A few years ago, when I started to hunt landmarks to shoot and mount on a historic landmark…read morewebsite, I came upon a farmhouse in southern Wisconsin that was built of cobblestones. I had never seen anything like that before and just shrugged it off as something unique. And then I found a few more, A cobblestone stage stop in East Troy, an office in Port Washington, a subdivision in Waukesha with several cobblestone houses including the sales office, a three story home in the middle of Green Lake County and a spectacular home in Eau Claire. With each find, I became even more intrigued by the construction method. The Wisconsin Historical Society says the methodology came out of New England, but the owner of a Wisconsin cobblestone structure told me the masons who crafted these structures were from New York. In 2020, I found myself in Western New York for an extended stay. When I went out to hunt landmarks, I kept finding cobblestone houses that were on the National Register of Historic Places plus plenty more cobblestone sheds, barns, schools, churches and houses. Some were on the NRHP and many weren't. Coincidentally, many of these structures are in the proximity of the Erie Canal and Lake Ontario. An owner told me that the majority of cobblestone structures in America are within a 75 mile radius of Rochester. Another owner of a large cobblestone farmhouse told me I should go to the cobblestone museum in Albion - and here we are. The museum is on Ridge Road, itself a historic thoroughfare that runs the length of four counties in Western New York. There are several structures located on the museum campus, not all are cobblestone but of interest to the history of the community. The cobblestone structures (a church, a house, and a school) are great examples of how the craftsmen that built these structures refined their methods over the years when this method of construction remainded popular. (The popularity of cobblestone construction essentially ended with the Civil War.) When you visit the museum, the docents explain all this in great detail, along with what life was like in Western New York in the first half of the 19th Century. You start your tour in basement of the church, where you'll see examples of other cobblestone structures in New York. You'll learn how the stones were selected, sorted for size and color, and how the selection process was refined over the years. In visiting the church, you'll see a unique heating system and learn more about 19th Century life. In the schoolhouse, you'll experience what life was like for kids in a one room school, and other buildings preserve rural New York life in the past. There are probably 1,000 or more cobblestone structures around Rochester, New York while there may be two dozen in Wisconsin. Relatively few are on the National Register of Historic Places although there are many listed for one reason or another. Beside those, there are many cobblestone schoolhouses, outbuildings, barn foundations, and many small cobblestone houses in Western New York. Many have been expanded and modernized, which excludes those structures from the NRHP. The Cobblestone Museum is an educational stop for anyone interested in the history of Western New York, life in the 19th Century and, of course, cobblestone construction. I highly recommend it!

We recently stumbled on the Cobblestone Society & Museum while randomly driving by; the "Book Shop…read moreOpen in Rear" sign on the side of the road caught our eye. On a whim we pulled a U'ey, and pulled into the museum's lot. On that day the museum was closed, but we still walked the grounds to explore what we could. There is some information outside that indicates cobblestone architecture originated in the Rochester NY area, with the oldest structures remaining in the Albion area. There are two cobblestone structures here on the museum site, one being the oldest cobblestone church still standing in North America. We definitely want to return to go into the museum itself on a day it is open--but OH BOY were we happy we stopped for the book shop! This family of bibliophiles was elated to find such a sweet little shop in the country. The bookshop building has a historic marker that it was originally used as a polling station in the early 1800s. But now it is a quaint used bookstore. Used books are fifty cents for paperback and a dollar for hardcover, with on-your-honor cash payments only. There are about a half dozen well-organized short aisles with a surprisingly good assortment for such a small space. There were sections for popular authors, classics, nonfiction, cookbooks, fantasy and sci-fi, how-to, biographies, large-print, childrens, new arrivals, and more. There are bins outside to leave book donations. We each left with a few finds, me with a couple short story collections to leave at our nearby camp, and a couple older novels. I look forward to coming back to peruse the bookshop again, as well as catch the museum at an open time--a great local history gem here!

You get a eagles eye view of the falls. I was looking around for some stairs but apparently the…read moreonly way is to canoe to it. A very nice stroll and we pretty much had the place to ourselves.

Medina Falls is visible from the Erie Canal Heritage Trail. The address provided in this listing…read morebrings you to a small gravel parking area to enter the trail. If you turn right, Medina Falls is just a short way down on the right, you'll hear it right away. From this vantage point, you're viewing the falls from above, from a bit of a distance. We could see many kayakers in the Old Orchard Creek itself near the falls. So there are definitely other access points to get closer to the falls, but it is still a very nice view from here. Plus you're on the Erie Canal Heritage Trail, so you can continue to stroll along the canalside for as long as you'd like. One very unique thing about seeing Medina Falls and the canal from this very spot is that Old Orchard Creek and the Erie Canal intersect near the top of the falls, but the waters do NOT actually touch each other. SUCH WONDERFULLY WEIRD ENGINEERING!! :-D What I mean is the Erie Canal itself passes over the creek. The creek flows underneath the cement canal basin to the falls, but the waterways do not actually flow together. You can stand at the point over top both, and marvel at this curious feat. You've just got to see it; it really must be a unique feature that is not typical in many other places, I would imagine. If you're looking for a nature activity with some strolling, some history, and a waterfall feature, starting here at Medina Falls would make for a fun adventure, for sure. :-D

Perfect location for spur-of-the-moment photo adventure with your film camera or senior photos.read more

I have reviewed this theater before, specifically the imax portion. Still well balanced sound and…read morescreen. But HOLY HECK the interior of the theater was TERRIBLE just look at the pictures of the seating! My reserved seat had a log rip in it. EVERY seat around me looked like it had pulled out of car at the junkyard. They should be embarrassed. It's bad enough with the pricing etc but really?

This is my preferred place to watch movies while I am in the area. The recliners are damn near…read moreperfect, and they keep the place clean, for the most part. The staff are also friendly and helpful. They also have ample parking, and there are a variety of restaurants in the immediate vicinity. There is really nothing bad I can say about the place. I give it 4.3/5 stars.

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.

I was intrigued by this attraction, but was unfortunately a bit underwhelmed…read more You start the tour with a bit of a walking tour learning about the area and its history, then you take a boat ride into the "cave" The cave is really more like a tunnel than an actual cave and is completely man made. The tour guides, however, are wonderful and informative. They have a lot of great information and are personable and engaging. It is worth a visit to learn some interesting facts and try something new and unique, but don't come expecting a cool cave experience. As long as you set your expectations, you won't be disappointed and have a more enjoyable experience.

Recent day trip to Lockport from Rochester to check this out, an hour each way, and 2 hours in…read moreLockport so easy day trip. Tour is 1 1/2 hours, first an outdoor walking tour of the lock and the history, then a 1/2 hour walking in the tunnel/cave and then a 1/2 hour boat ride. Wear sneaks cause you're on your feet most of the time. Priced fair, tour guide was great, definitely a fun way to spend a morning or afternoon if you're in Western New York, If you've been to Howe Cavern's this is the same thing, only mini or light version, lol

Seating for 13 on the van, you can join other friendly travelers or reserve the whole thing. The…read moretour is a great mingling of education and adventure in a wonderful clean, comfortable and intimate setting.

Saturday afternoon fun! Buy your ticket and hop aboard for Flights N' Bites (or whichever Portage…read moretour you're considering). Drinks, food, adventure, and new friends - everything is included. Important to understand- you don't NEED to gather a group or plan ahead to enjoy Rochester's food/drink scene. I loved how you just reserve a seat and take "flight". We were celebrating our anniversary, another couple was celebrating a birthday, others were simply exploring... We started with private tour/tasting @ a distillery, sipped yummy hard cider flights, and enjoyed craft beer tasting at a microbrewery - with snacks along the way. in addition to being very gracious hosts, Jeff & Susan (owners and guides), showed us historic places, beautiful wall art, and shared some unique Rochester history. The bus was comfy & spacious, with places to keep our purchases. With a built-in adventure and safe driver, a Portage Tour would be a perfect girls night, afternoon with out-of-town guests, or birthday celebration (and you don't need to pedal. lol.). Highly recommend for Rochesterians & out-of-town guests alike.

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.

The Prospect Point Observation Tower (also known as Niagara Falls Observation Tower) is a great…read moreway to admire the full grandeur of the falls from Niagara Falls, NY. Although it is set a short distance away from the edge of the falls, it is close enough to the falls to occasionally enjoy a refreshing spray. From here, you can get a clear view of all three falls, including American Falls, as well as the mesmerizing rapids. The boarding area for the Maid of the Mist tours is located at the base of the tower, accessed by a high-speed elevator from the observation deck. The base of the tower also provides access to the Crow's Nest, a smaller observation area located much closer to the falls. You do not need to go on a Maid of the Mist tour to go to the lower level, but there is a small fee for the deck and elevator.

One of the natural wonders of the world The water flows through at the Bridal Veil, Horseshoe and…read moreAmerican Falls.Such breath taking views great for scenic pictures. Not to be missed.Plus you get to board the Maid of the Mist and par take in an exciting experience with the falls.C8me and enjoy nature's true beauty, it has so much to see and explore.

I'm sad that it's taken this long for us to visit this new facility…read more My in-laws moved back to Albion a little more than 4 years ago, so we'd watched this facility be built on our biannual trips. We'd heard great things from my mother-in-law, but never really thought more about it until she mentioned that they now have a collection of birds eggs and nests (Jimmy's family hobby is birdwatching). We stopped in on the Friday after Thanksgiving, needing to get out of the house. The space is clean and new, bright, and well-lit. The collection seems pretty impressive to me for a small town library. There's a whole children's room, with picture books, juvenile fiction, YA fiction, DVD's and more. They've got crayons and craft tables. They've got a couple of bins full of costumes. They have either white boards or lego boards on the side of each set of shelves, providing additional creative space. They've got a rug with teepee and stools for story time. There are fliers advertising several community activities - craft nights, bedtime stories (come in your pajamas), and even a visit from Santa. We will definitely be back on our future visits!

From the owner: Hoag Library enriches and empowers the people of its community by promoting access to ideas and…read moreinformation and by supporting lifelong learning and love of reading. The library provides relevant materials, ensures equal access to information services, and promotes cultural and learning experiences through programming.