There is something hypnotic and powerful about Niagara Falls. Experiencing it is an intense moment of roaring, powerful meditation through nature, yet it’s only one of the many wellness and outdoor venues planners can enjoy around New York’s Buffalo and Niagara Falls.
Groups can discover other natural wonders in the region while hiking, get their blood pumping with a host of other activities, and leave a conference feeling better than when they arrived.
Buffalo
In Buffalo, wellness is all about community. Canalside Buffalo, a historic redeveloped entertainment district along the waterfront of Lake Erie, offers a variety of wellness and outdoor activities.
“In downtown Buffalo, we have a revitalized waterfront district called Canalside Buffalo within walking distance from the convention center,” said Brian Hayden, communications manager for Visit Buffalo-Niagara. “It features a great promenade along the Buffalo River and a lot of open space for group events and activities.”
Hayden added that several water activities launch from the site, including kayak, water bike and stand-up paddleboard rentals, as well as Buffalo River History Tours. Private charters are available on the Harbor Queen and River Queen riverboats, which can accommodate up to 145 guests.
For groups of 12, a water-cycle tour from Buffalo Pedal Tours will also be available later this year from the dock at Canalside.
“It hasn’t launched yet, but it will be a wonderful group activity,” he said.
Pedal pushers can arrange for pre-packaged snacks and beer, and then head out under their own power to tour the waterfront from their specially equipped pontoon boat, with 12 bike pedal stations.
“Also at Canalside, you can take yoga classes once a week on the waterfront,” Hayden said. “And every Monday we have something called the Slow Roll, an organized bike ride through the neighborhood. Smaller groups can rent bikes from Reddy Bike, a citywide bike sharing program, and join the Slow Roll.”
Art and creativity are important to overall wellness, and nothing fits the bill better than the Albright-Knox Art Gallery, which will inspire attendees with its collection of American and international artists, including works by masters like Frida Kahlo, Georgia O’Keefe, Andy Warhol, Pablo Picasso and many more. For more than 150 years, the museum has sought out iconic Modern and contemporary art. The galleries, cafe and sculpture garden are available for events, along with guided tours.
The museum is within walking distance of the waterfront, and just 15 minutes away from the Millennium Hotel Buffalo Airport, which features 12,000 square feet of event space, 301 freshly renovated rooms and suites and an indoor pool. The facility is the only full-service airport hotel, blending full amenities and convenience.
Niagara Falls
The star of the show in the region is, indeed, Niagara Falls, the centerpiece of Niagara Falls State Park.
“The No. 1 outdoor attraction is Niagara Falls and Gorge,” Hayden said. “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”
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Onboard the Maid of the Mist boat ride is the closest you can get to 600,000 gallons thundering down per second, and even with ponchos, attendees will get wet, but it’s worth it. Niagara Falls is shared by the U.S. and Canada, but the Maid of the Mist boat tours are based on the U.S. side, and have a great deal of history on their own. These tours started in 1846 with rowboats and then steamboats, and now the sixth incarnation is a steel tour boat, powered by 350-horsepower engines.
Group rates are available for the trip, but the tour company does not take reservations. The Maid of the Mist leaves every 15 minutes, however, so the process of getting tickets and going on the tour is streamlined.
Groups can also get up-close-and-personal with nature’s power at the Cave of the Winds Hurricane Deck, a wooden deck constructed alongside Bridal Veil Falls. Attendees standing on the Hurricane Deck will quickly see how it was named, since the wind and water whipping past simulates tropical storm conditions.
Downstream from Niagara Falls is the Niagara Whirlpool, and more opportunities for heart-pounding outdoor fun, according to Andrea Czopp, director of communications for Niagara Falls USA.
“Niagara Jet Adventures and Whirlpool Jet Boats include a boat ride through the Class V rapids of the famous Whirlpool and 360-degree spins,” she said. “It’s definitely not for the faint of heart!”
For a different perspective, planners can also book Rainbow Air Helicopter Tours for a ride over the Falls themselves and the Niagara Gorge.
There are plenty of adrenaline moments on the Canadian side as well; attendees can score a birds-eye view of the Whirlpool via the Whirlpool Aero Car, an antique cable car traveling high above the Niagara River. The car can accommodate up to 35 people at one time, making it an excellent side trip for small groups.
Tours with Hornblower Niagara Cruises pass all parts of Niagara Falls, including American Falls, Bridal Veil Falls and the famed crescent of Horseshoe Falls. The Ontario side also provides a unique perspective with “Journey Behind the Falls,” during which guests travel down an elevator installed 150 feet into the bedrock, and then make their way behind the massive, crashing sheet of water to observation decks below.
The Niagara Falls State Park also features stellar hiking opportunities for groups, according to Hayden.
“The park is spread out over a couple of islands, so you can walk from island to island and get wonderful, close-up views of the Falls,” he said. “Downstream from there, the Falls have carved out the gorge, and there are also a couple of other state parks, Whirlpool State Park and Devil’s Hole State Park, which is another great activity spot for groups.”
Several trails are available, from an easy walk on the one-hour Great Gorge Railway Trail to the challenge of the three-hour Whirlpool Rapids Trail, which begins at Whirlpool State Park and requires a certain degree of fitness and flexibility when hikers must jump from boulder to boulder to follow the path.
While hikes through the parks near Niagara bring water, another hike brings fire. Near Buffalo is the Chestnut Ridge County Park in Orchard Park, and the Eternal Flame trail. The 1.5-mile trail goes past the Eternal Flame Falls, a small waterfall where small fissures allow methane gas to escape. The flame is often lit by previous hikers, hence the name, and the small fire in the midst of water and rock makes an unforgettable photo op.
On the flipside of heart-pounding excitement and exertion is relaxation and renewal. One such venue stands out and is located just 10 miles north of the Niagara Falls, according to Czopp.
“The Center of Renewal at Stella Niagara is the perfect place for group retreats, spiritual and wellness getaways and organizational development,” she said. “The grounds are absolutely gorgeous and overlook the lower Niagara River.”
The 92-bed facility is a faith-based center sponsored by the Sisters of St. Francis of Penance & Christian Charity, and offers a wide array of group activities designed to help attendees relax, reflect and heal. An outdoor labyrinth, Peace Garden and nature trails are available on the grounds, and the center can arrange arts and crafts, healing massage and reflexology, guided retreats and other programs.
