Wow! This free and modern fire museum is bigger than it looks from the outside! Highlights:…read more - There are displays for many of the Lancaster and area fire departments, including Depew, Alden, and more! - There are many newspaper articles on display about major fires around WNY, organized by town - There's lots of historic firefighting and protective equipment - An informative and unique display on Scott firefighter protection equipment. Scott has a plant in Lancaster and is internationally recognized for their oxygen-related equipment, today used in the aviation industry. There's plenty of close and free parking for the museum, and it's handicap accessible. Great for kids and adults alike. I encourage everyone to stop in!

Ibiza's where Mike took a pill And the rents around here…read moremake me ill But if they make you wince Just marry a Prince If the Harrys won't, Williamsville! Since the last time I reviewed this (18 months ago), this has basically been where I have spent the vast majority of my time. My gym is here, and I'm literally there from 3-5 hours every day of the week (can you tell). My tanning salon is close by (once a week, hi boys). I frequent several grocery stores in this area. I eat at Woo Chon Korea House at least once a week for their Yuk Gae Jang lunch special ($10) which is now by far the best Korean dish in the region since Seoul Garden closed down. I also hit up the amazing homestyle Chinese stuff at China King (Maple & N Forest) on a weekly basis. I ate a zillion times at Pita Gourmet, too, before I started grilling my own Chicken after finding out they don't give their tips to their employees (and I know other places around here that don't, either). Also I played soccer here once a week for years before I realized it was only causing me pain from exacerbated injuries, and making workouts harder. Barbie wants my body to be like the Atlas Mountains, and when my hamstrings and ankles and knees and groins are throbbing with pain, it's hard to work on that for her - and I'll do anything for her. She's been to W-Ville too... she waited at Starbucks while I was seeing my original WNY romantic partner (that I moved here for) at her work. The DiBella's here is pretty good. The Paneras are both iffy. There are some pretty nasty attitudes around here. Sweet Jenny's has great ice cream at both locations. There's a stunning waterfall here (and I don't mean Barbie). Anyway William just died so I need to go and see what he left me at the official reading of William's Will. My original review: If this were named Ricky Williamsville, everyone would be high on cannabis (rather than painkillers and anti-depressants). Thankfully it's not, it's merely Williamsville, which is more affiliated with the Patriots than Williams' Dolphins or indeed the Bills. You'll find out why later. I really love little Williamsville, it's adorable. It's like a smaller, friendlier, more manageable version of Amherst. Technically it IS Amherst, but whatever. Yes, it's a bit expensive and yes it's a bit fancy, but if you want to live in a suburban, fancy, friendly, safe, decent-smelling area, and not be too far from the city, W-Ville is where it's at. Plus Rob Gronkowski is from here. Don't tell me that you don't secretly get off on the fact that he is from here every time he scores yet another touchdown to destroy the dreams of Buffalonians just a little bit more. OK maybe not, but anyway. If I wanted to live closer to Buffalo (I live in the countryside now), this is where I'd probably live. It has everything a little cute American town should have... a lovely main street... lots of nice food options... good shopping options... friendly people... sometimes... plenty of greenery... and lots of people on painkillers and anti-depressants. There's plenty of nice noms here too, like Spices Of India (best Indian lunch buffet and amazing Garlic Naan), and Sweet Jenny's amazing Ice Cream, and of course Rachel's Lebanese is excellent too. Some excellent Buffalo-style pizza (Mattina's), and some nice back-road routes to avoid traffic (because Main Street through W-Ville is a nightmare). Nearby Marco's (Maple location only) has the best sandwich in WNY (the Sinatra... trust me, try it. One of the best in the country), and China King & Wok n Roll both have some excellent authentic Chinese dishes as well as the usual americanized stuff. The former is cheaper. The latter has bubble tea on weekends. Anderson's has its best location right in Wville, try the Beef On Weck, the Chicken Tender sandwich, and the custard. There's a Ted's on Transit (get the Polish) and La Divina has a location there now too (amazing tacos). Pita Gourmet, also, is nearby, as is The Pita Place for more Lebanese stuff. So lots of delicious options for you. And if the Bills won't satisfy you, maybe the Williamswill.

I spent a little bit a time in the village of Williamsville last week. I was there for a specific…read morepurpose, but my car was parked and I took a moment to just walk Main street. All the little shops are trying to be open, they all have hours clearly posted on the doors; they all have masks signs posted and are doing their best. Williamsville has created a few public parking places which is a really smart idea because it gets people into the area and it makes it easy for them to stay. The streets and the lights are all nicely managed and maintained, making for easy driving and walking experience both. Update 105 2021

What a nice theater and I hear they will be doing some upgrades soon! We went to see Once in my…read morelifetime, a fun play about the Buffalo Bills. We had front row seats and really enjoyed this performance. Highly recommend you add this theater to your to do list. We will be back

I finally got the opportunity to visit the Lancaster Opera House when attending the holiday play…read moreMiracle of South Division St with a few friends. First off, the play was really good. Very funny! We entered through the back door, up the back staircase so I actually never saw the main entrance or lobby. The place hold about 350 for plays and we had an excellent view. The sound was very good. Seats were pretty comfortable. So this is called an Opera House but that actually goes back in 1897 when it was built when all music halls and gathering places were called opera houses. Luckily for the town, the place was restored to it's original form in 1981. Great benefit to the community. Now I'll be checking their schedule for their future offerings which I know include at least play and concerts. 2021-196

Please do yourself a favor whether you're staying on the U.S. side of the falls of the Canadian…read moreside, book a tour with Motherland Connextions! I found this company on Viator. I found the Underground Railroad tour in Buffalo and immediately booked. Why did I book? For starts, it's a 3 hour tour learning about one of the most historic and unknown aspects of American history. It is extremely well priced for the convenience and intimacy of the tour. You're picked up at the Underground Railroad Historic Museum (free parking is a bonus) and you're met by Kevin (dressed in period clothing including a dope top hat). He drives you to the key areas of Buffalo that were critical to the Underground Railroad. We had a very diverse tour group and Kevin made us feel comfortable to ask questions and to interact with our group. One of the best parts of the tour was going to an actual "station" on the Underground Railroad. It's a 300 year-old barn organically owned by McClew family who were "conductors" on the Underground Railroad. You get to experience the barn where many people were housed, fed, and clothed on their journey to Canada. After this experience 've become a Motherland C groupie! Kevin (the owner) could be a history professor (watch out, Dr. Gates!) with his knowledge and passion of American history and the history of Western New York (he's a Buffalo native). Kevin even gave great recommendations for shops, food and hotels for the Toronto leg of our trip. They offer a variety of tours so make sure to check out their website to get their schedule.

We booked a guided tour of the history of the Underground Railroad here in Niagara Falls for this…read moreafternoon. Turns out we were the only ones on the tour today, so it was a wonderful, personal experience with an enthusiastic and knowledgeable guide named Kevin Cottrell. He was a great storyteller and a beautiful human being. We visited many historic places and heard many disturbing and heartbreaking stories. This was definitely one of the best guided tours of its kind I have ever been on. Highly recommend.

The Hull Family Home is truly a gem, and is the only fully restored stone dwelling of the early…read more1800's in Erie county. When's the last time you visited a 200-year-old home? The home and farmstead were built by Warren Hull, a Revolutionary War veteran who moved to Lancaster, NY from New England with his wife Polly and their children. Their home was also used as hotel for people traveling from Batavia to Buffalo, as well as a meeting place. The home has a total of 4 floors, 3 of which were open to the public when we were there. There's also 7 functional fireplaces. It's evident how passionate and knowledgeable the volunteers are. The house was fully restored and is beautiful. The medicinal herb garden was thoughtfully planned and is carefully maintained by their volunteer gardener. The family cemetery is maintained by volunteers from the local chapter of DAR. They have ambitious goals to make this the premier historic destination of Erie County, and have made a lot of progress towards it. They normally host a variety of events, which have been cancelled due to COVID. However they are currently open Sundays in August 2020 from 12-3PM. Admission is free, but there's a recommended donation of $5. The volunteers dress in period clothes and will walk you through the home. I encourage you to checkout their website, which has a virtual tour of the home, as well as their Facebook page, which they've been actively keeping up to date. A note on parking and accessibility. There's a gravel/grass/bumpy parking lot available on the east side of the home. The back entrance into the Lowe level is relatively flat stone, and doesn't have any stairs. There's a wheel chair lift on the outside of the home which goes to the 1st floor in the home. Within the home, there are only stairs between each floor.

From the owner: Hull Family Home Foundation provides a historical dwelling from 1810 in Lancaster, NY.read more

Super cool local history museum featuring artifacts from the Haudenosaunee, and Ebenezer Society,…read moreas well as several displays portraying how West Seneca residents lived throughout time. Lots to see and well organized. The volunteers were friendly and provided helpful information as well. Great for both history enthusiasts and families!

Spent a hour or so here today learning more about the Ebenezer religion peoples from West…read moreSeneca.Very nice antiques from the sect and local lore about West Seneca area.The ghost story is a plus.Thank you for the wonderful tour.Recommended for local history buffs.

Looking for a purposeful escape from the city, look no further it's right in your backyard!…read more Walking through Reinstein Woods, I felt incredibly thankful for all its natural beauty and the wide manmade paths that allow you distance from other walkers. If you haven't visited, put it on your to-go list.

This is a fantastic place! Close to the city and tons of parking. Easy access for everyone…read more There is a great welcome center area that has tons of info to learn from. The walking grounds are lovely and pretty big for being so close to the city.

Fantastic village multi-use village trail!…read more The trail is about the width of a car and well-paved. It is surrounded by trees, shrubs, and many homes back up to the trail - creating a safe walking/biking/visiting with friends spot. There is a bike rack, so you may bike to the trail and then walk. There is a water bottle filling station, with a water fountain. There are plenty of well-maintained benches to stop and rest. The grass is kept short - so no worries of ticks in long grass along the trail. Although the trail itself is rather short, it is ideal for strollers, wheelchairs, it's pretty, and shaded. It's a lovely place and the Village of Williamsville can be commended for providing this little spot of heaven - so perfect for so many purposes! Ample parking by the Lehigh Museum on S. Long St.

Such a beautiful hidden path in Williamsville to take an evening stroll, walk your dog, or check…read moreout the tree blossoms that line the trail.

I highly recommend stopping in if you've never been. You'll be surprised to learn all the…read moreconnections Cheektowaga has! They're open the first Sunday of every month from 2-4. I stopped in today and the museum has been slightly re-arranged since the last time I was here. The layout is better and more organized now. The video is new, I highly recommend watching at least part of the 20 minute DVD as it gives a lot of insight of what's in the museum and ties to Cheektowaga. Enter through side entrance and sign the guest book when you get in. Also in that room is information about the Forks hotel and Eddie Fechter, the famous bar magician there. Beside that case is an old jail cell door, and also in that small room are photos and artifacts from Cheektowaga's FIVE drive-ins! The adjacent room is split into 3 themes- 1960s Doctor's office, 1940s Kitchen, and some household antiques in glass cases from the late 1800s to mid 1900s. In the room with the TV, checkout the story on Cleveland Hill's Pledge of Allegiance Day and how they got schools in all 50 states to participate! There's also some Native American artifacts in here. In the room over, there's information about some of the national landmarks in Cheektowaga. Including a letter from Queen Elizabeth, some war memorabilia and connections to Cheektowaga as well. The last room focuses on some of the founding families of Cheektowaga, including the George Urban family and the Reinsteins. There are also laminated maps of the town from the late 1800s until mid 20th century. There are some larger antiques in the basement, but this space is pretty much just storage. The basement is not handicap accessible. I highly recommend checking out this unique and interesting museum dedicated to the Town of Cheektowaga.