Beaver Island State Park

In addition to the 18 hole championship golf course, this 950 acre park at the south end of Grand Island has a half-mile of sandy beach for swimming, an adjacent 80 slip marina with both seasonal and transient boat slips, fishing access, car-top boat launch, multiple canoe/kayak launches, bike and nature trails, a nature center, playgrounds, picnic areas, athletic fields, horseshoe pits, and an 18 hole championship disc golf course. In winter, visitors can snowmobile by permit, cross-country ski, snowshoe, sled or ice fish. Water fowl hunting is allowed in season by permit. Beaver Island Clubhouse has banquet and catering facilities. For more information please call the park office.

716-773-4653

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Tifft Nature Preserve

Tifft Nature Preserve is a 264-acre nature refuge dedicated to conservation and environmental education. The Preserve was created in 1972 from land purchased by the City of Buffalo for a landfill site. Concerned citizens recognized the ecological importance of the site and convinced the city legislators to plan for the area's preservation. The completed landfill incorporated many safety measures, allowing the land to have a new purpose, a nature preserve which opened in 1976.
Five miles of nature trails – trail map and rules available at Visitor Center
Three boardwalks with viewing blinds in and adjacent to cattail marsh
Trails open year around during daylight hours
Guided walks— Thursdays 10 am– 12 pm; $2.00 donation.
Official “Important Bird Area” offers outstanding bird watching
Fishing at Lake Kirsty only (except North Shoreline)
Snowshoe rental
Discovery Kit Rentals
Cross-country skiing permitted
Opportunities to observe local wildlife in natural habitats

716-825-6397

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Maid of the Mist

Ready to “explore the roar”? The Niagara Falls Maid of the Mist tour takes visitors on an excursion into the basin of Niagara Falls State Park's Horseshoe Falls. Generations of Niagara Falls visitors have named the Maid of the Mist tour as one of the highlights of their trip. A favorite Niagara Falls State Park attraction for more than 150 years, the journey begins at the Observation Tower, where guests don a souvenir rain poncho and board the double-deck Maid of the Mist tour boat. From there, the dramatic passage ferries past the base of the American Falls, and on to the basin of Horseshoe Falls, through roiling waterfall whitewater and massive rock formations. The Maid of the Mist returns guests to shore with newfound appreciation of the power and grandeur of Niagara Falls.

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Herschell Carrousel Factory Museum

The Herschell Carrousel Factory Museum currently operates two historic carousels and is the only museum in the world housed in an authentic, original carousel factory building. The building and their 1916 carousel are listed on both the New York State and National Registers of Historic Sites. In addition, the Wurlitzer Music Roll Shop houses a collection of original machinery from the early 1900's Wurlitzer Company factory and demonstrates the production of paper music rolls. Band organs need these rolls to play the magical sounds which have always been a part of the carousel experience. The exhibit includes over 1600 hand-punched original master rolls dating back to the turn of the century, and is the only public display of equipment of this type in the country.

716-693-1885

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National Shrine Basilica Our Lady of Fatima

Since 1954, Our Lady of Fatima Shrine has become a place of natural beauty, art, and renewal to thousands who visit the unique buildings and grounds each year. The natural beauty of the Shrine is highlighted by a Dome Basilica covered with two layers of glass and Plexiglas. Two flights of stairs, with 63 steps, lead to the top of the Dome, where the statue of Our Lady of Fatima stands. The statue, carved from Vermont granite, is 13 feet high and weighs ten tons. From the top of the Dome, visitors can view the entire Shrine grounds and surrounding countryside.

716-754-7489

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