Niagara Greater Falls & Chautauqua-Allegheny Region of New York
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Millions of visitors from all over the world come to this region to experience the thundering waters of the world-famous Niagara Falls. You can experience this spectacular natural wonder from observation decks above the falls or aboard the Maid of the Mist boats that navigate the gorge up to the base of Horseshoe Falls. Or you can descend the cliffs on the daring Cave of the Winds tour and face directly into the "hurricane-like" spray of Bridal Veil Falls. Whatever your vantage point, this magnificent spectacle and its ubiquitous rainbows will provide you with wonderful photo opportunities and plenty of memories.
A few miles north of the falls is the historic village of Lewiston, home of Artpark, where in summer artists can be found erecting landscape sculptures, leading art workshops for children and adults, or performing on stage in a variety of musical, theatrical, and dance presentations. Four miles north on the shores of Lake Ontario sits Old Fort Niagara, an 18th-century chateau-like redoubt built by the French. In summer, re-enactors set up their tents and display clothing, cookware, tools, and artisan skills used in the days of the Revolution and the War of 1812. They also reenact battle scenes.
Be sure to visit to the friendly city of Buffalo, New York State’s second largest, where you'll find major sports, lively theater, museums, sightseeing cruises, and great architecture represented in the works of America’s foremost architects: Richardson, Sullivan, and Wright. The Wright-designed Darwin Martin and George Barton houses are open for tours on the weekend, and Graycliff, the Martins’ summer home designed by Wright on a cliff above Lake Erie at Derby, has more extensive touring hours in the summer months.
You can hear the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra perform in Saarinen-designed, acoustically perfect Kleinhans Music Hall, see a Broadway-style production at the beautifully restored Shea's Performing Arts Center, or explore the Museum District adjacent to Olmsted’s Delaware Park. There, the Albright-Knox Art Gallery exhibits extraordinary works by top artists; the Buffalo & Erie County Historical Society, the only permanent building erected for the 1901 Pan American Exposition, houses artifacts of area history; and the Burchfield-Penney Art Center celebrates the paintings of Charles Burchfield and other regional painters.
Take the children to visit the Buffalo Zoological Gardens where they’ll enjoy the antics of more than 1,200 animals and birds as well as rides on the zoo’s train and carousel. At the Naval and Servicemen’s Park on Lake Erie, one of the few inland naval parks in the country, you can board a submarine, a guided-missile cruiser, and the destroyer USS The Sullivans, named for five sailor-brothers who perished in WWII. Or take in a major sporting event by one of Buffalo’s exciting professional teams.
At Letchworth State Park in Castile, where the winding Genesee River has carved out a 17-mile gorge known as the "Grand Canyon of the East," you can enjoy picnicking, swimming, hiking, and whitewater rafting, or simply bask in the beauty of the area. Darien Lake Theme Park, located between Rochester and Buffalo, offers 100 rides, live shows by popular performers, a water park, and restaurants.
In Childs, near Lake Ontario, you can tour a cluster of unique cobblestone buildings, including a residence, a school, and a church. In Lockport, you can cruise along the historic Erie Barge Canal, experiencing the ascent and descent of your boat as it makes its way through the rising and emptying waters of the huge locks.
In Arcade, board the steam-engine-drawn Arcade & Attica railroad for an excursion through the countryside. Visit the Roycroft Campus in nearby East Aurora, world-famous for its part in the early 20th century Arts & Crafts Movement and enjoying a renaissance today. Also in the village and open for weekend visits is the home of America’s 13th president, Millard Fillmore; a charming old-fashioned 5 & 10 cent store; and antique shops. Examine a collection of more than 300 bicycles and related memorabilia at nearby Orchard Park's Pedaling History Bicycle Museum, the world's largest devoted to cycling. Or shop till you drop in the region’s numerous quaint boutiques and shops, huge retail malls, and over 150 designer outlet stores.
QuoteIf I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants". Isaac Newton
Whether you enjoy sightseeing, shopping, museums, spectacular thrills, or quiet rides through scenic parkland, you are sure to be charmed by the Greater Niagara region. And our member inns look forward to your visit.
If you haven’t visited this southwestern-most region of New York State, you don’t know what you’re missing. Natural beauty, outdoor recreation, history, and unique cultural attractions abound throughout the region’s three counties. This well-kept secret of a vacation land is easy to reach from New York City or Erie, Pa., via Route17 (I-86), the Southern Tier highway that passes through it. It’s also the perfect stop along Route 219 when traveling from Washington, D.C. or New York City to Niagara Falls, Toronto, Cleveland, or Chicago.
The region boasts New York’s largest state park: Allegany; largest ski center: Holiday Valley; largest grape-growing region in the East, along the Lake Erie shoreline; largest old-order Amish community; and largest spiritualist community, at Lily Dale on Cassadaga Lakes. If that’s not enough to entice you, how about the fact that here you’ll find the only city in the nation built on Native American Indian lands?: Salamanca. Once here, you’ll want to stay a few days.
For generations of families, Chautauqua County has been a vacation tradition. For more than 125 years, the world-renowned Chautauqua Institution has been attracting visitors seeking intellectual, cultural, and spiritual growth and renewal. A lakeside village of Victorian homes, the Institution offers a nine-week summer program of lectures, seminars, concerts, theater, and entertainment. Start your own family tradition by coming to Chautauqua County for a weekend or a week, summer or winter. You can enjoy cycling, golfing, fishing, a steamboat ride or a dinner cruise on Chautauqua Lake. You can also launch your boat on its waters or on Lakes Findley, Cassadaga, or Bear, or go birding at the Roger Tory Peterson Institute or the Jamestown Audubon Nature Center. There are miles of hiking trails in scenic Panama Rocks Park and along the Eastside and Westside Overland Trails. Take in a staged production at the 1891 Fredonia Opera House or the Lucille Ball Playhouse, or the rides and amusements at Midway Park. Visit the Lucy-Desi Museum in Jamestown, which celebrates the lives and careers of entertainers Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. Displays include clothing, letters, and other personal effects of the famous couple, as well as a computerized exhibit of Lucy trivia created by their daughter. The Chautuaqua-Allegheny Wine Trail, a 50-mile drive along Lake Erie offers views of spectacular waterfront areas, vineyards, and farmland, and many opportunities to stop to explore antique shops, fruit and vegetable stands, and wineries.
Cattaraugus County is home to Holiday Valley, a thriving year-round resort and the largest public ski resort in the state, located near the picturesque village of Ellicottville. Day trips abound. Take the antique trail along Rte. 219 where several cooperatives of more than 100 dealers display unique furniture and collectibles. Enjoy the Seneca-Iroquois National Museum or take a leisurely drive through Amish country and visit homes with unique handmade quilts and beautiful handcrafted wooden furniture for sale. If art appeals to you, experience 200 colossal sculptures at the 400-acre Griffis Sculpture Park in Ashford Hollow, where you are welcome to picnic and hike. For the outdoor enthusiast there is Allegany State Park with its lakes and trails, mountain biking, cycling, camping, or cross-country skiing. Try hiking the Finger Lakes Trail, whitewater rafting in the Zoar Valley, or golfing on one of the county’s seven courses.
Allegany County’s pristine lakes and streams, abundant wildlife, and scenic countryside offer endless possibilities to nature lovers, photographers, hunters, and anglers. There are designated wildlife areas and forests with hiking trails, boating on lakes, canoeing on the Genesee River, scenic plane rides, and a hot-air balloon rally. Hunters and anglers will feel at home in the county. Twenty-three state forests (including the Allegany State Park) beckon fly-fishing fans, and the county is home to some of the state’s largest populations of white-tailed deer, turkeys, bear, and small game. In addition, Allegany County has an abundance of charming Victorian villages and towns, including the historic districts of Alfred, Angelica, and Cuba, which feature impressive historic buildings in a variety of architectural styles. Small museums and artisans creating handcrafted wares will take you back to another era.
Once you’ve discovered the special charm and diverse attractions of the Chautauqua-Allegheny region, you’ll want to return again and again. And our member Bed and Breakfasts look forward to helping make your visit memorable.
Come visit the land of the Enchanted Mountains in Cattaraugus County for skiing, hiking, snowmobiling, horseback riding, golfing, and mountain biking. Experience the Amish Country with their many rural shops. Golf, Ski, or snow tube at Holiday Valley in Ellicottville. Visit the exhibitions at The Regina, A Quick Center for the arts at Saint Bonaventure University in Allegany village. Angelica in Allegany County is one of many designated as National Historic Districts. View the evening skies from Alfred University and its Stull Observatory. Try your luck at the Seneca Allegany Casino in Salamanca. Visit Allegany State Park. Fish in Chautauqua Lake or Lake Erie or visit the world famous Chautauqua Institution or the Lucille Ball Museum in Chautauqua County. We offer a variety of lodging accommodation options from quaint inns to rustic cabins and lovely bed and breakfasts.
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