From the Home Team

Summertime in the Buffalo area means community concerts, festivals, and celebrations of all sorts, people getting out, connecting/ reconnecting, and enjoying the glory that is life in our (albeit relatively short) summer season.

I am a nature girl through and through, and I love spending the day deep in the woods, pondering life’s big questions with a best friend (or solo! It’s great for meditation too!). For a few months, we can forget any thoughts of lake-effect snow or blizzards and soak up nature at preserves and parks such as Tiffts, Beaver Meadow, Clarence Nature Center, Penn Dixie, and Seneca Bluffs, among so many others. Welcome 716 has become my friend.

I love cooling off in the water, and the Buffalo waterfront is simply divine. Perhaps this summer, I’ll paddle my way on the Erie Canal, though kayaking on the serenity of the lakes and ponds is my favorite with beautiful scenery, gentle waves, wind cooling me on a hot day and splashes of lazy paddling the only disruption to the serenity.

With school out for summer, my daughters and I have a running list of adventures to explore, and this year, live music tops our list. Of course Artpark, IronWorks, and the Key Bank Center are incredible venues for live music, but I love discovering new bands at community park concerts and through the gig lists I follow for various venues around town.

When I took my daughters to a concert at Key Bank Center last year, we had a blast exploring downtown as tourists. What amazing architecture and sites we have right in our own backyard. And Frank Lloyd Wright’s Martin House and Paula’s Donuts were musts. Of course, tourists flock to Niagara Falls from around the world, and in summer they seem to exponentially inundate the area, but the falls are a beautiful natural wonder, and we’re blessed to have the power house right in our neighborhood.

Don’t forget to check out open mic nights for musicians, comedians, and poets/ writers. I’m so excited to check out readings at The Silos this year (I now have Just Buffalo Literary Center bookmarked)! We have such talent in and around Buffalo.

So unassuming from the outside, my daughters have loved the Buffalo Zoo, an impressive open-air environment that delights visitors young and old and bolsters conservation and education efforts.

Whatever you fancy, you’ll find something to do or explore. Let’s celebrate the natural and human wonders within miles. Happy Summer!