8-night Great Lakes & Thousand Islands Cruise

Buffalo is the cultural and economic center of the Western New York region. Buffalo is home to renowned art galleries, diverse entertainment, world-famous architecture and internationally recognized universities.

The city is increasingly becoming known as one of America's most hospitable cities. Downtown, visitors will also enjoy a variety of dining option, nightclubs, and shopping. Outdoor activities include, the Buffalo Zoo, Tifts Nature Preserve, and Darien Lake. 

Destination Guide

The Welland Canals' various locks make it possible for large ships to navigate through the North American-Canadian border, bypassing the Niagara Escarpment that makes passing from Lake Ontario to Lake Erie impossible. Visit Lock 3 to see this in action, peruse the gift shop, listen to a presentation or stroll through the St. Catharine's Museum, which has rotating art and history exhibitions.

Though it's perhaps best known as the home of Eastman Kodak, the giant of the photographic business, Rochester, New York (74 mi/119 km east of Buffalo), is also the home of Xerox and Bausch & Lomb.

Downtown is the Corn Hill Landing Marina, where the canal boat Mary Jemison offers dinner cruises and tours of the Erie Canal and the Genesee River (May-November). The Rochester Public Market is a nice place to stroll and shop for farm-fresh produce and homemade delicacies.

Other attractions include the home of suffragette Susan B. Anthony, the world-class Eastman School of Music and the Strong National Museum of Play, with engaging family activities and thousands of vintage toys on display. History buffs may want to visit Mount Hope Cemetery, where slave-turned-abolitionist Frederick Douglass is buried.

The hamlet of Childs in Gaines, 30 mi/45 km west of Rochester, is known for its historic buildings made of cobblestone masonry. Built from small stones taken from area fields, the cobblestoned buildings date from the early to mid-1800s. There's a Cobblestone Museum in town and several buildings constructed of the stones, including a church, a parsonage and a one-room schoolhouse.

Destination Guide