Buffalo/Niagara Region
Buffalo Waterfront/Canalside Daycation
Buffalo - Waterfront
The city of Buffalo has spent a lot of money recently to turn what used to be the mostly abandoned waterfront on Lake Erie into a great year-round downtown destination! Obviously, some of the attractions that we mention below will not be open year round, but we will note any that are not, so that you can plan appropriately for your Waterfront Daycation depending on the season! The great thing about this Daycation is that once you check into your hotel, you can forget about your vehicle until you leave because everything in this Daycation is in walking distance.
(Click on the map to navigate to all locations on your phone or computer. Change the GPS setting on the app to walk instead of drive once you get to your hotel, because you aren’t driving anywhere on this Daycation!)
Lodging
Breakfast - One choice that we recommend for a good breakfast is E Cafe at the Glenny. With numerous options for traditional breakfast fare and great breakfast sammies, it is a great way to start your Daycation. The Healthy Scratch is another tasty option with smoothies, breakfast sandwiches, and Acai Bowls. If you love waffles, The Wonder Coffeehouse is the place to go. With clever names for their waffle sandwiches like Captain Obvious, which is a Fried Egg, Bacon, Syrup waffle, and I Mean Duh (Nutella, Strawberries (or bananas) chocolate sauce and whip cream), they get style points for creativity and flavor.
Morning Itinerary
Buffalo Military and Naval Park (All Year)
The largest inland naval park in the U.S. isn’t just a bunch of decommissioned ships. There are planes, trains, and armored automobiles as well! Ok, maybe not on the trains - but everything else is at the Buffalo/Erie County Naval Park. With double digit quantities of military vehicles and plenty of exhibits and memorabilia to see here, it is a great way to start your Canalside Daycation all year round.
Buffalo River History Tour (May to October)
Learn about the history of the 1800’s busiest inland port during a 90 minute boat ride through the Buffalo Canal. Back in the early 1900’s when most all of the grain from the mid-west was processed in Buffalo there were numerous concrete silos that were over 80 feet tall and 2 feet thick to hold the grain. Many of them are still there and the tour shows you “up close and personal” how the area functioned 100 years ago.
Lunch - The Southern Tier Brewery and Tap Room serves up great brews, ciders, and wine along with a menu of tasty upscale bar food. With over 30 beers on tap, many of which are brewed here, you can have just about any type of beer that you would like. Right in the heart of Canalside is the food and entertainment venue Buffalo Riverworks. Besides the food that features pizza, burgers, and some pasta entrees, the Riverworks Brewery resides inside a grain silo! It is a great place to digest your food while curling, axe throwing, and ice skating in the winter and Bocce, Corn Hole and other “lawn” games in the summer.
Afternoon Itinerary
Cruise on the Buffalo Canal (Year Round)
Since the Buffalo Canal doesn’t have the wind, waves, and fast running water that nearby Lake Erie and the Niagara River have, there are a multitude of ways to traverse it all year round. In the spring to fall you can rent a kayak, water bike, (and winter with the “ice bikes”), or for the partyers in the crowd, you can rent a motorized Tiki Bar, complete with Bartender, to transport you down the river with a cold beverage in your hand!
Lake Erie Sailboat Cruise (May to October)
Afternoon and evening sailing adventures on The Spirit of Buffalo take you on Lake Erie from the Buffalo Harbor. There are a variety of options including Wine Cruises (during which you sample wine and cheeses from the Niagara Area Wineries), sunset cruises, and a craft brew cruise.
Walk/Bike the 3 Mile Waterfront Trail
The Waterfront Trail at Canalside stretches over 3 miles with beautiful Lakefront views including the Central Wharf and the Boardwalk. The trail connects with the Lakeside Bike Park and the Seaway Trail as well. You could ride that trail all the way across the state if you so choose, but that would deprive you of seeing all of the other cool things at Canalside and the waterfront. If you want to rent bikes to ride on any of the trails, you can do so at the start of the trail at Longboards Paddle Company.
Buffalo Children’s Museum
If you have the youngins with you on your Waterfront Daycation, you have to visit the Buffalo Children’s Museum. With numerous exhibits that showcase the history and culture of Buffalo in a way that children can relate to, it is a good way to spend a couple hours of family time.
Canals At Canalside (November to March)
Back in the day, the Erie Canal that stretched across the entire state, ended right here! Now it is a year round spot featuring Ice biking, ice skating, curling, in the winter and paddle and peddle boats in the summer. It is also a great place to “sit-a-spell” and relax before your next Canalside activity.
Dinner
Panorama on 7 is rated one of our 5 Best Fine Dining Restaurants in the Buffalo/Niagara region. Their creative culinary and cocktail concoctions are literally amazing. I don’t think that I have ever had a “can I order the entire menu” moment like I did when we went there. Liberty Hound is adjacent to the Naval Park and they not only have really good versions of standard tavern fare, but there are also great seafood options like Blackened Redfish with jumbo crab, Seafood Cioppino, and Scallops with mustard sauce and charred brussel sprouts that are all fantastic. Toutant is gourmet Southern comfort food restaurant with a Nawlins flavor that is fantastic. The Charred Ribeye Streak and traditional Creole Jambalaya are our favorites.
Evening Itinerary
Key Bank Center - Hockey, Lacrosse, Concerts
The Key Bank Center has large scale sporting and concert events year round. In the winter time, you can watch a Buffalo Sabres hockey game or a Buffalo Bandits indoor lacrosse game there. The stadium seats over 19,000 people so big name musical acts like the Eagles, Justin Bieber, and the Goo Goo Dolls (who are from Buffalo) perform here as well. Click on this link to get the events schedule.
Seneca Buffalo Creek Casino
If your fancy for an evening is trying your luck at Blackjack, Craps, or a Slot Machine, then Seneca Buffalo Creek is your place. There are also 3 restaurants there if you are craving a late night snack.
Waterfront Concerts at Canalside
How many times in your life can you say that you saw a great band and partied in the shadow of a major expressway? Ok, that sounds a bit weird, but the music that you hear from the popular bands playing there drowns out the traffic noise. Bands like Tragically Hip, the Psychedelic Furs, and T-Pain have played there in the past. It is a BYOLC policy - bring your own lawn chair. But don’t worry, within 5 minutes you will be standing up and singing along like everyone else. Here is the calendar for this year.
Riverworks Events
Riverworks is a year round entertainment center with tons of things to do no matter what the weather is like outside. They have concerts and other events year round (click here for the events calendar) and activities like Axe Throwing, Corn Hole, curling, ice skating, an indoor ropes course, and Can Jam! If you have some leftover energy at the end of your Canalside Daycation, this is the place to burn it off after dinner.