If you're visiting Niagara Falls, there's a good chance you're passing through Buffalo, but not staying there. I almost did the same. That would have meant missing a Frank Lloyd Wright masterpiece, one of America's most unusual hotels, Mark Twain's original handwriting, and a food scene that goes way beyond the famous wings.
I only had two days in Buffalo and still left with a list of places I'd missed, which isn't what I expected from a city I'd originally treated as a stopover.
In this article
Tour Frank Lloyd Wright's Martin House
I don’t usually like architecture tours, but this one changed my mind. The Martin House was the first Frank Lloyd Wright building I'd seen in person. I expected it to sit behind gates on a sprawling estate. Instead, it sits on an ordinary suburban street. Even if architecture isn't normally your thing, this is the one Buffalo attraction I'd tell anyone to book. What got me was the sightlines. Stand at the front door and you look straight down the length of the house to a 12-foot plaster Winged Victory sculpture above the conservatory. Darwin Martin commissioned the residence in 1903 and never held Wright to a real budget. Take the guided tour rather than the grounds pass.
Sleep in a Former Asylum
I've stayed in hotels with a bit of history. But I had never stayed in a former asylum. The Richardson was built in the 1870s as the Buffalo State Asylum for the Insane, designed by Henry Hobson Richardson. Exhibits on the ground floor walk through the building's history, and the rooms are large, with views over the grounds. Locals gleefully warned me it was haunted. I don't believe in ghosts, but I did lay awake half the night listening to every creak and knock. At least it made for a great story.
Read Mark Twain's Original Manuscript
As a writer, the stop I was most looking forward to was the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library, which holds the original handwritten manuscript of "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn." Twain donated the manuscript in 1885, though half of it then vanished for over a century, later turning up in a steamer trunk in a Hollywood attic in 1990. I loved seeing his crossed-out lines and revisions, the structural changes that show how he built the book. Admission to the Mark Twain Room is free. If you lean more towards art than literature, a few minutes away is the Buffalo AKG Art Museum, the country's sixth-oldest. Fair warning: it may consume half of your day.
Eat More Than the Famous Wings
You can’t come to Buffalo and not eat wings. The Anchor Bar claims to have invented the wing in 1964, and it was my first meal in town. There is even a designated wing trail if you are a true enthusiast. While I enjoyed the history and the taste of the wing, the best food I ate came elsewhere. My favorite breakfast was Butter Block, where I joined a line of people for some of the city’s best pastries. I enjoyed both a butter-heavy almond croissant and a savory pastry of gruyère and caramelized onion.
For lunch, Miller's Thumb Bakery in Tonawanda mills its own flour on site, and you can taste it. My best dinner was at Ballyhoo in the Old First Ward, which serves house-made sausages and comfort food in a converted industrial room.
Climb a Grain Silo at RiverWorks
Buffalo was once the largest grain port in the world, and that history still lines the river as enormous concrete grain elevators. RiverWorks has turned part of that industrial landscape into a waterfront complex, with climbing walls on the silos, kayaking on the Buffalo River, plus restaurants, bars, and regular events. The climbing walls run right up the sides of the silos, and there's a ropes course and a zipline. For the less adventurous there’s a Ferris wheel.
I caught a local roller derby match there, my first bout ever, and it was the most fun I've had in a former grain terminal. While roller derby isn't scheduled every week, RiverWorks runs concerts and markets throughout the year.
Follow a Buffalo Local's Recommendations
During my trip, I met a Buffalo native, Brian, who showed me his favorite corners of the city. He walked me through City Hall, a 32-story Art Deco tower from 1931 and one of the largest municipal buildings in the U.S. The observation deck on the 28th floor is free, with the best view in town.
He also gave me two recommendations I added to my list. The Founding Fathers Pub is a dive bar full of presidential memorabilia, with the portraits of Buffalo-born presidents Grover Cleveland and Millard Fillmore watching from behind the bar. The Colored Musicians Club has operated since 1917 and remains the oldest continuously operating Black-owned music venue in the country. Duke Ellington, Dizzy Gillespie, and Miles Davis all played there.
The Shortcut
Don't skip the wings, but make sure you leave room for an almond croissant at Butter Block, sourdough at Miller's Thumb Bakery, and house-made sausage at Ballyhoo.
The Buffalo & Erie County Public Library holds Mark Twain's original handwritten manuscript of "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn," free to view in the Mark Twain Room.
The Colored Musicians Club has run since 1917 and is the oldest continuously operating Black-owned music venue in the country.
For outdoor entertainment, check out the old grain silos, which RiverWorks turned into climbing walls, a ropes course, and a zipline over the Buffalo River. The area also hosts kayaking, concerts, markets, and the occasional roller derby match.
