Article content

Canadians who think Buffalo is only good for cross-border shopping and watching sports have got it all wrong. I’ve been going since the early 2000s for completely different reasons. Architecture is a big one. Micro museums. Memorable meals. Waterfront innovations. Quirky Americana. Grain silos. Let me count the ways that I love our American neighbour and offer this list of things to do there.

Take an architecture tour

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Architecture and other reasons to love Buffalo Back to video

is a non-profit that offers about 80 educational walking, biking, bus, boat and kayak tours. Brad Hahn, the executive director, took me on the popular

downtown walking tour (a steal at $15 U.S.). We looked at the best-known American architects that came to Buffalo to design buildings like the old post office, Ellicott Square, St. Paul’s Episcopal Cathedral and Guaranty Building (an early skyscraper with a terra cotta exterior). There’s no script — each volunteer docent shares details about the architecture and architecture, but can pick their own anecdotes and emphasis. In 2018, Explore Buffalo did about 1,700 tours for 24,000 people. Some tours even go year-round, moving the focus to interiors instead of exteriors. The $60