The Albright-Knox Art Gallery, 1285 Elmwood Avenue in Buffalo, enjoys an international reputation.  A former director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City has described it as having "one of the most thumping modern and contemporary collections in the world." Map

Akron Falls.  Talk about a hidden gem.  These waterfalls are located in a park in the little community of Akron, about halfway between Batavia and Buffalo.  Once you find Akron, you won’t have any trouble finding the park or the falls.   The park itself is beautiful, so bring a picnic basket.  The best time to visit is in the spring and fall because the stream can dwindle noticeably during dry season. Map

Lockport, northeast of Buffalo.  Map  It’s worth the trip just to explore the old canal locks blasted out of solid rock.  There are five locks in all, climbing like a staircase up the same escarpment that creates Niagara Falls several miles farther west.  Outwater Park atop a hill on the northern edge of downtown has a great view of Lake Ontario in the distance.  Map  On a clear day, you can see the towers of Toronto shimmering magically in the distance. 

Niagara Falls.  What else is there to say?  It you haven’t been there, go!  While you are there, consider exploring some of the other nearby attractions.  Map 

Niagara-on-the-Lake, in Canada, is little touristy but charming nonetheless.  It is the home of the Shaw Festival, which presents up to dozen plays in three theaters from April to November.  It located high above the Niagara River where it flows into Lake Ontario a few miles downstream from Niagara Falls. Map

Old Fort Niagara, on the U.S. side of the river at Lake Ontario, is fun to visit.  It has massive stone walls, old buildings, and “soldiers” in period costumes who regularly fire their guns.  We took a niece and nephew to see Niagara Falls with a side trip to Old Fort Niagara as an afterthought.  Guess which one they talked about all the way home!  Map

Roycroft campus at East Aurora was an influential handicraft community founded in 1895 and based on a philosophy of thoughtful simplicity.  Aside from walking around, there is not a lot to do here, unless you eat at the delightful old Roycroft Inn, so plan this visit in conjunction with another activity in the area.  Map  Consider returning to Rochester via Alternate 20 through Warsaw to Geneseo and then north on I-390.  This road travels up and down rolling hills through rich farming country, providing some great vistas.  Another alternative would be to head north from Warsaw on route 19 with a rest stop in  Wyoming, a charming village that is still lit with gas lamps. Map