A Reason to be Excited for the Winter

Solo operators must be age 6 or older. Duo passengers are limited to ages 3-5 and must be accompanied by an operator age 18 or older. Riders must wear flat, closed-toe-shoes.

The ice at Canalside opens this Friday 11/23. For more information on this and all the fun events and activities taking place this winter go to Canalsidebuffalo.com

Guys! Whether you love the winter season or not, there is a new reason to be excited for the season. Canalside has a new activity this winter - Ice Bumper Cars!

Ice Bumper Cars will be available on a first come, first serve basis. You can make your reservation at the Canalside Kiosk or Winter Lodge. Each experience is 15 minutes long including the 7 minute on-ice session.

Embrace the Winter with Fun Classes from Skate Great, Inc.

Learn to skate at Canalside with Skate Great! 

Continuing with the fun wintertime activities, last week I sat down with Jessica from Skate Great, Inc.  .  I have ice skated a couple times in my life, but I am not good and pretty much have to hang on to the side of the rink so I don't fall. In an effort to share more of my "adventures" with you, I got out on the ice last week at Canalside for a hot minute {if you follow me on Instagram you can check out my insta-story video for the next 24 hours to see how bad I am}. 

Over the next few weeks learning to skate with Skate Great is on my to-do list. Let's face it, if we have to deal with the winter, I want to embrace the fun activities that go along with it. 

In the meantime learn more about Jess and Skate Great, Inc. below ---->

Celebrating 20 years in Western New York, Skate Great is the largest learn to skate program in the area. Offering a number of programs from learning to skate, hockey skills to baby blades and intro to dance, there is something for everyone. 

Jess from Skate Great, Inc. 

Jessica took over ownership of Skate Great six years ago, after the former owner, Janice passed away. Jess started in competitive figure skating and continued to coach in College. Since she has taken over the business, it has grown. Offering programs year round at Holiday Twin Rinks and Leisure Rinks, Skate Great also offers seasonal programs at Canalside, East Aurora and Hamburg. 

When I asked Jess what her favorite thing about owning a business is, she said she loves teaching beginners and loves seeing people who want to learn and want to skate, the emotions and hard work is special. It's not only personal for Jess, but for every coach that is on the Skate Great team. They are loyal and emotionally attached to the work they do.

When I asked Jess what her favorite thing about Buffalo is, she said the people. Everybody knows someone, but you still get to meet new people. Buffalo's tough and you only find that in WNY. 

So if yo're looking for something fun to do, Skate Great offers a number of different programs for all ages, check out their website {HERE} to learn more about their programs and pricing. If you have a question, Jess will always respond, so embrace the wintertime and enjoy some fun activities! 

-B

Be a Tourist in Your Own City

Part of my " Buffalove Sunday Funday" consisted of taking a spin class with Revolution Buffalo down at Canalside before heading over to Buffalo Riverworks to watch the boaters and kayakers on the water. It made for the perfect way to start your day. I haven't had the chance to take any of the exercise classes down at Canalside before Sunday. With a beautiful view of the water and boats it in some way makes you forget you're even working out and the time goes by fast. I really recommend you taking a class down there sometime.

{Rev Ride at Canalside}

At Riverworks they had the Jack Craft Fair taking place from 11-5pm. There were a lot of artist and craft vendors along with live music making it a great day to meet new local businesses and explore a new venue in your city. Sometimes a mini day trip in your own city can be fun and beneficial.

-B

{Part of the Sunday Funday was at Resurgence Brewery with a beer flight}

{Jack Craft Fair}

{Buffalo Riverworks}

Down by the Water

A lot has happened down at Canalside and the Naval Park over the last few years and you can't not feel the "Buffalove." Its one of my favorite places to go any time of year. I'm curious to see how their Scavenger Hunt goes this Saturday. For more info on the event click here.

-B

#WinterBUF Canalside

Over the holidays my friend Agnes and I hit up Canalside. Agnes who is from Buffalo originally, lives in Chicago and was home for the Holidays, so I wanted to show her all of the progress going on downtown. Being it was a Tuesday afternoon, we hit up 716 first to fill our bellies and enjoy some brews before hitting the ice. When we arrived outside, we thought it wouldn't be a problem to grab some ice bikes from Ice Bikes of Buffalo, but we were wrong...there was a two and a half hour wait and the line to ice skate was long enough that we didn't want to stand in it! So we had to change up our strategy and we decided to just walk around the area check out all of the skaters and take in the new vibe that is happening at our waterfront.

Even though I was bummed we didn't get on the bikes {even if we wanted to it would have been so crowded} it was nice to see all of the people {on a Tuesday afternoon} down at Canalside. I'm hoping when I go back in a couple weeks, I'll have my chance at one of the bikes. In the meantime I'm enjoying all the updates and pictures I've been seeing on social media.

If you haven't been down to Canalside yet, this is the perfect weekend to do so {as long as you don't mind crowds}. Harborcenter is hosting a three day Winterfest, full of fun activities for everyone. For more info click here.

-B

{Filling our bellies with delicious food from 716}

{Experience your adventure}

{Ice Bikes of Buffalo}

{My panoramic shot of Canalside/Harborcenter}

{Make sure to get in on Visit Buffalo Niagara's social media fun and use the #WinterBuf when posting.}