For a solid year, I wanted to go to a first Friday at the AKG. I didn't want to be there one to…read moreattempt Buffalo driving (we circled around to parallel park at 430) and needed someone to echo my musings. Well, I finally made it! We went through check in, where you had to fork over a suggested donation (instead of the usual 22 dollars). They take card, though we gave cash, which seemed like an easier way to exercise the discount. They offered an extra paid section to opt into for an extra 8 dollar charge that we turned down, taking our tiny tags. They're dinky and reusable and gotta attach somewhere to your person. She had also given me a wristband for the strap of Duckles, which had to be checked by a second girl who warned me that I could not wear my knapsack on my back. Could make it a tummy sack or an elbow purse to avoid bumping things, which is how I ended up cradling a stuffed duck around the museum. We hadn't nabbed a map and thought we could wing it. There are qr codes scattered about for info beyond the placards and finding where you have landed. We lucked out and scored a paper map abandoned on one of the numerous benches (there's also chairs and pull out chairs hanging for your resting pleasure) that we attempted to read. My directionally challenged self asked one of the security to send us off to the bridge, given two choices of route. We dodged the scenic way for a temporary outdoor escape, passing more art. Popping back inside we absorbed even more subsets of time and genre, respecting drawn boundaries and only touching things that said we could. There were things that touched us, our souls, that we could take photos of. There were also bizarre things and a bit of nudity. It's all art, including the special presentations and live music and everyday artists sketching in the hall. There was an interactive exhibit in the main that we skipped in the name of rumbling tummies, though we didn't try the cafe. Also avoided the gift shop, cutting out as the crowd began to swell around 6. The place was impeccably clean despite the abundance of windows and smudge worthy doors. It was worth coming out, though I'm unsure how often the exhibits rotate. Come see an authentic famous few and many more that'll have you saying the Albright is pretty *alright*.

The Buffalo AKG Art Museum is our local pride, and requires no advertising or persuasion to visit…read more Believe me, it's a fantastic destination. It's a beautiful space with a nice collection of fine arts. There is a new, three-story extension, a whole new building actually. So, be sure to have plenty of time to explore everything. Their website is very informative and easy to navigate. Check out the current special events and exhibitions. Currently, among others, on display is the "One with Eternity" by Yayoi Kusama, which includes her two Infinity Mirror Rooms and "Pumpkin", a giant orange pumpkin in an orange room covered with black dots. Tickets for this exhibition must be purchased separately and are valid for specific time slots. If there is a big crowd that day, wait a little and don't come from the beginning of your time slot (or figure this out by yourself). We had to leave and come back after a ridiculous experience. Waiting twenty minutes in line to see the actual installation for forty five seconds!? It was very confusing, and I believe there must be a different way to actually enjoy Kusama's work. We came back to see the second room with no wait, but still, with the forty five seconds rule. Ugh... Yes, let's loop if this is the only way which works. Don't forget, the general museum admission is free on the first Friday of the month, and I like that price.

In Buffalo and the entire Western New York region, everyone ought to know Charles E. Burchfield. I…read moream certain that those interested in art have heard of him as well. He's recognized as one of the most distinguished American painters. Charles Rand Penney was a Buffalo native who donated his collection of Western New York Art, including 183 works by Charles E. Burchfield. The Burchfield Penney Art Center is dedicated to works by Burchfield and by regional artists. You'll see those active in the previous and the contemporary century. The Burchfield Penney functions as a gallery and a museum, serving as an institution affiliated with the Buffalo State University. For this reason, many events are related to education and personal development. It is worth checking what is happening and which events align with your individual needs and interests. Either way, it is definitely a place worth visiting. It's New York's first green museum certified by the U.S. Green Building Council's (LEED) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program. It's a two-story open and bright space, pretty great to be honest :). On the second Friday of every month, admission is free. "Be ready for special events, music, workshops, happy hours and more!" It's also free for Burchfield Penney members, Buffalo State University Students, Faculty & Staff, United States and Canada Active Military and their families, United States Military Veterans, ASI Arts Access Pass holders, and children and teens under 18 years old.

A large, bright, two-story museum with several galleries on both floors…read more Unlike many museums which have no art created after 1870? This one will be displaying artwork solicited last year from local artists. Check their website for listings of rotating exhibits and openings.hh

I was here to hear a man dressed as President Abe Lincoln recite "The Gettysburg Address" in…read morecelebration of Mr. Lincoln's birthday. It was presented before a crowd of 150-200 people, including a good number of children!!! After Mr.Lincoln completed his presentation, there was a wreath laid on the portico by the statue of Mr. Lincoln, overlooking the lake behind the museum. A rifle was fired three times. After the wreath laying, there was birthday cake! "The Gettysburg Address", a speech still relevant today.

My most recent visit to the museum was actually to check out the cherry blossoms in the back. I've…read morebeen inside before but not on this visit. The museum is a great place to learn some history of Buffalo. My favorite exhibit was the recreation of the office of Tim Russett (Meet the Press host) exhibit. He was always vocal on his love of Buffalo & the Buffalo Bills. The grounds outside the museum besides the cherry blossoms include the Japanese Garden. Well worth checking out. Side note. Right beyond the side of MANY signs on the grounds saying to not pick the blossoms, climb the trees, etc one of the first things I saw was a father taking pictures of his son up in the tree! Why?? 2025-26

Today was my first time visiting and we came for an open house, celebrating Darwin Martin's…read morebirthday. We did a self guided tour and having docents in every room of the house really enabled us to learn a lot. Everyone we interacted with was friendly and knowledgeable, especially Doug who knew the answers to all of our questions! He let us know about the extended tour as well so we plan to come back so we can see the rest of the house and additional buildings. Whether you come just to walk the grounds or opt to see the inside of the house, I highly recommend!

We took the 2 hr tour. Well worth it for the extra history more rooms. 50 plus million to restore…read morethe place. Crazy how once the owner loss money in the market crash and then died his wife couldn't keep it up and just walked away. Over the years and different owners many changes. Now it getting close to what Wright designed again. Your tour guide was excellent, the grounds are outstanding as is the house. If you are in the area and like history highly recommended.

Theodore Roosevelt Inauguration National Historic Site is located in Allentown. This is another…read morehistoric building on the National Registry. The small yet interesting building had lots of information on Roosevelt. A small talk/tour was in session when I entered. The docent relayed information to the visitors. The gift shop had many Roosevelt related gifts. No charge to enter. Street parking available.

I try to fill my trips out of town with some history and educational stuff of places I have never…read morebeen to or even heard of. When I finally decided to where I would be going I started to look around and see what was catch my interest. This fit the bill. What drew me in was that it had to do with one of our Presidents, fairly cheap on the pocketbook ($12), and easy parking (free and onsite). You can enter the lot from the front or from behind, I suggest from behind as it is easier to access the lot and you won't have to deal with the drive up ATM from the bank. You enter from the back of the building as well, whether you walk up from the street or park in the lot. Try to check the site before showing up and see if the tour times are listed. There is not entry into the space unless you are on a tour. I know, kind of weird, and a bit annoying, but that is how they do it here and that is how you gain access, only on a tour. Pay attention to the tour. Depending on the volunteer (yes, they are volunteers) you have, it can go fast. They are full of information and will tell you more about the house than you can pick up from the informational displays throughout. Pictures area allowed and I suggest taking plenty of them. Sometimes when you go back to them you might catch something you missed when you were initially there. A little about the house, as the name of this establishment tells you, it was used for the inauguration of Theodore Roosevelt. One of only a handful of places outside of the Capitol that would host an event like this. An ordinary house that housed a family and occasional guests over the years ended up being a historic place that fell into shambles and became restored. After President McKinley was shot and ultimately was assassinated President Roosevelt took the oath of office in the library of the house. For a short time, this also served as the White House I suppose. Roosevelt meeting with his inherited Cabinet in the dining room. After the inauguration the house passed through the family and was sold. It became a restaurant up until the 70s and then sat unused and started to crumble. There was movement to tear this place down, but a group made sure to save it and now it is ran by the National Parks Services. They were able to restore the place to what it looked like at the time, only a few things in the house are original to the house. One of the bookcases in the library and one of the chandeliers in the house are told to you. Upstairs is a different set up. One room upstairs houses an exhibit on the history of the house. It goes through the timeline of it being a family home, to the restaurant, and the now historic landmark. Another room has a mock up of what Theodore Roosevelt's Presidential Office would have looked like. You can "play" in here. You can sit at the desk and pretend to be President for a day. If you are looking for something to do in the Buffalo area to kill time or just to enjoy your day, stop by here. You will not regret it and you will learn something new.

LIKED: This historic…read morebuilding boasts ample parking, a wealth of historic artifacts, and convenient access due to its proximity to a major highway. WOULD HAVE LIKED: - The exhibits could be more appealing to adults instead of students. Many of the exhibits seem to be designed for elementary and middle school students rather than adults. - A more reasonable price. The current $23 fee appears excessive considering the value provided during a visit.

I loved all the interactive games where you can learn while having fun. Building race cars,…read morefeeling a tornado force wind, engineering building paper rockets that soared through the room...so many fun projects. The exhibit rooms are spacious with interesting facts explaining what you're seeing from woven baskets to a giant polar bear. We explored space and the time of the dinosaurs. I was there with a 6 month old and I have to say they have it set up nice for parents to care for young ones from places for diaper changes to breast feeding. Impressive. There's a large room for quiet time and a snack bar for all your children's needs. Easy free parking is a plus, no hassle getting in or out. We did go up to the rooftop deck but it was closed, so was the planetarium but it didn't matter there was plenty to see and do. The Buffalo Museum of Science is FUN!

I always thought this was a bank...but turns out it's a museum that's open just once a month…read more What?! I've passed this big Egyptian looking statue on Forest Ave many times while walking home and I had no idea there was an actual exposition inside. While experiencing "Museums by Moonlight" (a once a year event where for $25 you can go museum hopping into the night), I learned this was an actual exhibit space that's part of the Buffalo History Museum. Apparently, it's only open once a month on the third Friday of every month (free admission) and is home to the Pan-American "Spirit of the City" exhibition that's been up there since 2001. It's a smaller one-room exhibit (but there's more space in the back and they organize a $10 event about once a month where they give you the inner scoop on the entire space), but it's got everything you could possibly want to experience when Buffalo was the city chosen for the Pan-American exposition in 1901. It's incredible to witness how a whole city of sorts was built up to be used between May and demolished in November for the event. My fiancé and I had some fun and even placed a bet on whether the Electric Tower displayed here is the same one that's downtown now (it wasn't and I lost the bet). Lots of fun to be had at the exhibit whether with kids, by yourself or even if you stop in after a juice at Ashker's right a few blocks away on that one Friday that they're open. Check it out!

If you have not been here COME. If you are interested in Buffalo history anyway. This Is a very…read moreeducational exhibit. Its part of the Buffalo History Museum (previously called the Buffalo Historical Society). Currently about the Pan Americam Exposition of 1901. This was supposed to be a HUGE draw for the area, and at a time when Buffalo was one of the 10 biggest cities in the US. But there were problems. Construction delays (sounds like Buffalo, right?), cost overruns, too much rain that summer, and of course the assassination of a president. The Pan Am ended up loosing money. But it was a terrific exhibit regardless. Come here and re-live a piece of it. They have pictures from that time, they take you through the various areas of the exhibt and of course cover the Presidents death. The large funny sculpture in the front is gone. We learned on a tour that it had been made of Styrofoam and when it rained it would absorb all sorts of water etc. That it would occasionally be scented. Etc. They decided to remove it the summer of 2014 and seem to be relieved that its gone. Open the 3rd Friday of each month and by special request (in advance) the Pan-am exhibit is well documented here. Check the Buffalo History Museum website for special tours and lectures here. I went on a behind the scenes tour and saw all sorts of things they store there, including a lot of art. They only have some much room to exhibit things at the History Museum, and this is where they store the rest. Its fantastic to get to see some of it. They have some parking and there is street parking around as well. Since I don't imagine its gets very crowded, the small parking area probably will be just fine. 49

They sold the paintings I had on consignment and then ghosted me without paying. I'm surprised…read morethey're in business

Beautiful space! I bought a Robert Blair watercolor and a small antique oil painting of downtown…read moreBuffalo. Lots of clutter around but I love to look.

This building is absolutely gorgeous. I attended the Queen City Market event here and it was…read moreamazing. Lots of one of a kind gifts and merchandise. The building was the perfect venue for this event. The ceiling and windows are beautiful.

Picking a venue is often the most stressful part of planning, especially for a type A bride like…read moremyself. When hunting I was looking for a beautiful, historic piece of Buffalo but also a place that would let me put my own spin on things and take creative control of hiring my own vendors. Karpeles (and Chris the director of Karpeles) absolutely blew us away and was exactly what we were looking for. We had our reception at Porter Hall and it is such a Buffalo Gem. It is stunning, and the fact that its mostly white made it a beautiful canvas you could build off of. The white arches, warm wood accents, side room with the fireplace, and central organ gave the space so much warmth and class. I also loved that the main room was big enough for tables and a dancefloor without having to move anything around, we had about 160 people. The side rooms were perfect to set up our buffet, and then we put our bar in the fireplace side room, I loved that the building made it so people could wander and explore a bit, we had an ice cream truck come and there is a beautiful garden out front where people at their ice cream and relaxed too. Karpeles saved and beautifully restored this building and it is a wonderful museum that displays priceless documents, one of my favorite moments at our wedding was when I quietly stepped away and looked at one of the cases and noticed it held an original copy of Puccini's Madame Butterfly, I thought how cool that such a masterpiece is present for a special day in my little life. Anyways, anecdote aside, I really wanted my wedding to have a classy and vintage (but not pretentious) atmosphere and this was the perfect place. It was also very cool that friends and family who grew up in Buff got to see a building they've never visited before (instead of going to the same banquet halls they've been to a bunch). This venue is more for a bride who is okay with taking on a little extra stress of finding a caterer, and bringing in things like tables, chairs, decor, DJ, etc. You are renting the building and Chris and staff of the building are amazing and will help you with anything or any questions and go above in beyond with recommendations and assistance but ultimately it is up to you to hire your vendors and coordinate everything (I liked this because than my fiancee and I could pick all the people we worked with and could make every detail really feel like us, but this much creative control could definitely be overwhelming if you are more the type of person who wants a package where everything is provided for you). I also have to say Chris really became a good friend through this process. He is extremely professional but with a warmth and passion that you don't often see in the wedding Biz. He wants you to have the day of your dreams and will try to help in every way, he also answers emails extremely quick and always answers in full detail, but also always asks how you are doing and remembers to human aspect of what Brides are going through, just an awesome guy. I was hoping to have things like a sparkler exit and candlesticks at the tables, two things that are big no no's in a lot of spaces or banquet halls but Chris said as long as we properly plan for it and take a couple precautions we could do almost anything we'd like. I pride myself on being blunt and honest and I can honestly say brides are lucky to have a place like Karpeles exist in Buffalo, do not hesitate to pick them if you are looking to have a unique and beautiful day worth remembering!!

There is a lot to take in so take advantage of the helpful staff & their extra knowledge!…read morethere was a function space & a party going on during our visit, looked like a fun place to celebrate. there was a gas station INSIDE of the museum, designed by none other than

What a delightful and interesting museum! It's open concept and self guided which means you can…read morejust take your time checking everything out. It was impeccably clean and each item was thoughtfully curated. I loved it!