places too