Summertime Hot Spots in Buffalo and WNY - Krystal's Picks!

With summer just around the corner, and some unseasonably warm Buffalo weather this year, I decided to get in the summer spirit and put together my top 10 summertime hot spots in Buffalo and Western New York. Take into consideration, there are plenty more not listed here, but these ten I have visited before, and absolutely love spending my summer days and nights at. As much as I love winter in Buffalo, summer in Buffalo is the absolute best. I've said it before, but this city knows how to put the warm weather to the best use!

So in no particular order...

1.) Shakespeare in the Park. Even if you don't understand Shakespeare, and even if you aren't a fan of the theatre, enjoying a night on the hill at Delaware Park is absolutely outstanding. Bring a bottle of wine, some cheese and crackers/other snacks and a blanket, and I can promise, you will enjoy yourself. It's great for families, it's great for friends and it's an awesome date night. With Hoyt Lake to the left of the stage, and the Delaware Park Rose Garden behind you, get there early and do some walking around too!

2.) Take a Miss Buffalo II cruise. If you are from this area and you have never gone on one of these cruises, you have really been missing out! You don't have an excuse this summer. They run frequently, and there are plenty of great days ahead to get one in. The cruises are reasonably priced and a fun way to enjoy a hot summer day. They offer “happy hour” cruises, DJ’ed cruises, and sightseeing cruises.

3.) Go see a concert sponsored by Buffalo Place at the Harbor. The "Buffalo Place Rocks the Harbor" concert series for 2012 hasn't been announced yet, but does it really matter? I went to see a band I'd never seen live before, Great Big Sea, last summer and I still often talk about all the fun it was. They fixed up the Harbor, and it's a wonderful place to walk around and enjoy the waterfront and good music. The ticket prices are cheap, they have food and drink vendors on hand, and you can bring a chair, blanket, or stand up near the stage.

4.) Find a Farmer's Market in your neighborhood and GO! In the city, the Downtown Country Market is celebrating its 30^th year! It runs on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8:00am – 2:30pm on Main Street between Court and Church Streets. If you can’t get there during the workday, I frequent the North Tonawanda Farmer's Market in the summer on Saturday mornings. I load up on produce grown by local farmers, always run into people I know, and it's usually where I buy flowers for my garden! There are a handful of Farmer's Market's in the area, so do a search and find the one closest to you and hit it up!

5.) Meet some friends at Pearl Street Bar & Brewery, or Bambino Kitchen & Bar downtown and have some food and drinks on their awesome patios. My picks for top patios outside the City: The Eagle House and Frog Hair Grill in Williamsville. There are plenty of other options, but you can’t go wrong with these!

6.) Take one of the Buffalo Tours offered by Preservation Buffalo Niagara. They offer awesome walking tours of various parts of the City and suburbs for around $10 a person. Learn a little bit about the history of your favorite area in Western New York, get some exercise in and enjoy the fresh air. Sounds like a perfect afternoon to me! My suggestions: The Queen City Downtown Tour, The Whole Grain Tour and the Parkside Neighborhood Tour!

7.) Get to Coca Cola Field for a Buffalo Bisons game. It’s high on my list of things to do with families in Buffalo during the summer. Get a hot dog, some fries, and maybe even some cotton candy and enjoy Buffalo’s AAA Baseball team. Tickets are priced right for families. Even if you aren’t a fan of baseball, it’s a fun atmosphere to be around, and gives you the chance to catch up with family and friends between innings.

8.) Visit a local farm and pick fruit with your family. Last summer I really enjoyed strawberry and cherry picking. It gives you a greater appreciation for the farming industry, a very tough industry to work in, and makes for a fun afternoon in the sun! There are many farms that offer “U-Pick” areas for strawberries, blueberries, cherries, corn and more. Here is a link to a site that lists many: http://www.pickyourown.org/nywest.htm.

9.)  Go on a nature hike around Tifft Nature Preserve! Take a bottle of water, a pair of sneakers and your camera! Maps of the nature trails can be downloaded on their website, and you can spend hours walking around. There are some benches are areas to take a break, and they have a visitor center where you can learn more about the area and animals. 

10.) Go to the Allentown Art Festival! This year the festival is on Saturday June 9th and Sunday June 10th and features hundreds of local artists. All the summer festivals in Buffalo are incredible (Taste of Buffalo, Italian Festival, Elmwood Arts Festival, to name a few), but the Allentown Art Festival is my favorite because it officially kicks off summer for me. 


Maybe I should have made this list my top 20! I can still rattle off more, but there are some other options listed in previous blogs and more to come in future blogs. If you have other suggestions, feel free to comment below!

So here’s your task Buffalonians, and visitors this summer! Take a picture of you at all ten of these activities, and you will receive a prize from Lovin’ On Buffalo! One winner, with the most creative pictures, will receive a great gift basket of Buffalo products! All pictures can be e-mailed to Krystal at ksondel@hotmail.com. All photos must be submitted by September 1^st. Some of my favorites will be posted on the site and on Facebook/Twitter. 


Have fun exploring Buffalo this summer!