Five minutes from downtown Buffalo is a 264 acre hidden nature preserve. Really? Yes! Beginning as a dump site, purchased by the city in ’72, opening as a preserve in ’76, finding home with the Buffalo Museum of Science in ’82- this ‘urban nature sanctuary’ is a perfect day escape.
QUICK FACTS:
- 5 miles of trails (flatland)
- boardwalks that stretch over ponds
- bird watching
- fishing on Lake Kirsty
- guided walks available
- 1200 Fuhrmann Blvd. Buffalo 14203 (716) 825-6397
Maps of the preserve are available upon arrival and at the visitor center. Or you can click here! Tifft is a great day escape for singles, couples, and families (but you have to leave your doggy at home).
We visited last week- still living amongst neutral colors…we can only imagine what it will look like once Spring begins to bloom!
DIRECTIONS:
From downtown, we were surprised how close Tifft was! Hop on the skyway toward Outer Harbor. Take the Tifft St. exit, continue on to Fuhrmann Blvd. and the entrance is on the right through the underpass. (we think the 2010 bridge underpasses look great down here!) click here for other routes
NOW I’M HUNGRY!
Nearby places to grab some food after your nature walk:
Dug’s Dive 111 Furhmann Blvd.
Swannie House (cash only) 170 Ohio St.
Lagerhaus 95 (our fav!) 95 Perry St.
Students are introducing new trees to the preserve. You can spot the Buffalo giants from the Mosquito Junction and Heritage Boardwalk Trail. We covered all of the trails at a leisurely pace and found it took us about 3 hours. Not bad for a little day trail!
