Was invited by my sister to Canal Fest and I'm glad I decided to go. This was my first time ever…read more It was really fun we all had a good time. They had rides for all ages, games, food, snacks, and live music. It literally was something for everyone to do. Only issues I had was there were not enough sitting areas for people to sit and enjoy the food and like 90% of all the vendors only accepted cash which I normally don't carry around with me. Thank God I did that day. Also parking can be an issue if there is a huge crowd. Overall really nice festival to attend every year.

If it were a festival of boring idiosyncracies, it would be Banalfest. And if it were the San…read moreFernando Valley it would obviously be an*lfest. However it's actually the flagship fair & carnival of the Tonawandas, and it really really rocks. I came here many times, in fact I performed here once or twice thanks to a friend, and it was always a great time, in the summer, by the Erie Canal in the Tonawandas, with good food, excited people, interesting music (unless I was playing in which case it was crap), and lots and lots and lots of very good looking people. If you live in WNY or are visiting at the right time of year, and you've never been to Canalfest, you should come down. There are a thousand reasons to have a great time here and only one reason not to, which was me performing live music here, which no longer is a problem. At some point it'll be purchased by a conglomerate and watered down, at which point it'll become Clearchannelfest. You don't want that to happen, so get here and enjoy it before it does.

Ughh, went there Sunday- what a waste of time - all food trucks and no vendors- but I guess that's…read moremy fault. I didn't know that there was different activities on different days. Today was a chalk contest- not what I care about though- guess I was five days too early. However, I won't waste my time..

Craft art show was not worth it. Rude people running the show. Not a good experience.read more

Beer vs Wine. Paired with food. At the Hideaway Grille…read more The Hideaway Grille has done three similar events. Once a year more or less. I think once with wine and once with beer. This time with both, together, head to head (so to speak). Upon arrival the bar was already hopping. Happy hour started at 5:30, and it was happy when I arrived sometime after that. They have these homemade chips on the bar that are fantastic. Not sure if they are an everyday thing or not, but Id go back for those alone. Truffle oil and garlic is a great match with potatoes, and when those potatoes are cut in house it just gets better. The event worked like this - assigned seating, the owner of the Hideaway knew many of the guests so she was able to put tables together that worked really well. By the end of the evening, Table 5 was the rowdiest, but each table had a great time. Before each course the beer and wine choices were described by the associated beer and mine masters. Each was chosen with the food in mind. I drink far more wine than beer, but I found both selections each time were a great choice. On occasion the beer outshone the wine, and vice versa, but there was no clear "miss" and some clear "hits". Our first course was a shrimp & lobster bisque (I did not sample that but the table loved it). I have to say both the beer and wine went nicely with it, as was the case for each course. I say this as the soup was cream based and both the beer and wine choice took that into account. The second course was a stuffed chicken, it was a perfect size, perhaps 4 bites. Easy to cut, the chicken was moist and tender. Very nice. A sherbet followed to "cleanse our palettes". Then came the risotto - which for me was the fav of the evening. The risotto came with two seared scallops, which were nicely seared. I enjoyed the scallop, but loved the risotto, with hazelnut throughout. I asked if that was on the menu, and I then learned many of these dishes were created for the event. Perhaps a dry run for some new menu items? Id vote for the risotto. Then came the pistachio and gorgonzola crusted filet. Also terrific. My filet was medium, I prefer very rare and for me it would have been a knockout that way. However, even more cooked, the flavors were terrific and happily devoured by all. They came with a potatoes, but I cant comment on that, I simply enjoyed the filet too much to get to the potatoes. The dessert was some sort of rich chocolaty thing, which tasted great, but for me the dollop of whipped cream (which was soooo much more than just whipped cream) and the homemade sponge candy were the stars of the plate. This coming from someone who pretty much never choses a chocolate dessert, and I ate half the actual dessert too. It was very very good. That pastry chef can bake. All in all, if you have a chance to come to the next event you should. This one was $50/ticket (tax and tip not included), and well worth it for the food, the drinks and the FUN. There were even some raffles, bottles of the evenings wine raffled off. Fill disclosure, I won one, but this review was already being written in my head, so no undue influence. Their facebook page is the way to keep up with what's happening at the Hideaway Grille. https://www.facebook.com/hideawaygrille?fref=nf Thanks to Alex L (CM) and Yelp for making me aware of this event.

My review is not for the actual maze , but for the bounce houses and games for the little ones …read more I absolutely adore this place . Located on Niagara Falls Blvd in the Wheatfield area . I have driven by year after year and thought I really need to check it out . One year (maybe more ? )they were not there for the season and I was saddened , so when I saw them open , I made a point to get there . Upon entering you will see many blow up bounce houses. Sadly, the big tiger you can see from the road is "retired" but , man he is cool ! There is also a little track for kids to be able to drive kid cars around . I would say this is great for probably the 4-5 year olds , but flexible. There are many tables set up for "pumpkin tic tac toe" . I thought it was an adorable idea. There are food huts/vendors set up with the typical carnival offerings of kettle corn, cotton candy , soft pretzels etc. What I found fun , is that there is a whole second area that you have to walk a short way through a corn maze to get to . I had no idea it existed ! Here is where you will find some more great bounce attractions and game areas , blow up slides and even a kids zipline attraction . So much fun. My 2 1/2 yr old grandson had such a great time . I recommend this for the little ones , especially 2-6ish years old . You will have a great time watching them have a great time . Lastly , we paid I believe $12 for an armband(did not have to pay for adult bands) which allowed for all day access to all of the bounce houses, we also were able to get a mini pumpkin included in that price . It was well worth the price ! I believe you can purchase individual tickets , but much more cost effective to get the all day bracelet. Pack up your kids, or your grandkids , or even your friends kids , and go ! :)

Very entertaining to watch kids bounce or jump from one blown up rubber pumpkin to the next. They…read morelooked like little warriors. Lots of nice sized pumpkins to choose from. Kids enjoyed going through the maize. Fun night.

I've had a few readings with Liz and have immensely enjoyed each of them. She has an uncanny way of…read moreasking very open but intuitive questions that help to guide the experience. I love the thought processes that Liz sparks after a reading - I always feel invigorated and ready to dig into new creative paths. I especially loved the little grounding bath potion she made based on what she intuited from the cards - it's these little personal touches that really matter to me from a merchant. Couldn't recommend her enough and hope to host a tarot party in the future!

From the owner: I am available outside my hours by appointment! I can also do online or phone readings!…read more My life coaching services offer people a chance to deep dive themselves and create their own future. My tarot practice allows another layer of self reflection. I love tarot parties!! I can do readings at your bridal shower, birthday party, or any party you want to add a bit more “oomph” too! If you want a smaller engagement with 4-6 people, I can do more I depth readings for everyone.

Cute little art space on Oliver St in NT for small performances and gallery exhibitions…read more Give local art some love!

From the owner: The Project 308 Gallery opened in August 2012. The art gallery holds multimedia arts and events for…read morethe public. ​ The mission of the Project 308 is to engage those who appreciate the arts, collaborate with local artists and students, and activate a renewed enthusiasm for art in the community. The Project 308 Gallery hosts the annual Oliver Street Art Festival and facilitates public art projects around the Oliver St. neighborhood.

I came here one week ago to have an artist friend fix a painting for me. (I bought it from her a…read morefew years ago. The painting moved inside the frame a bit. It was a quick fix.) Her name is Deb Meier and she has some awesome work featured here. There are many other artists who have work featured here too. Rather than just paintings, I bought a pillow. Barbara L Rickard is a local artist who has many things featured here. She had a few of her paintings made into pillows. I bought one for just over $60. It's called Paintress. Where the bison's horns lock, it shows a heart. I love hearts!! (Barbara told me that!!) She actually came in for something and she signed the back of the pillow. They don't just have paintings here. This gift shop has jewelry and many other cool things too. Come check it out!!! I'm sure I'll be back soon to purchase other cool items.

A gallery and gift shop that features artwork from local Western New York artists. You can find art…read morefor your walls, woodwork, glasswork, jewelry, scarves, purses, sculptures and so many more items all high quality crafted. The front two rooms feature the gift shop of works by their artists in residence. You can meet a different artist each day the shop is open and sometimes find them working on their own artwork. The back two rooms features a different show each month. The prices range from inexpensive unique gifts to pricier artwork. A real gem in North Tonawanda and worth the time to check it out.

Was in the area looking for things to do and stumbled across the Herschel Carrousel factory Museum…read moreand decided to stop by. The museum is very intuitive with a lot of displays and information. Ian who works there has a wealth of knowledge of carrousels and gave out a lot of great information and history about one of the world's oldest amusement rides. Certainly worth a visit in the area and going for a ride on the classic Carrousel that's on location.

We threw a birthday party for my 4 year old here. They decorated based on our theme, included…read moregoodie bags and there was our own carousel in the party room kids could ride as many times as they want. It was affordable, easy and fun. Highly recommend.

The West Herr Riviera Theatre used to have a real, hometown nostalgic feel to it. It used to be a…read moreplace of magic. Now, it's just a cash cow. I got this email basically warning me that all gift card transactions will incur a $3 fee. Is this fair? Absolutely not. How gross. Aside from this, I can't really say my experiences there recently have been great; the bar overcharges for drinks and the bartenders automatically set the card reader to a 20% tip on your beverages. I'm not kidding. They rush you to pay for your drinks if you're using credit so as to distract you from the automatic tip setting. If you don't catch it and change it, you're screwed. I don't mind tipping, I just don't like a place using scummy practices like this and essentially forcing you into tipping. Also...notice the lack of diversity in their show lineups: Mostly tribute bands. That's fine but like...there used to be variety, there used to be so much more. Anyway, I'm leaving this review as a life-long NT resident who misses the old Riv. It was truly magic.

It's been years since I was last in this theater. It is a great old theater, with some recent…read morerenovations. The capacity is just over 1000. I did not feel crowded in my seat, but in order to get to a seat in the middle of a row, the other patrons must exit the row. There is no "wiggle room" to get by the already seated patrons. Very good acoustics.