The Darwin D. Martin House Complex is one of the several historic buildings built by Frank Lloyd Wright in and around Buffalo. Located near Delaware Park, the building is a good example of Wright's Prairie style. Other structures on the complex include the Barton House, with original interior wood and art glass, a covered walkway connecting the main house with the conservatory and a gardener's cottage.
Considered among the best in the city when it comes to modern and contemporary 20th-century art, this gallery has a rich selection of works by artists like Sol Lewitt, René Magritte, and Mark Rothko. The Delaware Park gallery also features outstanding work from the 17th-19th Centuries. In addition to the gallery, the center also includes a gift shop and the Garden Restaurant for a bite to eat after all that culture.
Located three miles from downtown Buffalo on the Lake Erie shoreline, this unique urban nature reserve offers 264-acre (106 hectares) of trails, anachronistic boardwalks and a marsh. This preserve is the environmental education site for the Buffalo Museum of Science and it's perfect for bird-watching, hiking, and family picnics—not to mention snowshoeing and cross-country skiing during the cold winters. In the 1950s, the site was used as a refuse dump, but thankfully it was converted to a nature preserve in the 1980s. Admission is free but donations are requested.
The jewel of Buffalo's park system, this public space was one of six designed by famous landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted in the late 19th Century. The Delaware Park's 376 acres (152 hectares) include one of Buffalo's three public golf courses (Delaware Park Golf Course), plus tennis courts, baseball diamonds, the Buffalo Zoological Gardens and it hosts the popular Shakespeare in the Park Festival every summer. The Rose Garden makes a perfect setting for a romantic walk when Spring arrives and in the winter, bring your skis and do some cross-country skiing over the demarcated trails.
Located in an 1890s tri-domed Victorian glass conservatory on the grounds of South Park and created by NY Central Park designer Frederick Law Olmsted, these gardens feature exotic flowers and plants from around the world. The gardens are operated by the Erie County Department of Parks, Recreation and Forestry and are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Highlights include an orchid and bromeliad house, herb collection, and waterfall. There are also seasonal shows such as Spring Flowers, All-American Annuals in summer, and December Poinsettias.
Ultimately the site of Theodore Roosevelt's inauguration as President of the United States following the assassination of William McKinley, this stately Greek Revival home has stood at 641 Delaware Avenue since the early 1800s. The building served as an emergency venue for Roosevelt's swearing-in ceremony that took place on 14th September 1901. The house has undergone a series of architectural changes over the centuries but retains an original structure that formed a part of the Buffalo Barracks compound. While the presidential office is by far the site's prime attraction, its onsite museum is equally impressive preserving exhibits from the Pan-American Exposition of 1901 among many others.
Dedicated mostly to the work of painter William Kurelek, this gallery was the dream of Canadian immigrants Mykola and Olha Kolankiwsky who were so inspired by the artist's The Passion of Christ series, they purchased land in Niagara Falls to house his collection. Today, the gallery also features temporary exhibitions on a rotating basis from local artists and has an art education program for children. The gallery also hosts the International Women's Day Non-Juried Exhibition, held in honor of International Women's Day from February to April and features female artists from the region.
Treat yourself to sweet tasting maple syrup by visiting the Smith's Maple Farm in Hamburg, a few miles south of the city Buffalo. The farm is a place where you can arrange a picnic with your family and also indulge in syrup and maple products tasting. Also, know all about the procedure involved in the preparation of these syrups which begins from collection of saps from the trees to the evaporation of water and its final processing. The Maple Weekends Festival which is held every year gives you an opportunity to participate in various fun activities.
A tribute to the vision of Father Nelson H. Baker, this church was the second in the U.S. to receive a basilica designation in 1926. Located in Lackawanna, the basilica's copper-topped dome and twin bell towers can be seen for miles. The church was built reminiscent of the 15th-16th century Renaissance-style, featuring a French Baroque interior. There is a gift shop where you can buy books, crucifixes, mugs and Father Baker's most popular statue of Our Lady of Victory.
Located in Buffalo, New York, this historic Romanesque structure consists of a Roman Catholic Church, a school building and a parish house, all built in the early 1900s. The church has a medieval-style handmade brick structure and has one of the largest collections of colorful architectural terracotta décor which are said to be handmade and took two men two years to do the fittings. The awe-stimulating variety of symbols and pictures remain the highlighting feature of the church.