Art, Architecture & Culture

Set high on a cliff with sweeping views over Lake Erie, Graycliff stands as an architectural jewel awaiting your discovery. Built between 1926 and 1931, Graycliff was designed by the renowned American architect Frank Lloyd Wright for Isabelle R. Martin and her husband, Larkin Company executive Darwin D. Martin. Graycliff served as the Martin summer home from 1927 to the mid-1940s. It is a complex of three buildings that includes the small Heat Hut, the 3,100 square-foot Foster House and the 5,800 square-foot Isabelle R. Martin House, all set amidst eight and a half acres of rolling lawns and gardens also designed by Wright. Broadly cantilevered balconies open the buildings to the soft lake air. On the Isabelle R. Martin House, the second floor floats over a terrace and garden below. Another balcony soars, suspended above a sunken garden. Yet a third balcony overlooks the lake itself, and the spray of Niagara Falls in the far distance. Ribbons of glass windows and doors admit the lake breezes. They also frame views of the lake seen - ingeniously - directly through the house itself.

In 1910, at the age of 43, Frank Lloyd Wright traveled to Europe to present what would become his most beloved collection of structure illustrations: the Wasmuth Portfolio. One of these famous drawings was something Wright called "Boathouse for the University of Wisconsin Boat Club." Twenty years later, the architect included this same boathouse in an international exhibition of six of his greatest works. The boathouse idea was obviously a favorite of Wright's, featuring design elements seen in other local treasures like the Martin House and the Larkin Building - large vertical piers supporting horizontal planes. Sadly, it was never constructed. It was one of Frank Lloyd Wright's most significant projects that had never come to fruition - until now. Completed in 2007, the Rowing Boathouse is open to the public for tours and available for rent for special events and meetings.

Elegantly restored Arts & Crafts accommodations featuring original Roycroft furnishings and art work. Built in 1895. Also serves as a fine dining restaurant and offers exquisite accommodations and banquet facilities. Jazz music is offered in the bar/lounge weekly.

Perhaps the largest 5 & 10 in the world, Vidler’s is much more than a store – they’re shopping entertainment at its best! Relax and enjoy a trip back in time as you stroll through their amazing five and dime! Owned and operated by the Vidler family since opening in 1930, the third generation now manages the store on a daily basis. It's hard to describe, but impossible to forget with over 75,000 different items spread out over 2 floors in four connected buildings. You can spend hours wandering through the store and seeing the counters and shelves overflowing with the practical, unique, whimsical and sometimes, stuff you (and we) have never even seen before! The true Vidler's shopping experience is not just their incredible selection of merchandise, but the historic buildings, wooden floors, old-fashioned candy counter, 10¢ popcorn machine and nostalgic atmosphere that can't be duplicated. Located on East Aurora's historic upper Main Street, there are numerous restaurants and other local attractions within easy walking distance from our store.

As Buffalo's cultural ambassador, the Grammy Award-winning Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra under the leadership of music director JoAnn Falletta presents more than 120 Classics, Pops and Youth Concerts each year and reaches over 40,000 students (K-12) across all eight counties of Western New York. Since 1940, the orchestra's permanent home has been Kleinhans Music Hall, a National Historic Site with an international reputation as one of the finest concert halls in the United States. The BPO has toured widely across the United States and Canada including the Florida Friends Tour with JoAnn Falletta in March 2010, the first multi-city tour since the 1988 European tour. During the tenure of current music director JoAnn Falletta, the BPO has rekindled its distinguished history of NPR broadcasts and recordings, including the release of 36 new CDs of a highly diverse repertoire on the NAXOS and Beau Fleuve labels. The Philharmonic's Naxos recording of composer John Corigliano's "Mr. Tambourine Man: Seven Poems of Bob Dylan," featuring soprano Hila Plitmann, won Grammys in two categories of the three for which it was nominated: Classical Vocal Performance and Classical Contemporary Composition. For more information about the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, please visit their website.

Built in 1926 in the style of a European opera house, and one of only four Tiffany-designed theaters still in existence, Shea's Performing Arts Center continues to entertain audiences today with touring Broadway musicals, concerts, dance programs, historic theatre tours, a Free Family Film Series, educational programs, and family shows. Since opening its doors, there have been many great performers that have graced the stage at Shea’s including George Burns, Frank Sinatra, The Marx Brothers, and Bing Crosby, among others. The theatre also features the Western New York Entertainment Hall of Fame with inductees Lucille O’Ball, Buffalo Bob, and Christine Baranski, among others, whose portraits grace the Petit Lobby. Shea's is also available to rent! The facility rental revolves around the theater schedule. Sit down meals accommodate 225-300 and cocktail parties up to 500. They are able to hold meetings.

One of Western New York's most exquisite landmarks, Our Lady of Victory National Shrine and Basilica attracts visitors worldwide. Rivaling the great churches of Europe, the Basilica was built in 1926 as a gift of thanks to the Blessed Mother from Venerable Nelson Baker, a current candidate for sainthood whose final resting place is located within the church. Prominent features of the shrine include breathtaking painting and marble sculpture, as well as the Father Baker Museum and OLV Gift Shop located in the lower level. Public tours are offered Sundays at 1:00 p.m. or by calling Denise Wood, Director of Programs at (716) 828-7517.

Theodore Roosevelt began his presidential journey here. All new state-of-the-art exhibits and a dramatic guided tour offer a museum experience unlike any other. Immerse yourself in the sights, sounds and emotions surrounding this pivotal moment in our nation's history and learn how the enduring legacy of one of America's greatest presidents affects our lives today. Built in 1837, the former Wilcox mansion stands today as a vital part of Buffalo's historical heritage. The site features restored Victorian rooms and period gardens. The site accommodates 100 for banquets and 150 for cocktails.

Established in 1849, Forest Lawn stands as one of America's first purposefully designed rural cemeteries, encompassing 269 acres of resting space for nearly 170,000 permanent residents of all faiths. This non-profit landmark, listed on the State and National Registries of Historic Places, is a pivotal part of Western New York’s cultural tourism. Visitors are drawn to its exquisite natural beauty—rolling hills, serene lakes, and abundant trees—as well as its artistic treasures, including the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Blue Sky Mausoleum. Forest Lawn's history is as rich as its landscape, with notable figures such as a U.S. President, foreign royalty, veterans from every American conflict since the Revolutionary War, and people like us who have quietly built the community that we and our families enjoy. Their stories are preserved in the expansive archives of the Margaret L. Wendt Archive and Resource Center and brought to life through our award-winning tours and events.

Featuring automobiles made in Western New York including Pierce-Arrow and Thomas Flyer. Cars from 1903 to 1960s, muscle cars, etc. The museum offers a unique venue for parties, business meetings and social events. 2011 Frank Lloyd Wright designed 1927 Filling Station. For admission and current hours, please check the Museum's website.

The conservatory and botanical gardens were created from the visions of extraordinary people. David F. Day, Frederick Law Olmsted, John F. Cowell, Frederick A. Lord and William A. Burnham of Lord & Burnham Co.. Each of these talented individuals contributed to the inception, design and success of the South Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens. In the 1860s, David F. Day, a Buffalo city attorney and judge, and later Parks Commissioner, was instrumental in including botanical collections in the City of Buffalo and continued to support a south park conservatory project with great enthusiasm. Distinguished for his creativity in designing New York City’s Central Park and Brooklyn’s Prospect Park, Frederick Law Olmsted was called upon by the Buffalo Parks Commission in 1868 to design parks for Buffalo. His unique design included not one but three parks, The Park (Delaware Park), The Parade (Martin Luther King Jr. Park), The Front Park, connecting parkways and circles. As Buffalo expanded, Olmsted was called upon to enlarge the park system by adding additional parks including Cazenovia Park and South Park. South Park was constructed between the years of 1894-1900 from 156 acres of farmland. Olmsted’s final design of South Park included a conservatory and surrounding formal gardens. In 1894, Professor John F. Cowell was appointed as the first Director of the conservatory and to oversee plantings in South Park. He was considered a genius in botany and horticulture and his passion was deep rooted in his mission to expand and diversify the soon to be park and conservatory’s collections. He gathered plants, trees and flowers from every corner of the world and his expertise and guidance allowed for many successful years for the conservatory. While South Park was being constructed, Lord & Burnham Co. was busy designing the South Park Conservatory. The design was modeled after the beautiful Crystal Palace in England and was built by a Buffalo construction company, George P. Wurtz & Son for a total cost of $130,000. Upon opening in 1900, the conservatory was the third largest public greenhouse in the United States and was ranked as the ninth largest in the world. The 1901 Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo helped to spur the success of the South Park Conservatory by providing trolley rides from downtown Buffalo to the conservatory. Tens of thousands of people visited the breathtaking conservatory and delighted in the exotic collection of plants and flowers. Find out more at buffalogardens.com!

The Buffalo Central Terminal first opened its doors to the public in the summer of 1929. More than 10,000 people moved through every day—venturing out, returning home, connecting. Nearly a century later, this living landmark and former train station is ready to become a new kind of connective force. From outdoor concerts, farmer’s markets, bike rallies, and public art extravaganzas, to the annual Beau Fleuve Music & Arts Festival, the Terminal host’s a full calendar of fun and exciting outdoor events that are welcome to ALL. Buffalo’s Central Terminal is forever our monument to progress—proof that the destination is indeed our journey together. **Historic Tours have been discontinued as critical repairs and construction have begun on the interior of the historic building.

Take a cruise through history and join us for a 90-minute narrated Buffalo River History Tour! Hear the story of the Erie Canal, Buffalo’s history as the largest grain port in the world and experience the nation’s largest collection of standing grain elevators from just a few feet away.