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For those seeking to get out of the hustle and bustle of Buffalo, it’s just a five-minute drive into nature. The Tifft Farm Nature Preserves sits on the Outer Harbor on 264 acres of restored habitat. Within this natural setting, visitors of all ages can explore five miles of trails and boardwalks, a 75-acre march, lakes and hands-on exhibits.
 
The Preserve was founded in 1972 on land purchased by the City of Buffalo for a landfill site. Citizens, recognizing the ecological importance of the area, convinced the city to instead plan for the land’s preservation. The Preserve opened in 1976. Even before that time, the land was once a dairy farm owned by George Washington Tifft, and was later used as a transshipment center for coal and iron ore.
 
The Buffalo Museum of Science took over operation of the Tifft Nature Preserve in 1982. Today, visitors can enjoy an urban sanctuary that those first concerned citizens imagined. The highlights include:

Photo Credit : Shutterstock

Photo Credit : Shutterstock

For the avid naturalist, there are several private, themed tours available at the Tifft Nature Preserve. Birdwatching tours cater to beginner to experienced birders and provide binoculars and an introduction to birding. Historical tours explore the Preserve’s earliest days and what the land was used for prior to becoming a protected area. Go fishing with a guide on Lake Kirsty; fishing gear and bait are provided. You can even take a watercolor class, learning to paint as you sit looking out over the lake.
 

Other Natural Attractions, Gardens and Parks in the Buffalo Area

While you’re enjoying Buffalo’s outdoor attractions, consider some of these favorites:
 
Delaware Park

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Designed by Frederick Olmsted, Delaware Park serves as a 350-acre urban sanctuary in Buffalo. Originally, the green space featured walking paths, a carriage drive and bridle paths, as well as Hoyt Lake for boating in summer and ice skating in winter. Much of these original features remain, including the Spire Head House, a gazebo designed by park co-founder Vaux.
 
Delaware Park Rose Garden and Japanese Garden
Within pretty Delaware Park, you’ll find the Rose Garden, featuring varieties from the All-America Rose Selections. Peruse the 33 vibrant beds, with their spectacular purple, pink, red, yellow and white roses. The pergola you see at the eastern end of the garden dates back to 1912. Also within Delaware Park, you’ll find the six-acre, all-season Japanese Garden, with beautiful Mirror Lake. It is host to the annual Buffalo Cherry Blossom Festival in early May.
 
Buffalo Botanical Gardens
The impressive Buffalo Botanical Gardens are the result of a number of natural visionaries, including David F. Day, Frederick Law Olmsted, John F. Cowell, Frederick A. Lord and William A. Burnham. Opened in 1900, the gardens’ defining feature are the Victorian glass houses based on the Crystal Palace in England. Today, the gardens are a national historic site and tourist destination brimming with indoor and outdoor garden spaces. The indoor greenhouses are interconnected and are easily explored via a self-guided tour. The seasonal outdoor gardens are always free and open to the public.
 
Riverside Park
Riverside Park was the final park that the Olmsted firm designed in the city of Buffalo. Today, visitors and residents alike enjoy the 22 acres of green space along the Niagara River. When first designed, there was a river landing at which boats from downtown Buffalo could load and unload passengers. Today, you’ll find spaces for outdoor concerts, a lighthouse, a World War I memorial and a Niagara River overlook. Check out the River Rock Garden, an amalgamation of flower beds, pebbles and native plants that is a reinterpretation of a minnow pond that was designed by the Olmsted firm.

 
Devil’s Hole State Park
Fish, hike, walk along nature trails and go rafting along the Niagara River and into the Niagara Gorge at Devil’s Hole State Park. Not a rafter? Head to the overlook atop the lower Whirlpool rapids. Take the stone staircase down to the base of the gorge and the Devil’s Hole Trail for further exploration.

 
Whirlpool State Park
There are two levels of Whirlpool State Park. Picnic and play at the upper (or street) level, with great overlooks above the swirling rapids. The lower (or river) level is reached via 300 feet of trails and steps that take you down into the gorge. Down here, you can follow various nature trails and go fishing.

 
Sprague Brook Park
A bit of a hidden treasure, Sprague Brook Park boasts wildflowers, migratory birds, wildlife, camping, fishing, hiking and more. During the wintertime, the park is a favorite destination for cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, snowmobiling and sledding. During the summer months, look for porcupines, white-tail deer, pileated woodpeckers, herons and more.

 
Buffalo Harbor State Park
Buffalo Harbor State Park is the first state park within the city of Buffalo. Come here for beautiful views of Lake Erie, boating, sunbathing at the beach and playing on the nautical-themed playground. The park is right next door to the popular Tifft Nature Preserve.

 
Wilkeson Pointe

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Find the great outdoors within city limits at Wilkeson Pointe on the Outer Harbor. It’s accessible via a short drive over the Skyway or on bike if you take the Queen City Bike Ferry. Cruise along the bike paths to check out the 1833 Buffalo Lighthouse or continue on to Gallagher Beach, Tifft Nature Preserve and the Small Boat Harbour. Play beach volleyball, go kayaking or even take one of the many free wellness classes held in the park. Wilkeson Pointe has the added bonus of being the best place in Buffalo to catch the sunset. Want to bike there? Look for one of the many bike-share red Reddy cycles throughout Buffalo.