History Museums

Buffalo’s position as the “Gateway to the West” put it front and center at many of the most pivotal moments and movements in the American experience of the 19th and 20th centuries. And there are several museums that tell the story of the history that happened here. Passionate about presidential history? The Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site is just for you. Interested in cars and the auto industry? The Buffalo Transportation-Pierce Arrow Museum has one of the largest collections of cars and related memorabilia in the entire country. Is World War II your area of interest? Tour the decks of a guided missile cruiser at the Buffalo and Erie County Naval & Military Park. Or perhaps your a fan of life on the American frontier. If that’s the case, explore the  living history demonstrations at the Buffalo Niagara Heritage Village and Museum. If more contemporary history is your thing, make time to experience the NBC workspace of American television icon and Buffalo native son Tim Russert at the Buffalo History Museum. More of maritime history buff? Then see what life was like along Buffalo’s rough and tumble waterfront for much of its history at the Buffalo Harbor Museum. If industry and the lives of working men and women is a passion, get a glimpse of American industrial might at the Steel Plant Museum. Or if you’re just looking for a fun and entertaining experience with a historic twist, take a ride an antique wooden carousel at the Herschell Carrousel Factory Museum.