10 Best Things to Do for Family in Buffalo

Six Flags Darien Lake is a vast and exciting traditional amusement park offering roller coasters, thrill rides, fantastic carnival-style eats, live entertainment, and games. Thrill rides include the Blast Off, the world-famous Predator roller coaster, and the Viper coaster. Family rides include bumper cars, boat docks, the Grand Carousel, and the Pirate ship. The park has a selection of kiddie rides, including the Bucky's Barrel, a kids' Ferris wheel, and the Hoot 'N' Holler mini roller coaster. A variety of live shows and concerts are put on daily, and you'll also find a vast selection of restaurants and eateries.

Six Flags is a world-famous theme park chain for a good reason. This branch is 45 minutes east of city centre.

Buffalo Canalside offers tonnes of low-cost and free kid-friendly attractions from waterfront walks to playgrounds, live concerts, game tables, and other family fun activities. You can stroll along the boardwalk for shopping and family dining fun. The little ones will love to get into the giant sandpit and play pretend. The waterfront area regularly hosts festivals and events that showcase the art and culture of the community. Game tables let you play free board games. Live concerts are a normal occurrence here.

All in all, Canalside offers 21 acres of fun and enjoyment in a dedicated outdoor entertainment space. Even better, the whole thing is right in the heart of city centre Buffalo.

Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens offers more than just endless walking paths filled with stunningly beautiful flowers; it also offers tonnes of kid-friendly programmes. The garden buildings were inspired by the Crystal Palace in England. It's a historic building with stunning architecture and is surrounded by exotic horticulture. The Palm Dome is filled with towering palm tree groves and other exotic plants. You can also walk an Asian Rainforest exhibit where you'll see plants that are both medicinal and carnivorous.

For the kids, you can visit a Children's Garden where the little ones can get hands-on learning about horticulture in an interactive way. It's 15 minutes south of city centre.

Letchworth State Park between the Finger Lakes and the Allegany foothills is a crown jewel of the state park system and offers over 14,000 acres of outdoor adventure. This park is so vast it has earned the nickname "The Grand Canyon of the East". It offers waterfalls, canopied forest trails, rolling hills, and endless untouched wilderness. If you want to take a camping trip, you can rent one of more than 80 cabins or pack a tent to set up at one of its 270 camping areas. For something a bit more cosmopolitan, you can book a stay at the on-site inn.

Plan to go hiking, biking, and get back to nature. It's just over an hour east from city centre Buffalo.

Buffalo and Erie County Naval and Military Park offers an in-depth look at US military history, focusing on Buffalo and allowing you to board decommissioned warships. Here you can go aboard a Cleveland-class cruiser, a light destroyer, and a submarine, all of which have seen service in wartime and all of which are examples of the very few remaining representatives of their class. You can take guided tours or explore on your own. You can look at tens of thousands of exhibits, artefacts, documents, photos, and ephemera looking at the storey of naval battles and military history.

Kids will be thrilled to explore the ships, and adults will appreciate the history on display. It's in the heart of city centre.

The Genesee Country Village Museum is a living history museum set up as a genuine, thriving village offering kids the chance to see how people lived 200 years ago. This museum is an authentic way to walk through a 19th-century town, the preserved village of Mumford, and you can see gardens, an old schoolhouse, and homes. You'll see live demonstrations from blacksmiths and potters, bakers making fresh bread and pies in a brick oven, and farmers tending actual livestock. Along the way, you'll learn not just about pioneer life, but local ecology.

This is a thrilling place for adults and kids alike. It's about an hour away from town and makes for a perfect day trip.

Olcott Beach Carousel Park is an authentic vintage amusement park in the shadow of a landmark historic lighthouse, offering antique rides and a genuine Wurlitzer. The Hershell-Spillman 2-row carousel at the park is the authentic style of the 1928 model, and the band organ dates to 1931. You can also ride 5 different vintage kiddie rides. These include a 1946 Fire Lorry Ride, a 1940s-era Sky Fighter ride, a Boat Ride from the 40s, and a Rocket Swing from the 1950s.

It's a seasonal park open from Memorial Day to Labour Day. Another thing that makes this park fantastic is all the rides are exceptionally cheap, making this a budget- and family-friendly spot an hour north of town.

Explore & More Children's Museum lets kids get hands-on with interactive exhibits where they learn all about history, culture, geography, agriculture, and other topics. Kids love to learn while they play, and this museum offers 40,000 square feet of space filled with play zones that teach and inspire. Kids will engage their imagination and creativity while playing interactive games and taking part in hands-on activities and exhibits. There's even a special zone for toddlers, allowing the littlest ones to spark their passion for education.

Many of the exhibits here even allow adults to get in on the fun, so the whole family can learn and make memories. It's all directly in the heart of city centre.

Billy Beez is the ideal place to let kids run and blow off extra energy in 20,000 square feet of an indoor playground with tunnels, towers, and slides. They can play sports, bounce for hours on trampolines, and fire ball blasters. If there ever was such a thing as a do-it-yourself amusement park, this spot qualifies. Even better, many of the activities here can accommodate grown-ups, too. This is a spot that's ideal for kids and adults aged 3 and up.

Even better, Billy Beez is located inside a massive shopping centre with big box and boutique stores, restaurants, and entertainment. You can shop, dine, and play all day 15 minutes east of town.

The Herschell Carrousel Factory Museum is inside an original early 1900s carousel factory exploring the entire history of amusement and theme park rides. The museum covers multiple buildings, including a machine shop, a painting building, a roundhouse and assembly shop, a carving shop, and storage, all of which you can explore. You can see 2 full carousels with hand-carved horses and hundreds of lights, dating to the early 20th century. You can even ride these vintage rides. You can also see a collection of vintage rides like a boat ride, helicopter, buggy, and many others.

This is an unusual look behind the scenes at the rides we all love. It's 20 minutes north of Buffalo.