Buffalo is an American city on the move. This western New York State metropolis is enjoying a renaissance, thanks to an unusually high number of attractions and investment in urban renewal. Buffalo has 80 attractions listed on the National Register of Historic Places and the country’s largest intact parks system. This is a city for visitors who love an active lifestyle and superb food. Another big draw to Buffalo is that it’s only 20 minutes from the majestic and awe inspiring Niagara Falls .

Today, many visitors come to see the city’s extraordinary architecture, easily accessible in a compact urban area. Notable architects like Frank Lloyd Wright, Henry Hobson Richardson and Frederick Law Olmsted left their indelible marks on the city. Take the Explore Buffalo Tour’s Masters of Architecture Tour to learn more about how Buffalo was the inspiration for stunning works of architectural wonder, such as Wright’s Martin House.Another fun way to see Buffalo’s stunning collection of buildings and parks is on an Explore Buffalo Bike Tour.

Along with Buffalo’s world-famous attraction Niagara Falls, the new Silo City Vertical Tour is unlike any other. While learning the history and mechanics of monolithic grain elevators built in the first half of the twentieth century, you’ll climb ten stories of stairs and up an interior ladder for a distinctive perspective of the city and Lake Erie. Silo City, as it’s known, is part of a movement to repurpose abandoned and decaying structures in this Rust Belt city.

Another example is the The Richardson Olmsted Campus, formerly the Buffalo State Asylum for the Insane. The 140-year old historic buildings were designed to care for people with mental illness in a pleasing environment, but today the regal structures and landscaped grounds have become Hotel Henry Urban Resort and the Lipsey Buffalo Architectural Center, a multipurpose campus and hospitality venue.

The Burchfield-Penney Art Center is a museum dedicated to the art and culture of Western New York, including the world’s largest collection of works by Charles E. Burchfield. Exhibitions and programs include art and design from the Buffalo Niagara region. The Albright Knox Art Gallery is Buffalo’s premier modern art collection with Impressionist and post-Impressionist artists featured, including Edgar Degas, Paul Gauguin, Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, and Vincent van Gogh. The exhibits also display superior works of Cubism, Surrealism, Constructivism, from the early years of the 20th century, with some outstanding works from Paul Miro, Frida Kahlo, Georgia O’Keefe and Pablo Picasso, to name a few.

Niagara Falls is one of the world’s great wonders, and there are various ways to explore the massive cascade. Along with the iconic Maid of the Mist boat trip into the gorge by spraying falls, visitors can hike at Whirlpool State Park overlooking the rapids, the whirlpool and the Niagara River Escarpment. Niagara Reservation State Park is the oldest state park in the nation.

A road trip or quick flight to Buffalo is an opportunity to see a city on the move and North America’s most famous waterfall. Buffalo is a must-see destination, that will reward you with a combination of urban renewal and outstanding recreation activities!

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