Overview
The Northtowns of Erie County are in the Niagara Frontier region of New York.
Updated from Wikivoyage on 1 October 2026 · Something wrong or missing? Improve it on Wikivoyage
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.
- BUF Buffalo Niagara International Airport, Buffalo — 3 mi away (major hub). Directions
- IAG Niagara Falls International Airport, Niagara Falls — 15 mi away. Directions
Sample 3-day trip
- Day 1: Clarence — Tillman Road Wildlife Management Area, Clarence Arboretum, Clarence Historical Society.
- Day 2: Amherst — Buffalo Niagara Heritage Village, Buffalo Bulls, Old Home Days.
- Day 3: Cheektowaga — Our Lady Help of Christians Chapel, Reinstein Woods Nature Preserve, Tomb of Rabbi Eliyahu Yosef Rabinowitz.
Built from the best-covered destinations in this region; open each for its own day plan.
Places in Northtowns
Cities
- Akron — a small rural village that's home of the majestic Akron Falls
- Alden — countrified charm at the eastern edge of Erie County
- Amherst — Buffalo's most populous suburb, with a wide range of things to do; includes the charming historic village of Williamsville
- Cheektowaga — shopping galore, home of the largest mall on the Niagara Frontier
- Clarence — a comparatively-high income town known for antique shops
- Grand Island — where the Niagara River splits in two; once an old summer resort, now an upper-class exurb with a charming old-fashioned amusement park.
- Lancaster — site of the historic Lancaster Opera House
- Tonawanda — the western terminus of the present-day Erie Canal; a 19th-century lumber port turned middle-class suburb
Go next
Buffalo, of course, if you haven't already.
The world-famous Niagara Falls is to the north.
Just across the Niagara River (via the Peace Bridge) is Canada, more specifically Ontario. Keep in mind that you do need documents such as a passport to cross.
Nearby
North Tonawanda
City / town · 14 listings · 9 mi away
West Seneca
City / town · 7 listings · 10 mi away
Buffalo
City / town · 92 listings · 10 mi away
Lackawanna
City / town · 4 listings · 13 mi away
Lockport
City / town · 14 listings · 13 mi away
Orchard Park
City / town · 21 listings · 15 mi away
East Aurora
City / town · 13 listings · 15 mi away
Darien Lake
Park · 16 mi away
My experience
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