Nature Lovers

Stop and Smell the Flowers:
A Nature Lovers' Itinerary

Take advantage of Buffalo Niagara's great outdoor spaces and enjoy the breadth of the region's beautiful parks and nature sites. The renowned landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted left a major impact on this area. His handiwork includes the entire Buffalo Parks and Parkways System. The jewel of the system, Delaware Park, features open spaces, lush landscapes, beautiful trees and secluded areas and a lake that is a spot for reflection and relaxation all year long. Of particular interest is the beautiful Rose Garden (left) located on Lincoln Parkway at the rear of the Albright-Knox Art Gallery.

Heading to South Buffalo, you'll come to another Olmsted park, South Park, home to the Buffalo & Erie County Botanical Gardens. Its classic turn-of-the-20th-century glass-domed conservatories house stunning collections of plants that can buoy the spirits any day of the year. This is one of two Lord & Burnham conservatories left standing in a Frederick Law Olmsted park. The other is in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park. And don't forget to take a quick walk one block over from the park to at least peek at the exterior of Our Lady of Victory Basilica, one of the most magnificent churches in the United States.

From South Park, it's a short drive to the 264-acre Tifft Nature Preserve, (right) a unique urban environmental education center offering visitors trails, guided tours, some of the best birding in North America (an average of almost 300 kinds of birds are seen there every year) and a rare chance to enjoy a country-like setting within the city limits.

Head back downtown to the Erie Basin Marina Gardens. With its view of the Buffalo harbor's historic 1833 lighthouse, this is one of the most popular and beautiful summer spots in the area. The Victor and Joan Fuzak Memorial Rose Garden is one of 25 All-American Rose Selection test gardens in the United States. Peak rose bloom time is the last week of June and the first week of July. The Garden of Specialty Annuals provides a dazzling display of color all summer long.

Frederick Law Olmsted also left his mark on Niagara Falls, or rather, he helped protect the area surrounding the American Falls from development and destruction. His Niagara Reservation State Park, the first state park in the United States, offers breathtaking views of the Falls from Terrapin Point, as well as the relative seclusion of Three Sisters Islands with its up close view of the rapids of the Niagara River before the final plunge over the precipice. Other options in the Reservation include the Cave of the Winds tour that takes you down to the base of the Falls, and North America's oldest tourist attraction, the Maid of the Mist, which takes you into the ring of the Horseshoe Falls and past the American Falls. Prepare to be awestruck! Be prepared to get wet!

Nearby you'll find the Niagara Gorge Discovery Center, which explains how the Falls were formed and everything else you ever wanted to know about one of nature's greatest hits. You can also access a trailhead on site that takes you into the stunning gorge far from the madding crowd.

North of the Falls, you can experience a string of parks that allow for leisurely hikes into the heart of the Niagara River ecosystem. You'll find Whirlpool State Park, Devil's Hole State Park, Joseph Davis State Park, Fort Niagara State Park (including 300-year-old Old Fort Niagara), and Four Mile Creek State Park.