Side Trips

Since it's only 70 miles or so from Buffalo to the Pennsylvania border, consider making Buffalo your base to explore the area if you don't want to stay in small towns. Niagara Falls, of course, should be one of your destinations. Another thing you'll likely want to do is to take a drive either south along Lake Erie or northeast along Lake Ontario -- the views over both of these Great Lakes are spectacular. Inland, however, is a different story. Outside the city, the landscape quickly changes into rural farmland and it's not such an exciting drive -- you probably won't want to do much random exploring through the back roads. However, there's plenty worth seeing. You'll find quirky museums celebrating everything from the kazoo to Lucille Ball, along with one of the nation's premier educational vacation spots and one of the state's best parks.

Getting Around

A car is absolutely essential in this rural part of the state.

Visitor Information

Cattaraugus County Tourism, 303 Court St., Little Valley (tel. 800/242-4569), is open Monday to Friday from 8am to 5pm.

Shopping

Elbert Hubbard started his furniture-building movement and founded the Roycroft Arts and Crafts Community more than 100 years ago in the tiny town of East Aurora. Now, craftspeople carry on the fine workmanship of the Roycrofters and have made it a big business here. Browse their galleries and shops; with any luck you'll see them at work. Go to Schoolhouse Gallery & Cabinet Shops, 1054 Olean Rd. (tel. 716/655-4080), for some of the most beautiful works. Other craftspeople sell their work at West End Gallery, 48 Douglas Lane (tel. 716/652-5860).

For a step back in time of a different kind, visit Vidler's 5 & 10, 676-694 Main St., East Aurora (tel. 877/VIDLERS). Since 1930, this quaint store has been selling candies, confections, dry goods, and knickknacks. There's even a section of the store with the original wood floors and brass cash register.

The Amish maintain a small enclave on the eastern border of Chautauqua County and the western border of Cattaraugus County, bisected by Route 62 in the Conewango Valley area. Drive along Route 62 and you'll run across numerous shops selling cheese, crafts, and baked goods. Shops aren't open on Sunday and the Amish request that you not take photographs.

Active Pursuits

Erie Canal Experiences -- Take a ride on the man-made water route that transformed upstate New York. Get on a boat with Lockport Locks and Erie Canal Cruises, 210 Market St., Lockport (tel. 800/378-0352 or 716/433-6155), for the 2-hour experience of being raised through the 49-foot elevation of the Niagara Escarpment in the only double set of locks on the canal (open mid-May to mid-Oct; $14 adults, $8 kids 4-10). Pass under bridges, see water cascade over locks, and travel through the solid walls of the "rock cut." No, it's no speedboat ride, but for anyone who hasn't experienced going through a lock, it's pretty cool. Or go through the Lockport Cave and Underground Boat Ride, 2 Pine St. (tel. 716/438-0174). You'll walk through a 1,600-foot tunnel, blasted out of solid rock in the 1800s, then ride a boat to see the start of geologic cave formations and miner artifacts (open early May weekends only, end of May to mid-Oct daily; $9 adults, $6 kids 4-12).

Parks -- You can explore cliffs, crevices, cavernous dens, and caves of quartz in two parks with tons of the hardened rock. Rock City Park, Route 16 South, Olean (tel. 866/404-ROCK or 716/372-7790), open early May to the end of October, is the world's largest exposure to quartz conglomerate, with gigantic rocks that climb stories high. Admission is $4.50. Native Americans used the rocks as a fortress for protection; now the narrow alleys of rock harbor wildflowers and mountain laurel. Panama Rocks, Route 10, Panama (tel. 716/782-2845), open mid-May to mid-October (admission $6), is the world's most extensive outcrop of glacially cut ocean quartz conglomerate -- a technical distinction, as both parks are pretty much the same. Take an hour for either. Or get out among the trees in Allegany State Park (tel. 716/354-9121): Its 65,000 acres, most of it primitive woodland, make it the largest state park in the system, with sand beaches as well as hiking and nature trails.

Skiing -- It's not exactly Colorado, or Vermont, or even, well, the Adirondacks. But here's where to go when you absolutely must get your schuss on. At Kissing Bridge, in Glenwood (tel. 716/592-4963; www.kissing-bridge.com), you'll find 36 snow-covered slopes, encompassing 700 acres of terrain and served by nine lifts. And Holiday Valley, in Ellicottville (tel. 716/699-2345; www.holidayvalley.com), has 12 lifts, 53 slopes spread over 1,400 acres, and a 750-foot vertical drop -- so you'll get good variety no matter what kind of skiing or riding you like.

Wineries -- It's not just in the Finger Lakes region that you'll find nice upstate New York State wines. The southern shore of Lake Erie, with just a thin strip of soil suitable for grape production, has its own grape-and-wine heritage; the wineries make for a fun stop-off. Check out Johnson Estate Winery, 8419 W. Main Rd., Westfield (tel. 800/374-6569); Woodbury Vineyards, 3215 S. Roberts Rd., Fredonia (tel. 716/679-9463); and Merritt Estate Winery, 2264 King Rd., Forestville (tel. 888/965-4800).

No Séances, Please

That's the sign you'll find in the Maplewood Hotel in Lily Dale, a tiny Victorian enclave where some 40 registered mediums reside. How did it happen that this small corner of the state became the centerpiece of the spiritualist movement? Was it the isolation of the frontier or just something in the water? Whatever the explanation, the three Fox sisters of sleepy Hydesville in Wayne County created an international stir in 1848 with public exhibitions of their communication with the dead. From these small beginnings, the modern role of a medium evolved.

These days you can visit anytime; the town isn't much to look at, so most of the year you shouldn't bother coming unless you're getting a reading. Summer is the exception, though: From the end of June to early September, travelers descend on the place for daily events that include meditation and healing services, clairvoyant demonstrations, and workshops.

Workshops and speakers cost up to $350 (most are in the $25-$50 range), but you can watch the basic activities just by paying the gate fee of $10. A very basic hotel (occupied by spirits, of course) and private homes can put you up for the night, and there's camping as well. Lily Dale is 1 hour south of Buffalo. For more information, call tel. 716/595-8721 or visit www.lilydaleassembly.com.

Watching It Wiggle

Jell-O was discovered long before Bill Cosby was born, and the world-famous dessert can trace its roots to this area -- in particular, the town of LeRoy. A local carpenter stumbled upon the gelatinous stuff in 1897, then sold the patent for just $450; by 1909 Jell-O was a million-dollar industry. For the entire history -- likely more than you ever wanted to know -- visit the Jell-O Gallery, 23 E. Main St. in LeRoy (55 miles from Buffalo; tel. 585/768-7433). The museum is open April through December, Monday to Saturday from 10am to 4pm, Sunday 1 to 4pm; January to March, Monday to Friday 10am to 4pm. Admission is $4 adults, $1.50 children 6 to 11, free for 5 and under.