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Buffalo is all decked out for the holiday season! Trees sparkle with lights; downtown buildings like One M&T Plaza and the Electric Tower glow red and green. Homes throughout the city gleam with charming holiday decorations, and Buffalonians young and old are enjoying holiday traditions.  The lighting of the massive tree on Dec. 3 at the Rotary Rink at Fountain Plaza marked the start of this Most Wonderful Time of the Year—and free skating season at the rink. This year’s 11th annual tree lighting featured speeches by local dignitaries, a dramatic countdown before thousands of lights were switched on, and a fireworks display. Afterwards, folks enjoyed visiting with Santa, taking horse and wagon rides and whirling around the ice rink. Skating at the rink is free through March 19, 2017.

When you see someone sporting a baseball cap with a team logo, it’s highly likely that it was made by New Era Cap Co. These head-toppers are more than just hats; they are a canvas for self-expression.  For nearly a century, New Era, one of Buffalo’s signature companies, has redefined and revolutionized the headgear industry. 

Nothing says fall like colorful leaves and freshly brewed apple cider. The place to get that wonderful autumn beverage is the Mayer Brothers Cider Mill. Step inside, and the fragrances of apples and cinnamon will make you wish fall lasted all year long!  One of the Buffalo area’s longstanding traditions, the cider business was founded by family patriarch Jacob Mayer. Mayer was a steeple builder by trade but bought an apple-pressing mill in 1852 to serve local farmers and their families in the West Seneca area. Farmers could bring apples from their orchards to the mill to be pressed into cider. A barrelful would stay sweet for a few weeks and then turn to hard cider that would last all winter.

In October, Western New York looks like a rainbow fell on it. The vivid background of yellow, golden, orange, red and purple foliage and cooling temperatures get your blood flowing. The fall festival season has begun, and Buffalonians love their festivals!  We celebrate the season with annual events like the Great Pumpkin Farm Fall Festival in Clarence, the Allentown Fall Festival in downtown Buffalo, the Fall Fest at Canalside and the Ellicottville Fall Festival. Beer lovers enjoy sampling brews at the Buffalo On Tap Harvest Beer Festival in nearby Hamburg. These events draw thousands of folks who love food, drinks, arts and crafts booths, music, fun and games and, of course, lots and lots of pumpkins! 

Elmwood Village is a shopper’s paradise! One of the greatest pleasures of living near this historic neighborhood is visiting the variety of shops and boutiques to find unique gifts and special items for yourself. You can spend hours strolling Elmwood Avenue and perusing the wares offered by these locally owned places, whose owners go out of their way to bring you clothing, gifts and other items you won’t find anywhere else. Restaurants and coffee shops are sprinkled throughout the shopping district, so you can take a lunch or snack break. 

Buffalo rose above all other cities in a poll by Travel & Leisure magazine, scoring Number 1 in a survey of America’s Favorite Places! Of course, we Buffalonians always knew that our city is one of the most desirable places to live in the United States. Now everyone else does, too. Travel & Leisure’s readers and Web site visitors were asked to name and rate their favorite cities 100,000 in more than 65 categories that included affordability, notable restaurants and public parks. The survey was conducted between October 2015 and mid-April of this year.