Getting Outdoors & Catching Some Fresh Air...

Rock City Park. Olean, NY.

Over the course of these last 8-9 weeks I’ve visited some “hiking spots” around the WNY region. One of the only things helping me not spiral into a very deep depression is getting outside, getting some fresh air and being in nature. It’s really helped clear my head, not think about reality (even if its just for a few moments) and just be.

Some of these spots may be well known to most, some may not consider them real hiking places, and some may not be aware of any of these locations or have never been, regardless of any of those things, below I break down where I’ve been so far and my opinion of each place.

Hemlock Canadice State Forest. No Shoes. No Problem.

Hemlock Canadice State Forest (Canadice Haul Road Trail) - located in the Finger Lake region (about an hour and a half from Buffalo) this was a tricky place to find. There wasn’t one spot per say where you could enter and exit from a trail, at least not noticeably. I took my niece and nephew with me and we found a few spots off the sides of the road that seemed like they were hiking entrances but it didn’t look clear enough. After driving around for a little bit, we came to one spot where we got out and walked a short distance to the lake. I let the kids put their feet in the water and throw some rocks before we headed back to trying to find a more defined trail. Eventually, as I was just about to give up, we came across the Canadice Haul Road Trail, it was a nice trail, clean, quiet and not overly populated with people. We made it about 20 -30 minutes in before the kids said their legs were getting tired so we turned around. I have to remind myself they are kids and not adults.

Overall verdict, a little tricky to find a trail but once we found one it was worth it. It is a drive so I would plan this as a whole day trip, pack some water and snacks (especially if you have little ones you’re bringing with you). Another note - once we found the Canadice Haul Road Trail my cell service was very limited and spotty, keep that in mind as you plan ahead.

Rock City Park

Rock City Park - Located in the southern tier (Olean, NY) this park features an array of rock formations and hiking trail(s) that will leave every visitor happy. There is an admission to this park - $5 for adults/teens $3 for children 6-12 years old and hours of operation are 9-6pm daily (last admission to the park is 5pm). This place was easy to get to, about a hour and a half from Buffalo and was a lot of fun. My sister and I took my niece and nephew and they had a blast. For the most part adults and kids can crawl, walk, climb through, above, and in-between various rock formations that are throughout the trails within the park. They provide you with a trail map so you know what rock formations you are looking at and you get a little bit of history with each one. This is a great place to go whether or not you have kids. Its dog friendly too, as long as your dog remains on a leash. There are some steep steps and uneven, rugged terrain so if you’re looking for a nice, relaxing hike this may not be the best trail to walk.

Overall - fun, dog and kid-friendly, there is a cost to enter, definitely a place to go for those looking for an adventure.

Akron Falls - About a 35 minute drive from Buffalo this is a nice, big park and has a playground area (even though we didn’t go there). The trails are easy for the most part and the view of the waterfall is very nice. Only downfall I would say - the people crowding near the waterfall to take pictures, it made it hard to safely social distance. My niece and nephew really liked this location. The accessibility and ease of walking around I think they favored. The waterfall was a perk.

Knox Farms - About a 40 minute drive from Buffalo, this is a favorite of mine (and Harlie’s). The park is big enough to walk the trails, have a picnic or simply sit on a bench and just stare out at the beautiful scenery. Now that the dog park is open you can also let your best pal run around in the designated areas if you so choose. I like the ability to properly social distance yourself at this park. I also like the little reading library along one of the trails. My niece and nephew have been here a few times throughout the summer and they enjoyed it very much. Harlie loves when I take her for walks here, its one of the first spots I took her to as a puppy and she still loves it to this day.

Reinstein Woods - About a 15-20 minute drive from Buffalo, Reinstein Woods is bigger than what I thought it would be. it has multiple trails with beautiful lily ponds, its really forestry in a residential area where you may not think it would be and they have great directional signage at the main entrance so people are properly entering and exiting the trails and staying socially distanced. My niece and nephew liked this place up until they saw signs to be cautious of ticks and then they thought they were going to get one on them so it made it not so pleasant. No dogs are allowed here, but overall I thought it was a nice place, close to home and I would definitely go back.

Presque Isle State Park

Presque Isle State Park - Located in Erie, PA Presque Isle was about a two, to two and a half hour drive. My sister and I took my niece and nephew to go to one of the many beaches on site, but they have an abundance of trails that you can bike, walk, run or roller blade on and beautiful views of the Lake Erie. The kids loved the beach, even though it was one of those extremely hot days, they loved being in the water and playing in the sand. This was a great day trip, and cost next to nothing (outside of gas & toll money really). It’s definitely a place I’d go back to and spend more time at. As we were leaving the park a turtle was crossing the pavement and it was pretty cool to see it trucking along.

Buckhorn Island State Park - Located on Grand Island this park is about a 20-25 minute drive from Buffalo and borders the Niagara River. This park was another pretty cool spot with a handful of trails to walk around and some take you right up to the waters edge. Dogs are allowed and its a pretty easy walk, mostly flat in the areas I was. It goes close/alongside the Grand Island Bridge and some of the views are pretty cool to see. I saw some kids fishing and also saw some kayakers and people riding bikes while I was there.

Artpark - about a 45 minute drive from Buffalo, I’ve been to Artpark more times this summer than I think I have been in the last few years. First was to walk around and see the multiple art pieces they have on property, the second was for the drive-in movie series they are hosting this summer and the more recent was for an Art of Walking event where they incorporated a guided walk through the site with nature and creative art performance. It was pretty cool. This place offers not only a nice place to take a walk, but is a good place to take the kids and let your creative spirit come alive. The Public Art they have on display also provides good conversation points if you’re with someone else or with kids and if you’re not, it still offers your creative juices to flow.

Tifft Nature Preserve - located at Buffalo’s Outer Harbor, this is a classic spot for me. Not only is there so much nature, natural beauty and wildlife, but my niece and nephew enjoy this spot a lot. With the various trails they never seem to get bored and only want to explore more when they are there. The trails are easy to walk through and its a short drive from the suburbs. No dogs are allowed. They do offer nature programming throughout the year which is nice for anyone looking for something to do other than just walk around at your leisure.

Harlie posing at Chestnut Ridge.

Chestnut Ridge - Located in Orchard Park, another classic place to visit, I love the hills that the Ridge offers, provides for a good workout. I also enjoy the various trails you can go on. When I visited the park was pretty busy, there were outdoor fitness and rec classes, people watching the sunset and people just out for a leisurely stroll or jog. It wasn’t bad but I could definitely see where socially distancing may be hard to do in some areas when you’re passing by people. Harlie enjoyed her walk here.

There are still a handful of places on my list that I want to check out before the weather gets cold. What are some of your favorite hiking spots or places you like to go to get outside and get some fresh air?

7. 1. 6.

When I began this blog of mine over six years ago I never imagined the amount of love and passion I would have for the city that I am so lucky to call home. Having always loved this region I didn’t think it would be possible to find deeper meaning, deeper roots and deeper passions that I have come to find, but it has happened and there is so, so much to be grateful for in our region.

Since it is “716 day” I thought I would share my list of favorite (favorite!!) restaurants, venues, activities, events, and people I like to follow. I know I missed A LOT on this list (it’s so hard to think of it all), but take a look. Let me know what are some of your favorite things in the 716 - places you like to go, events you like to attend and people you like to follow.

Western New York may be a small region compared to big cities, but it has a ton of talent, pride and passion to share with visitors and those that are lucky to call it home.

Favorites broken down by category:

Brewery: Resurgence – Have you checked out their new location at 55 Chicago? If not, definitely put it on your list of things to do

Restaurants:

• Southtowns: Alchemy Wine Bar/The Grange

• Downtown Restaurants: Marble + Rye, Hearth + Press (especially before a show at Sheas), Hydraulic Hearth (love their outdoor patio in the summertime), Cantina Loco is my favorite spot for guac, and chips and they are my favorite spot for margaritas. Love Wasabi on Elmwood for Sushi

• Northtowns: Share on Main Street, TCB on Transit Road and Greens on Transit

Cocktails – Duende at Silo City is a pretty cool, chill place, Angelica Tea Room, Just Vino on Main Street, Blackbird Cider on Chandler Street, The Terrace at Delaware Park is a beautiful spot as well, those views of Hoyt Lake are BEAUTIFUL.

Dog Park: Hands down my Harlie girl loves the Knox Farm – whether its running around at the dog park or walking the trails it’s a happy place for her

Workout Spot: #REVLIFE is the best life. Any class at Revolution Buffalo is sure to be a fun time. It is my happy place. A place where I take in all the positive vibes that I can. I also love Love in Motion yoga. Kate and Kath bring those feel good vibes with every flow

Outdoor spots: Hands down The Outer Harbor is my favorite waterfront spot and a spot that I never get sick of. Whether it’s a run, walk, the views or visiting Tifft Nature Preserve it has a special place in my heart. Delaware Park and Artpark are also places I love to visit outdoors

Fun things to do: A fishing excursion with Brookdog Fishing is a blast and I highly recommend for anyone (at any fishing level). The Buffalo Pedal Tours are so much fun, Hatchets & Hops is also a fun place to check out as well as the Silo City tours with Explore Buffalo

Coffee Shops: Remedy House, Tipico, Public and Overwinter

Favorite places: The Buffalo Zoo (that’s a given; I mean if you know me you know how much I love animals (more than some people)). The Aquarium is another favorite spot. The Science Museum, kayaking, The Buffalo Central Terminal and the Broadway Market

Shops I love to visit: Anna Grace on Elmwood, Mod Nos on Hertel, Winkler & Samuels Wine Purveyors at 500 Seneca, Pegs Hardware

My spots for wings: Nine Eleven Tavern in South Buffalo is a hole in the wall, but the wings are one of the best in town (in my opinion), I am also a fan of Carbone’s on South Park and Duffs

Favorite social media accounts to follow/motivate me, locally here in Buffalo: Buffalo Boss Babes, Christy at Wild Blossom Hollow, Lloyds, The Buffalo Zoo, Adventures are Waiting (Jess Kelly), BKind City, We Must Dash, Indie Twenty (Rachel), Love in Motion Yoga, Balanced Bright Life (Jessica Reagan), West End Interiors, Yoga Steve (Steve Procknal), and Lauren from Rev @liittlelauren

Favorite summer time events: Jack Craft Fair and new this year – Door Open Buffalo/Explore Buffalo, I always try and visit Shakespeare at Delaware Park too, it’s a classic summertime activity in Buffalo. Wines in the Wild at the Zoo is also one I always go to. For me being an event planner I feel like I attend a lot of events not just plan a lot so when a new event is created or its an event I have never been to – that excites me more than a recurring event, unless it has “wowed” me.

My bucket list of things to do before summer is over: Visit the new Explore & More, A hot air balloon ride (this has been on my bucket list for years), learn/try to paddle board – all those years at the Harbor and I never had a chance to do it then, visit Shirt Factory in Medina, and take a class with Ren at Rise Fitness.

-B

Summertime at Artpark//Free Family Saturday's

A place I enjoy visiting, but don’t go to often is Artpark. Not only does the venue provide beautiful views of the water, fun concerts to attend, but it also has some great creative, interactive events that focus on the cultural arts. Back a few weeks ago, my sister and I took my niece and nephew to the Fairy Festival, an event I haven’t attended before. It was a beautiful day in June and offered a lot of fun activities, from making fairy houses to magic potions and flower crowns, perfect for young kids. You could have tea in a fairy house, dress up as your favorite fairy and let your creativity flow. For only $10/ticket the amount of free activities that were included with the ticket were worth it for us.

Since then I’ve been better at staying up to date with events taking place at Artpark so I can plan accordingly with a packed summer schedule (which you are probably familiar with). While known for their popular summer concerts, they also are offering free family events on the following upcoming Saturday’s thanks in part to their sponsor Hyatts.

JULY 6       ART OF TRANSFORMATION

JULY 13     ART OF FANTASY

JULY 20    ART IN WATER

JULY 27    ART OF THE GAME

Each week offers a different theme with a variety of “make and take” workshops as described on their website. It also includes free parking and play spaces making it convenient for families on a budget. For more information on this head to Artpark’s website here.