Wow! This house is a hidden gem. Built in the 1850s, the house features three floors of exhibits…read moreand a cupola. The furniture and decor was intentionally acquired to only feature pieces from the late nineteenth century, including East Lake furniture and a few other pieces original to the home. The volunteers were friendly and knowledgeable, and led guided tours throughout the house. The tour is 1 hour and costs $8/adult. I highly recommend visiting the house!

I love octagon houses and this is a rare opportunity-- Newstead Historical Society, 1870 Octagon…read moreHouse, leave message 716-542-7022. Gift Shop. Trolley car ride available between the Octagon and Knight-Sutton Historic House Museum. Director_RTOH@newsteadhistoricalsociety.org $12 a person - group of one to five people $10 a person - group of 6 or more people. In depth tours available. membership@newsteadhistoricalsociety.org * collections@newsteadhistoricalsociety.org * https://newsteadhistoricalsociety.org/rich-twinn-octagon-house/ Another is the 1856, Camillus Octagon House (5420 West Genesee Street, 13031, near Syracuse, Rte 5, 315-488-7800, https://octagonhouseofcamillus.org/special-events/ https://octagonhouseofcamillus.org; octagonhouseofcamillus@gmx.com), FREE! donations welcome! 5 floors, great views from cupola, open FREE on Sundays 1-5 PM (OR by app't) for guided tours in Spring-Fall or, rent for your family functions! rest room off 1st floor kitchen, informative website (floor plans, info on Fowlers, phrenology, listing of FREE events (special FREE event in Nov--inc great chances on specially, often themed, decorated, lighted, 3 ft trees, 2nd weekend of Nov; home made food available (pie by the slice, 6 sugar cookies, coffee, hot chocolate to eat at Grandma's table!), stories, with live music inc choirs & pump organist (moi!), gold octagon ornaments $6) Not to be missed! Near the Camilus Erie Canal Park, http://eriecanalcamillus.com/boat.htm, (680) 800-5298, 5750 Devoe Road, Camillus, NY 13031. Open Sundays, 1, 2, 3 PM, Wed's, 1, 2, 3PM precisely for inexpensive historic, narrated vintage boat rides (45 min) with music over aqueduct (wheel chairs accomodated!), special cruises upon request for your family gatherings! with walk/bicycle paved way (Adult $5, 5-12 aged $3PM, under 5 FREE, max $15.00 per family!); historic fully stocked air conditioned Sims General Store, exhibits, costumes for kids' dress up, quaint inexpensive gift shop, original Canal big tools, wonderful doll house!, lock keeper's house, bugle, and original wooden lock from the Canal, school tours, please ask for the small, water recreation of how a lock works without electricity!, map of 362 mile Canal (365 days in a year! easy way to remember!mo, the original Erie Canal w/ path (there were 3 Erie Canals!), the new walk/bicycle way, FREE Towpath Day in August!, modern rest rooms ! Also see the Camillus Martisco Station Railway Museum, http://www.townofcamillus.com/default.aspx?PageID=85 MAKE A DAY OF IT

Recently I was at Niagara Falls State park and I stopped at a placard I have driven by hundreds of…read moretimes. You may have as well. This is what is said: "First House Built By Judge Porter In 1808. Many Notable Visitors And Friendly Indians Were Received Within Its Walls." Its standing in a open lot, so the house is long gone. Judge Augustus Porter was a chief land surveyor for the Connecticut Land Company in the late 1790's. He is thought to be one of the first white settlers to the area (still occupied by various Indian tribes at the time). He bought this land near Niagara Falls, and built a sawmill (using the water power) and some other things. He was also a politician at the time, and was the State Assembly man for the Genesee and Ontario District at some point. He and his brother understood the value of the Falls as a tourist attraction and were able to make that happen. They built a bridge to Goat Island, got a ferry to cross the river, and planned gardens for people to come and enjoy. He was a busy man, and had a general store in the area, and then was a judge (the first for Niagara County) and postmaster (the first for Niagara Falls). A man of many talents. This was the site of the first home he built in the area. He had 5 children. Worth a quick stop along the road.

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

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

Amazing Buffalo history on display on the cliffside shores of Lake Erie. The brand new visitor…read morecenter adds to the overall experience.

The last time I toured Graycliff it was almost 10 years ago and the house was under significant…read morerenovations. When I went back today for the tour, I was impressed to see every room restored! Our tour group only had 4 people total and took us about an hour and 20 mins to go through both floors of the house, and view the grounds. We really enjoyed everything, especially our knowledgeable tour guide and friendly gift shop attendant, Hannah! We'd love to come back again for a special event once the new visitor center opens in February.

Someone around here has psycho-kinetic powers because they knew the instant I created this listing!…read moreIt's awesome that I added this listing to Yelp about a week ago, and within 2 days of doing so, someone had reviewed it. Way to get in there before me! I'm impressed and I tip my proverbial hat, although I don't wear a hat. Anyway. But it's a glorious old building in the heart of Rochester, with some decent food options inside. It has its own security and doorman and such, and a lovely floral plant-filled area inside, sort of like a courtyard in the middle of a towerblock. The popular hipster Yelpy place inside is Sapori, which doesn't impress me, but it's hella cool to have such a trendy sandwich shop inside such a lovely old NY State building. I say that because the feel of the place could only be NY State, or perhaps somewhere like Cleveland. It's extremely North East. The building is like what Manhattan buildings would have been like in the 50s. I love it. Like Icona Pop, I love it. Now I'm at the peak of my powers, I'll quit this review.

This is one of the most beautiful buildings in Rochester. It also has a hidden gem - one of the…read moremost expansive and impressive atriums around. From inside and out, there's absolutely nothing that isn't short of spectacular! The first floor has retail which includes a tailor, an optometrist, and much more. It also has quite a few sculptures and art pieces. Entrances off of State Street and Main Street lead to the atrium. The atrium itself has another hidden gem in the form of Sapporo's cafe, which will be covered in a later review. Ferns and hostas proliferate throughout this multi-story extravaganza. You really feel like you're in a whimsical garden while walking through the space. Being that it's mostly professionals in the building it's nice and quiet. A perfect spot to read a book or simply have a seat and relax. No matter the weather, you'll leave this space feeling brand new. It's truly remarkable.

Just on the edge of the Dillon Cemetery is the location of the second known bee sting death in…read moreNorth America. Which is evidently worthy of a plaque. So it's worthy of a yelp entry. I wonder where the first known death was?

Mount Albion Cemetery is brimming with history. It is a unique old cemetery with headstones dating…read moreback to the 1800s (some birth years from the 1700s), all set on a well-kept landscape full of rolling hills and mature shady trees. At the main entrance, there is a large map that points out the many historic features. There is also a bin of takeaway paper walking trails. There are three routes plotted out in three different map brochures, each with their own various sites along the way. We recently visited purposefully to find the Civil War Memorial Tower. If you park at the main gate, the tower is a .65 mile walk uphill, but not treacherously steep. About half way up you can see the tower at the top of the winding road, and it is much bigger than photos make it look. Plus we didn't realize until we got up there that you can ACTUALLY climb up the tower! It is a soaring brick spire, with a spiral staircase all the way up to the roof! My fear-of-heights husband and son only made it a quarter of the way. I made it half way, and couldn't muster up the courage to keep going when the space became very enclosed. But our brave teen daughter got all the way to the top! She said the views were breathtaking! I wish I could have saw them too, but taking a photo of her triumphant wave up top from the bottom was a nice view, too. :-D We definitely plan to return to try the other walking routes, and veer off the path to explore the lush history here. If you like walking, are okay with some hills, and like local historical sites, Mount Albion Cemetery makes for a fascinating outing.

If you are in Batavia (or exploring sights along the NYS Thruway), this is a must! A wealth of…read morehistorical information and objects, with the oldest being a Revolutionary War drum. The gibbet used for hanging the condemned is in a room of its own, viewable through a piece of plate glass. The giftshop lady gave a wonderful tour!

A hidden gem located five minutes south of I-90 in Batavia, this museum offers a wealth of…read moreinformation about various topics related to Batavia specifically and Western New York generally, including the namesake land company, the rise of the anti-masonic movement (the first third party in U.S. history), local veterans from past wars, local commerce, and unsolved murder mysteries. At times the organization of the exhibits and placement of the text cards can make things a bit difficult to follow, but the wealth of information offered more than compensates for these minor concerns. The gentleman running the gift shop was very friendly and helpful