WNY Day Trips

[SoTier]

I have pets and gardens that I need to tend daily, so I don't really take long vacations, especially in the summer, so I frequently take day trips to places fairly near by. 

 

My all-time favorite  WNY day trip destination is Letchworth State Park, which features "The Grand Canyon of the East": Letchworth.   Other day trip destinations in the Genessee Valley are Canadaigua on Canadaigua Lake with the beautiful Sonnenberg Gardens (Sonnenberg Gardens and Mansion Historic State Park) as well as Genessee Country Village (GCV&M) in Mumford, NY, off the Thruway at Exit 47.

 

Living in Jamestown, I live in a great day trip destination for WNYers.  Jamestown has the National Comedy Center as well as the Lucille Ball Desi Arnaz Museum right in downtown.  Within a half hour drive of downtown Jamestown is Chautauqua Institution, Panama Rocks, Midway and Long Point State Parks, the quaint tourist town of Bemus Point, and the Bemus Point-Stowe Ferry (Bemus Point-Stowe Ferry) which operates Friday through Sunday through mid September.   Within about an hour's drive is Allegany State Park, the Allegheny Reservoir, Kinzua Dam, Seneca Allegany Casino, and the ski/tourist town of Ellicottville.   On Fridays and Saturdays, you can wander the roads of Chautauqua and Cattaraugus Counties from Clymer to Randolph north to South Dayton and Conewango to shop at Amish businesses. 

 

What are some of your favorite day trips for WNYers? 

Edited August 18 by SoTier

[ExiledInIllinois]

Lily Dale Assembly... Even if it is a bit weird... Weird is cool too...

 

https://www.lilydaleassembly.org/

 

 

 

Edited August 18 by ExiledInIllinois

[T&C]

Watkins Glen and Zoar Valley come to mind besides what has already been mentioned...

[ExiledInIllinois]

Presque Isle... Erie.  Was in on the award winning beach erosion construction in early 1990s with USACE:

 

Notice how the armor stone mounds placed parallel to shore self-nourish AND if course protect the beaches... Vs. old style groin perpendicular to beach?

 

 

Some mounds now, you can walk right out onto without getting feet wet!

 

[Augie]

25 minutes ago, T&C said:

Watkins Glen and Zoar Valley come to mind besides what has already been mentioned...

 

I like hearing that! We fly in Wednesday before the opener and go directly to Watkins Glen for a night to walk the gorge and see the lake. My wife loves stuff like that, and I’ve never been there either. We’re also going to Niagara-on-the Lake one day. It’s nice to have some extra time during this trip. More meals!!! 🤣 

[Draconator]

4 minutes ago, Augie said:

We’re also going to Niagara-on-the Lake one day. It’s nice to have some extra time during this trip. More meals!!! 🤣 

The Irish Harp Inn, Niagara On The Lake. Traditional Irish Pub, started by an Irish immigrant in the 1960s. Best food by far in Niagara On The Lake. 

[T&C]

20 minutes ago, Augie said:

 

I like hearing that! We fly in Wednesday before the opener and go directly to Watkins Glen for a night to walk the gorge and see the lake. My wife loves stuff like that, and I’ve never been there either. We’re also going to Niagara-on-the Lake one day. It’s nice to have some extra time during this trip. More meals!!! 🤣 

Keep in mind that they are doing work on the bridge, they took the old one down, so do a bit of google work to see if it is open.

[Sojourner]

13 minutes ago, Draconator said:

The Irish Harp Inn, Niagara On The Lake. Traditional Irish Pub, started by an Irish immigrant in the 1960s. Best food by far in Niagara On The Lake. 

Stumbled across that when we went to the fort up there. The Italian not far from it was pretty packed and couldn’t seat the 7 of us next to one another or in close proximity. The Irish stew was top notch! Wife got the Guinness pie and her uncle, the “bangers and mash”. They were the only ones I tried, kids all got the regular BS; chicken tenders etc lol

Definitley worth a visit if you’re on that side of the border. 

[Draconator]

1 minute ago, Sojourner said:

Stumbled across that when we went to the fort up there. The Italian not far from it was pretty packed and couldn’t seat the 7 of us next to one another or in close proximity. The Irish stew was top notch! Wife got the Guinness pie and her uncle, the “bangers and mash”. They were the only ones I tried, kids all got the regular BS; chicken tenders etc lol

Definitley worth a visit if you’re on that side of the border. 

My favorite item on the menu is the Curry Fries. 

[Sojourner]

Just now, Draconator said:

My favorite item on the menu is the Curry Fries. 

Can’t say I saw that when we there but if/when the next time we make our way up there I’ll be sure to try them!

 

During my times in Germany, currywurst and fries was my thing. Is it the same type of curried sauce/gravy?

[ExiledInIllinois]

You forgot Mt.Morris Dam & Letchworth.

 

It saved Rochester in 1972, Hurricane Agnes:

 

cc: @Mike in Horseheads @BringBackFergy

[Draconator]

1 minute ago, Sojourner said:

During my times in Germany, currywurst and fries was my thing. Is it the same type of curried sauce/gravy?

Yes sir

[Ridgewaycynic2013]

23 minutes ago, ExiledInIllinois said:

You forgot Mt.Morris Dam & Letchworth.

 

It saved Rochester in 1972, Hurricane Agnes:

 

cc: @Mike in Horseheads @BringBackFergy

My father hauled steel for that project.  They would chain the trucks to bulldozers, put the trucks in neutral, and the bulldozers would clank their way down the steeply pitched haul roads to the gorge floor.

[Mike in Horseheads]

CMOG is a good way to burn hours ,  https://home.cmog.org/

(Corning Museum of Glass)

[SoTier]

3 hours ago, Augie said:

 

I like hearing that! We fly in Wednesday before the opener and go directly to Watkins Glen for a night to walk the gorge and see the lake. My wife loves stuff like that, and I’ve never been there either. We’re also going to Niagara-on-the Lake one day. It’s nice to have some extra time during this trip. More meals!!! 🤣 

 

The highway that goes north along the east side of Seneca Lake is lined with wineries.   If you like vino, this is your area.  There are bus excursions from Buffalo to the Finger Lakes wine country.

 

3 hours ago, T&C said:

Keep in mind that they are doing work on the bridge, they took the old one down, so do a bit of google work to see if it is open.

 

Here's the scoop on construction at Watkins Glen State Park:  Watkins Glen State Park

 

 

[Mike in Horseheads]

1 minute ago, SoTier said:

 

The highway that goes north along the east side of Seneca Lake is lined with wineries.   If you like vino, this is your area.  There are bus excursions from Buffalo to the Finger Lakes wine country.

 

 

Here's the scoop on construction at Watkins Glen State Park:  Watkins Glen State Park

 

 

The east side is  NY-414. Westside also has a lot of wineries and that is NY-14.  It amazing how much the wineries and breweries have popped up in the last 10 years along all the lakes

[BillsPride12]

Jamestown is a fun one

Ellicottville

Rochester area

Erie, PA

Canadian side of Niagara Falls and as far out to Toronto

 

There's a ton of doable day trips in the WNY and extending area

[EmotionallyUnstable]

Stonybrook state park is one we did this year. It was a nice 3 hour stay at the park. We were able to hike the gorge (roughly 3ish miles round trip) with our little ones. Three waterfalls and plenty of “rapids” to splash in and amazing rock formations with some older bridges to marvel at. 

 

We then swam in the natural pool and finished with a picnic and playground play before the hour plus ride home.

 

They have two other more challenging trails, which my oldest daughter and I peeked at (quite steep at times). Plenty of camping, pavilions and recreational activities from what I could tell.

 

It cost us $9 to park and the gas in our car to get there. Can’t beat it! 

[SoTier]

11 hours ago, EmotionallyUnstable said:

Stonybrook state park is one we did this year. It was a nice 3 hour stay at the park. We were able to hike the gorge (roughly 3ish miles round trip) with our little ones. Three waterfalls and plenty of “rapids” to splash in and amazing rock formations with some older bridges to marvel at. 

 

We then swam in the natural pool and finished with a picnic and playground play before the hour plus ride home.

 

They have two other more challenging trails, which my oldest daughter and I peeked at (quite steep at times). Plenty of camping, pavilions and recreational activities from what I could tell.

 

It cost us $9 to park and the gas in our car to get there. Can’t beat it! 

 

I've added Stony Brook SP to my list of state parks to investigate since it's one I haven't experienced.  Here's the scoop on Stony Brook: (Stony Brook State Park).

 

[Augie]

I’m curious about the Thousand Island area. We vacationed there as a kid and it made an impression on me. We stayed at an old resort on the Canadian side with golf for the adults and ping pong with lemonade for the kids. It’s funny what sticks in your mind, but I remember the exposed pipes in the old-time hotel bath. I also remember my dad hit something in the rented boat and they were going to charge him $200 for the prop they were just going to bang straight again, but since we bought it we took that prop home and kept it on the mantle for a while. 

 

I might like to look into that for before the 2026 home opener with the wife. Any suggestions? Is it worth it? Where do you base yourself? What to see and do?