DoBoat tourDowntown
Serene and scenic cruises on Lake Erie and around the harbor are to be had on the Spirit of Buffalo, an unmissable 73-foot schooner that affords them the opportunity to experience a trip aboard a traditional 19th-century sailing vessel. Day cruises, sunset sails, and a Wednesday "Wine in the Wind" Cruise featuring local vintages from the Niagara Peninsula are all offered; kids love the Pirate Cruises that sail on Saturdays and Sundays. All cruises leave from the Commercial Slip at Canalside. Private charters are available as well.
Cruises leave May-Oct, call for schedule and availability·$28, children $18, Pirate cruise $23, children $19, Wednesday Wine in the Wind cruise $38
DoSightseeing tour agencySouth Buffalo
Choose your own adventure with this boat tour outfit operating from the Central Wharf at Canalside. The classic Buffalo River Tour aboard the River Queen leaves five times daily, destination Elevator Alley: you'll feel the wind whip through your hair as you listen to the captain recount the history of the grain elevators and their contribution to the huge importance of Buffalo Harbor in the 19th and 20th centuries. Other tours include the Silo City Tour, which also offers a brief walking tour inside three of the grain elevators themselves, and the Silos and Steamships Tour for a close-up look at the SS Columbia, which at the time of its retirement in 1991 was the last of the old passenger steamers that once plied the Great Lakes. For something a bit less in-depth, non-narrated one-hour cruises around the harbor and Canalside are offered on a separate boat.
Buffalo River Tour departs daily 10:30AM, 12:30PM, 2:30PM, 4:30PM & 5:30PM, Silo City tour daily 11:30AM, Silos and Stemships Tour daily 2PM, harbor cruises daily 12:30PM, 2PM & 3:30PM; season runs May-Oct·Buffalo River Tour $23, children $12; harbor cruise $15, children $10; all other tours $33, children $18
Situated on 20 acres (8 ha) of formerly idle land at the harbor, Canalside combines the celebration and preservation of Buffalo's rich history as a rough-and-tumble canal town with an expansion of waterfront recreational opportunities for Buffalonians of today to enjoy. At Canalside, amenities such as tour boats offering cruises of the harbor, river, and lake, a lengthy slate of festivals, and one of the city's favorite new restaurants (Liberty Hound) can be enjoyed in an environment that also pays tribute to history with features such as a recreation of the Commercial Slip — once the western end of the mighty Erie Canal — on the side of which are the restored foundations of old Canal District buildings, dating to the mid-19th century and rediscovered in the early 2000s. As well, a restored canal bridge, interpretive plaques, and the enthralling Buffalo and Erie County Naval and Military Park are on the scene. With further expansion of the offerings slated for the near future, such as two new hotels, a children's museum, a sports complex, and restaurants and shops, Canalside is only going to get better as time goes on.
A 20-acre (8 ha) park home to the Commercial Slip, once the western end of the mighty Erie Canal, on the side of which are the restored foundations of buildings dating to the mid-19th century. As well, the park has tour boats, a restored canal bridge, interpretive plaques, and the enthralling Buffalo and Erie County Naval and Military Park.