Overview
Cattaraugus is a small industrial town in the northwest part of Cattaraugus County, New York.
3 sights · 2 places to eat · 1 places to stay
Updated from Wikivoyage on 1 October 2026 · Something wrong or missing? Improve it on Wikivoyage
Best things about Cattaraugus
Medora Ball Museum
First built in 1861, the former First Congregational Church serves as the Town of Otto's local history museum, named in honor of the town historian who supervised its founding. Historical photos, records, old clothing, C…
American Museum of Cutlery
Hewing to the old-school definition of "cutlery" as essentially any sharp-edged tool, the American Museum of Cutlery displays antique knives, swords, axes, and other implements from pre-Columbian times through today that…
Cattaraugus Area Historical Society Museum
Covering two floors in a handsome brick building in the village center, this large museum contains an assortment of historical artifacts relating to the Civil War, railroad and industrial history, genealogy, and everyday…
Plan your trip
Best time to visit & weather
Most comfortable: May–Sep. Summer highs reach about 80°F; winter lows dip to about 19°F. Cold months (Jan, Feb, Dec) can bring snow and ice; check road conditions. Wettest: Sep and Oct. (climate data from nearby Buffalo)
Blue bars: average daily high and low (°F). Purple columns: average monthly rain and melted snow (inches).
Getting there
- From you: to see whether to drive or fly, and how long it takes.
- BFD Bradford Regional Airport, Bradford — 38 mi away. Directions
- BUF Buffalo Niagara International Airport, Buffalo — 43 mi away (major hub). Directions
The main drag in Cattaraugus is State Route 353, called Main Street within downtown and Cattaraugus-Little Valley Road further south. To get to Cattaraugus from Buffalo and other points north, get off the New York State Thruway (I-90) at Exit 55 (US 219), and proceed south on the 219 for 30 miles (48.5 km). Turn right at East Otto Road and, from there, keep following the signs for County Route 12. You'll come to the center of Cattaraugus in 14½ miles (23.5 km). From points south, get off the Southern Tier Expressway (I-86) at Exit 20 in Salamanca and then turn right, following the signs for Route 353 north. Downtown Cattaraugus is a little more than 15 miles (about 24.5 km) ahead.
Full “Get in” guide ↓Budget & where to stay
No prices are listed for this place yet. See the Sleep guide ↓ for options.
Sample 1-day itinerary
Day 1
- Morning American Museum of Cutlery, Cattaraugus Area Historical Society Museum
- Lunch Pascarella's
- Afternoon Medora Ball Museum
- Dinner Dollar General
Stops are grouped by area so each day needs little backtracking. Check opening hours before you go.
Food for you
Cuisine (tap to filter)
What to ask about, for your diet
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Photos
Map
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Get in
By car
The main drag in Cattaraugus is State Route 353, called Main Street within downtown and Cattaraugus-Little Valley Road further south. To get to Cattaraugus from Buffalo and other points north, get off the New York State Thruway (I-90) at Exit 55 (US 219), and proceed south on the 219 for 30 miles (48.5 km). Turn right at East Otto Road and, from there, keep following the signs for County Route 12. You'll come to the center of Cattaraugus in 14½ miles (23.5 km). From points south, get off the Southern Tier Expressway (I-86) at Exit 20 in Salamanca and then turn right, following the signs for Route 353 north. Downtown Cattaraugus is a little more than 15 miles (about 24.5 km) ahead.
By plane
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Bradford Regional Airport (BFD) in Bradford, Pennsylvania, which is served with daily commuter flights from Pittsburgh via Southern Airways Express: four on weekdays, two on Saturdays, and three on Sundays. In practice, however, arriving in Cattaraugus by plane usually means flying into Buffalo Niagara International Airport.
See
See American Museum of Cutlery
Hewing to the old-school definition of "cutlery" as essentially any sharp-edged tool, the American Museum of Cutlery displays antique knives, swords, axes, and other implements from pre-Columbian times through today that tell the story of how cutlery contributed to American history — as well as the story of the Cattaraugus Cutlery Company, which was once based in the nearby town of Little Valley and was the only cutlery company in the U.S. to exhibit at Buffalo's Pan-American Exposition of 1901.
See Cattaraugus Area Historical Society Museum
Covering two floors in a handsome brick building in the village center, this large museum contains an assortment of historical artifacts relating to the Civil War, railroad and industrial history, genealogy, and everyday life in the 19th century. The highlight is a hand-carved Statue of Liberty that toured the country during the American bicentennial celebration in 1976.
See Medora Ball Museum
First built in 1861, the former First Congregational Church serves as the Town of Otto's local history museum, named in honor of the town historian who supervised its founding. Historical photos, records, old clothing, Civil War artifacts, and biographical displays of prominent Ottonians populate the walls, shelves, and display cases.
Buy
Shop Hog-Shed Studio Pottery
Situated since 1982 in an old hog farm surrounded by picturesque hills, Michael and Elliott Hutten's pottery studio is a place to pick up a wide range of beautiful and functional handmade stoneware pieces — everything from casserole dishes to coffee mugs to birdhouses to Christmas tree ornaments. And, if you time it out right, you might even find some of the dazzlingly colorful, Japanese-style raku pottery in Hog-Shed's studio showroom — made in a labor-intensive process only a few times per season.
Eat
Eat Pascarella's
Open six days a week, Pascarella's serves up hearty all-American comfort food with a few Italian specialties mixed in too, and the fresh house-baked bread and range of soups are real winners. This cozy place in the heart of Cattaraugus' village center is "small enough that most customers are repeat customers and service is more personal" (to borrow the words of an online review), but if you're a visitor, husband-and-wife owners Ray and Pam will go out of their way to make you feel at home. Breakfast and lunch only, except Friday, when fish fry packs the house at dinnertime.
Groceries
Eat Dollar General
The usual selection of dollar-store stuff.
Sleep
Stay Beauty View Farm
A 400-acre (162 ha) farmstead that's been in the same family since 1828, Beauty View Farm is more than just a place to bed down for the night: you could almost call it a full-scale resort experience in itself, with a rich variety of onsite activities suitable for all four seasons. Accommodations are in the farmhouse — fully furnished with three guest bedrooms (bunk beds in the smallest of the three, two double beds apiece in the remaining ones), a full kitchen stocked with appliances, dishes, and cookware, and a deck with a firepit and a view over the mountains. Elsewhere on the expansive property there are two ponds offering fishing and paddleboating, a network of trails open to hikers in summer and cross-country skiers and snowshoers in the winter, and a handsome picnic pavilion amidst a picturesque rolling meadow.
Nearby
Little Valley
City / town · 13 listings · 7 mi away
Ellicottville
City / town · 28 listings · 11 mi away
Randolph
City / town · 10 listings · 13 mi away
Salamanca
City / town · 6 listings · 14 mi away
Allegany State Park
Park · 29 listings · 19 mi away
Franklinville
City / town · 20 listings · 21 mi away
Eden
City / town · 3 listings · 22 mi away
Evans
City / town · 1 listings · 23 mi away
My experience
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