I have been visiting the Watson-curtze mansion for many years from when I was young till now…read more one great place to learn about loads of local history + they always have something history related when I visit there. I remember when I was younger they had a room with robots dressed as historic figures talking about all the historic battles going on like the war of 1812 I would tell anybody who hasn't been there you have to visit there lots of great history inside there

Great attraction! From the history they gave us it just reopened last season. Everything has been…read morerestored and looks great. Free to walk around the grounds and climb to the top. Can't beat free. Great view of the lake from the top.

We came back for one of the last weekends they were open for the season and happy to share that the…read morestairs have been fully restored and they allow visitors to go up to the top now! It was free but we had to sign a waiver. The views from the top were nice, and the employees were friendly. A great stop if you're nearby and in the area.

Graycliff is one of Frank Lloyd Wright's residential designs and is often regarded as the bridge…read morebetween his Prairie houses of the early 1900s and later masterpieces, such as Fallingwater (I look forward to visiting one day). Designed by Wright for Isabelle and Darwin D. Martin (and unlike the Martin house, which you should also visit), the estate sits on an 8.5-acre bluff overlooking Lake Erie. It's about 25 miles southwest of Buffalo, New York. And I did not realize this important tidbit: the gardens and landscape designed by Ellen Biddle Shipman, who worked with Wright. The property was built between 1926 and 1931 as the summer home for the Martin family. Also, Graycliff is a New York State Landmark listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Importnat note: the Frank Lloyd Wright's Martin House and Graycliff Conservancy are two separate nonprofits -- I did not know that before my visit. The two even have distinct missions. But they each have the common goal to preserve and share the history of the Martin family and Wright's work. I highly recommend visiting both sites. And be sure to check the schedule and tour times. Outside of the welcome center, gift shop and adjacent garden, you must sign up for a paid tour to see the rest of the buildings on site. In the central house, Wright effectively dissolved the traditional boundary between indoors and outdoors. There is local limestone, ochre stucco and cedar shingles and, if you keep a watchful eye, you will see Wright's designs at work: triangles, circles, hearts, diamond-shapes and other shapes are embedded and featured throughout the grounds and in the architecture. Graycliff was also personally significant for Wright. During the mid-1920s his career and finances were in turmoil. The Martins, longtime friends as well as clients, commissioned Graycliff at a moment when relatively few of Wright's designs were being built. Over time, many architectural historians view the project as helping sustain his practice during one of the most difficult periods of his life. And last interesting tidbit: The Martin family owned the property until after Isabelle and Darwin died. It was sold in 1951 to the Piarist Fathers, an order of Roman Catholic Priests from Hungary. They lived in and used Graycliff until 1997 (even built buildings and structures), when the property was sold. Graycliff was actual set to be demolished for condominiums -- can you imagine?! A few tips for your visit: -If you are driving a larger vehicle (large trucks, RV's, camper vans, vehicles pulling trailers, call in advance. The team will work to accommodate your vehicle. Do not miss the brand new visitor center. It has interactive educational features, an informative video and an excellent gift shop, with snacks on site. -Parking is out front at no cost. -A portion of all tours is outside, rain or shine. -Wear comfortable clothing and comfortable walking shoes. -Apparently, stiletto heels are not allowed in the main house to protect the restored floor. -Only service animals are allowed on the grounds.

I did a tour of Graycliff as part of the All Day All Wright tour a while ago anat that time it was…read moreinteresting but also a bit disappointing both because the renovations were ongoing and we arrived late due to traffic so the tour was cut short. Seeing online that Graycliff had just opened a new visitor center and was in full swing I decided to make a one day trip to see it again. Located about a half hour southwest of Buffalo and about an hour northeast of Erie, Graycliff sit right on the Lake Erie shore. There is a small sign at the end of the long drive that leads you to the new visitor center. The center is set up just outside the area that Wright designed. The center is very modern but it does have elements that are inspired by Wright, the horizontal lines of the building, the glass that allows you to see through the building is similar to Graycliff. Inside there is a very nice gift shop, some interesting exhibits and an unusual unisex bathroom. I had signed up for the extended tour and we had a nice group who all had some experience with Wright before, including one guy who had done extensive work in building the new visitor center. The tour starts in the visitor center with a very well made video giving some of the history of Wright, the Martins and Graycliff. After that we went through the Picking Garden which was very attractive and smelled wonderful. We then learned about the layout of the outside, including that the driveway was oriented to track the movement of the sun on the summer solstice. We were also informed about the history of the site, the local materials being used and the history of the house after the Martins had to give it up. We also were told about the water features and how the house was oriented to allow views through the house to see the lake. Although this was the 3rd project Darwin Martin had hired Wright for (the Darwin Martin House and the Larkin Company Adminstration Building were the others) here the client was Mrs. Martin and this was to be a summer house so the overall design is a bit unique. The timing of the project was also crucial as Wright had finished his Prairie Style and the Usonian style was not yet developed. Wright had also gone through a number of personal issues and public scandals so this commission was helpful in bridging a difficult period. Once inside Graycliff you realize that there are many common Wright elements, the use of natural materials, the importance of the hearth as the heart of the house and how he had opened up the common areas with a flow. Graycliff is unique in how it is oriented to the lake with huge windows on both sides. We also got to see the second floor and the second floor of the smaller second house that initially was the garage and chauffeur's quarters and later used by Martin's daughter's family. I have to compliment our docent Brian who did a great job of guiding us through the house and property while supplying information, pointing out details and just being very entertaining. Wright was a complex person, while a genius and visionary he also had personal issues and could be difficult to work with, Brian gave a nice balanced view of Wright, his relationship to the Martins and how Graycliff came to be, plus its history and restoration. On my previous visit I had enjoyed Graycliff, but also found it a bit disappointing, this visit reflects the great job that has been done on finishing the restoration and furnishing the property to best effect. While not as flashy as some of the better know Wright designs, Graycliff is well worth a visit for its historical significance to Wright and to see how he was in transition and developing new and different ideas. A great visit and I am so glad I took the time for a second visit.

This is the childhood home of Lucille Ball that had been restored to what it may have looked like…read morewhen Lucy grew up there. She had resided here with her mother and grandparents along with her brother Fred. The area is known as Celoron and not far from that home is the Lucille Ball memorial park. Lucy used to work at that park when it was a small amusement park by the lake. The house is painted in a bright blue but what stands out is the polka dot garage door and the lopsided barbecue in the back. The barbecue was probably inspired from one of the last "I love Lucy" episodes. Note-the residence is a private dwelling and people live here. For this reason, you are asked to be respectul of the property. More information can be found on their website which also happens to be attached to the front entry door. Definitely worth a quick photo opportunity.

The love and care that has been put into restoring Lucy's childhood home is indescribable. One…read moreneeds to really experience it first hand to truly appreciate it. And to know that all the money earned is then donated back to the community is a true testament to the type of people the owners are.

What a lovely view of a lovely lake, beach, and woods. The…read moremuseum was cute and informative with nice staff. The lighthouse and house were beautiful. The gift shop was really cute, fairly priced, had informative staff, and the ladies working there were so nice and welcoming!

Initially constructed in 1872 and activated in 1873, the Presque Isle Light is on the shore of Lake…read moreErie and protects Erie Harbor. The 68 foot tall tower is attached to a four-bedroom residence used by the lighthouse keeper. It was automated in 1962 and declared government surplus in 1997. It is now operated by the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. A beautiful structure and open to the public. There is a charge to enter and it's only open during certain hours. But the grounds are open the same hours as the Presque Isle State Park so stop by and check it out. It's wonderful! [Review 1381 of 2024 - 658 in Pennsylvania - 22404 overall]

Both the location and appearance of Buffalo's Central Terminal has been know to scare people, but…read moredon't succumb to that impulse - this place is totally worth visiting! When you walk around inside the terminal, more likely than not the sights and the feel of this place will start your mind wondering about what happened here when this place shut down... If you' not brave enough to exlporing inside, the lines and shape of the main building and the lovely clocks all around are reason enough by themselves to at least do a drive-by :-)

If this were the Buffalo Dental Terminal, you could get your teeth fixed here. Whereas if it were…read morethe Mental Terminal, then they'd perform gruesome lobotomies. Come to think of it, this building seems just about haunted enough for that to be true. And if it were the Petal Terminal, well then it'd be a harmless Flower Market. Then again perhaps a Flower Market is a synonym for something gruesome. Hmm. Let me think on that one. I recently represented Yelp here at a booth, and that was really cool, to hang out inside it for a whole day. They really, really need some better Air Conditioning though! Lol. I guess the 1920s was pre-global-warming or something. I've been here many times. I've taken a self-guided tour (which I wasn't supposed to), I've taken an actual tour (which was free, because I know someone who knows someone), and I've even done a photo shoot here (for my first CD). I used to live about 10 minutes walk from this place. It hasn't changed much in all the time since I first saw it. Very run down. And yet it's so haunting and perfect that I love it. This is one of the most instantly recognizable buildings in the beautiful and remarkable old skyline of Buffalo. It towers above the East Side with its broken windows, it's massive haunting dark open shaft (minds out of the gutter), and its glowing clock faces. There have been concerts here, as well as ghost tours, but it remains largely in disrepair. Everyone and their mother is hoping that it never gets demolished, and is eventually restored. The sad thing is that once upon a time it was a truly great place, bustling and full of passengers heading to the other Central Terminal... Grand Central in NYC. The pictures of this place full of well-to-do Upstate New Yorkers getting on and off trains is very depressing. America has changed so much and not always for the better. It's one of my favourite places in Buffalo, and was featured in the booklet of my first CD for good reason. Let's make sure it never gets knocked down. In other news, my cat Harley just pooped all over my carpet. Scuse me while I kiss this guy. I mean clean the poop. Same thing really.

Preservation Buffalo Niagara offers a FREE tour of Buffalo City Hall everyday at noon. You just…read moreshow up and meet the docent in the lobby. I had a great time learning all about the architecture which is an Art Deco masterpiece. The docent was very knowledgeable. We saw the Common Council Chambers and ended on tho Observation Deck. It was truly a marvelous tour....and it was free!

From the owner: PBN identifies, protects, and promotes our unique architecture and historic legacy, and connects…read morepeople to the places they love in Western New York.

I highly recommend the Buffalo Lighthouse - what a gem with some of the best views of the city too!…read moreOpen seasonally, you can choose to explore the grounds, which includes some historical signage, nautical artifacts, and a tiny house where you can watch two videos, one about the evolution of lighthouses, and another that shows the inside of the lighthouse. And, for an additional fee, you can go inside the lighthouse. Note, the first half of the climb is stairs and the second half is three ladders to get to the top. It was a really great way to spend part of our afternoon, and I'd love to go back again. Note: I recommend checking their fb page before you go because they posts their hours regularly.

Definitely worth it to get the ticket to go up the light house. Great views from the top. There are…read moreladders if for the top that are slightly narrow. There is also a building showing videos of light house history in general as well as the Buffalo harbor specifically.

I love visiting LoverMan in Grand Island. Small and peaceful. Not much traffic except for the…read morebridge.... Still not bad! It's an old place. Everything looks older I still prefer to stay here then the city! And it's so close to Canada. Although, I wouldn't stay here if you're visiting as a tourist. Come on...live a little!

What can I say... its a tiny little island that you drive through to get to niagara. It seems a…read morelittle run down, I guess that's the effect of being an inbetween instead of the destination.

There are many historic buildings located in Buffalo. June is a good month to visit. While it…read morecould be raining, it also could be slightly windy and sunny. We hit a good day to walk. Some humidity yet pleasant. The area is lined with trees and greenery. Many of the historic homes in the city are now attorney offices. Street parking.

Not worth visiting that is for sure run down city and so is Niagara Falls so sad just the state…read morepark is nice everything else is a dump and geto city so sad the homes even need a lot of help