Leaf Peeper’s Paradise
Head south of the city for a drive that’s oh so pretty
 Western New York in autumn is a wonderfully bucolic landscape of rolling hills, brightly burnished trees and historic attractions.
Head out of Buffalo on Route 5 to Old Lake Shore Road and the Graycliff Estate, the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed summer of home of Darwin and Isabelle Martin. Situated on a 70-foot cliff overlooking Lake Erie, Graycliff served as the Martin’s summer retreat from 1928 through the mid-‘40s. Currently undergoing an extensive restoration, tours are available. For more information, visit www.graycliff.bfn.org.
From Graycliff, take the New York State Thruway (I-90) and go west to Exit 60 in Westfield. Take Route 394 east to Mayville and on to the Chautauqua Institution. Founded in 1874, Chautauqua is a National Historic Landmark, the Victorian era community former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor described as her “place of a lifetime” to National Geographic Traveler magazine. Located on the shore of Chautauqua Lake, the Institution is a charming slice of Americana. Visit www.ciweb.org for more information.
From Chautauqua, continue east on Route 394 to Route 17/86. Use Jamestown exit 12, following Route 60 south. In Jamestown, turn left on Buffalo Street, left at Falconer Street, and left on Curtis Street. At 311 Curtis Street you’ll find the Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History. Enjoy wildlife art and photography exhibitions or view the collection of the 20th century’s great naturalist and ornithologist, Dr. Roger Tory Peterson.
From Jamestown, return to Route 17/86 and go east to Salamanca. At Salamanca, head north on Route 219 through a landscape of lovely rolling hills and farms to the charming village of Ellicottville and its multi-block historic district. Shop, stroll and enjoy a leisurely lunch in this charming village.
Leaving Ellicottville, head east on Route 242. Turn left on Route 16 and head north to the historic village of East Aurora, home to the National Historic Landmark Roycroft Inn and Campus. The Roycroft Arts and Crafts community was founded by writer-philosopher Elbert Hubbard in 1895 as a self-contained community of artisans. You’ll also find Vidler’s 5 and 10, an old-fashioned five and dime, an ice cream shop, a toy store and much more along a charming Main Street that recalls a simpler era.
Take Route 400 towards Buffalo and the New York State Thruway back to Buffalo.
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