The Wheatfield area was largely settled by Germans, and Das House German Heritage Museum (no website; 2549 Niagara Road, Wheatfield; 716-731-4553) seeks to tell their story. The museum is located in a house built by German immigrants in 1847 completely out of wood -- no nails or other hardware were used in the original construction. Squared logs laid on top of each other and fitted to lock at the corners. Today, the front room of the house is decorated in the style of an 1880s sitting room, and a side room has displays of the migration history of Prussian Lutherans. A barn displays old farm equipment.
The Wheatfield area is home to two state parks located on Grand Island, which sits in the middle of the Niagara River. Buckhorn Island State Park (nysparks.com), on the island's northern tip, is a 900-acre preserve that consists of the last remaining marshlands along the river. The preserve is open to the public for hiking, biking, fishing, kayaking, canoeing and cross-country skiing. Beaver Island State Park (nysparks.com) is located at the southern end of Grand Island, and offers a half-mile sandy beach for swimming as well as a marina, boat and canoe launches a golf course, and a nature center.
Eight million people a year visit Niagara Falls, where 750,000 gallons of water rush over the falls per second. Niagara Falls State Park (nysparks.com) has a visitor's center and 400 acres of grounds that offer stunning views of the falls. Visitors may walk through the park or take the Niagara Scenic Trolley. For those who want to get closer to the water, the Maid of the Mist (maidofthemist.com) takes passengers on a voyage along the base of the falls. The town of Niagara Falls is also home to a variety of museums and restaurants.
Kids will like Adventure Speedway (adventurelanding.com), a children and youth fun center in Wheatfield. The facility has a quarter-mile go-cart track with plenty of twists and turns. Live racing results are posted on a board at the finish line. Single- and double-seat go-carts are available. Adventure Speedway also has a bumper boat pond with boats (with giant squirt guns) for one or two people. The center's arcade has more than 40 games, and its refreshment center offers pizza, hot dogs and other items.
