The village of Williamsville is a fun day trip destination from Buffalo, Toronto, or anyone within a short driving distance from Western New York. There are many unique things to do in Williamsville NY that I'm sure you'll love. The two of us spent the afternoon in Williamsville exploring the natural attractions, browsing the shops and so much more.
While Williamsville is a village in Erie County, it's actually part of the town of Amherst (suburb of Buffalo). The village has a vibrant history going back over 200 years with plenty of charm and character to offer its residents and visitors alike. Williamsville is centered around its adorable main street with many original historic buildings now home to local shops and restaurants.
In this travel guide for Williamsville, New York, we'll show you the best things to see and do there, a local walking tour to take, where to eat and drink, and where to spend the night if you decide to stay a while.
Things to Do in Williamsville NY: Glen Falls and Glen Park
The main attraction in Williamsville is Glen Falls and Glen Park. While Williamsville has six different parks to explore, Glen Park is the highlight of them all. It's right in the middle of town so it's easy to visit Glen Park in amongst your day of shopping and dining.
Glen Falls is a 27 foot high cascade waterfall that's part of Elliott Creek. This waterway eventually joins with Tonawanda Creek and empties into the Niagara River. This beautiful waterfall is great to visit with a high flow of water all year round.
This waterfall and creek once powered the old 1811 Williamsville Water Mill, which is the red building alongside Glen Park (it's now an ice cream shop and comic book store). Once you've viewed this lovely waterfall, go for a walk on the pretty trails around Glen Park. Listen to the rushing waters of Elliott Creek as you take a short walk in the park.
1811 Comics and Sweet Jenny's
Williamsville is home to a very unique attraction. I mean, where else can you go comic book shopping and eat ice cream inside a historic mill that's over 200 years old? Sweet Jenny's takes up the bottom floor of the 1811 Williamsville Mill and 1811 Comics calls the top floor of the old mill home.
Sweet Jenny's produces small batches of ice cream and chocolates using fresh ingredients, and they've been doing so since 1985. In addition to traditional ice cream, I was pleased to see that Sweet Jenny's offers vegan ice cream and sorbets. There's even dog-safe ice cream scoops for your pup!
Up on the second floor, don't miss 1811 Comics where you can shop comic books, super hero toys, and vintage collectibles. You can play one of their old arcade machines or take a selfie with a life size super hero statue.
Shop for comics, eat ice cream, and take in the views surrounding a lovingly restored old mill. These are among the best things to do in Williamsville NY and go towards the makings of a memorable day trip with friends, families with kids, and couples alike.
Hi-Fi Hits Records
Hi-Fi Hits Records is a little bit of a jaunt from the main village of Williamsville. Walk west on Main Street and you'll get there in about 15 minutes (or drive!). They carry one of the largest selections of records, CDs, music DVDs and more in all of Western New York.
If you love listening to music, going record shopping, or collecting music memorabilia, Hi-Fi Hits Records is an absolute must. You could easily spend hours browsing rows upon rows of records in every genre imaginable. Shopping at Hi-Fi Hits Records was one of our favorite things to do in Williamsville NY.
Guided Historic Walking Tour
Originally established as William's Mills, there's so much interesting history to uncover in the village of Williamsville. For instance, did you know that one of the oldest buildings still standing in Erie County is here, the 1811 Williamsville Water Mill?
You can embark on a 1.5 hour guided walking tour with a knowledgeable guide. Book your tour here. Through the Explore Buffalo website, you can also purchase an Explorer Pass which gives you access to more than 80 Explore Buffalo tours for free.
If you'd rather take a self-guided historic walking tour on your own time, the Williamsville Business Association has put together a walking tour that you can follow on your own. Discover the self-guided tour here.
Things to Do in Williamsville NY: Overwinter Coffee
One of the best things to do in Williamsville NY is sip a warm cup of coffee in a picturesque little cafe. Overwinter Coffee serves the best coffee in Williamsville from their Main Street shop. The shop itself was constructed inside of a Civil War-era general store that they've outfitted to retain its roots.
Stop by for a hot espresso beverage, a vegan muffin, and hang out in one of their quaint window seats looking out to the street. Overwinter also hosts "The Decafe" on occasion, a decaf and mocktail cafe that happens in the evening with an assortment of drinks, baked goods, and a little marketplace of handmade wares. Follow along on Instagram for more details.
Things to Do in Williamsville NY: Craft Breweries
One of the best things to do in Williamsville NY is check out the craft breweries. Some of these microbreweries are walkable from downtown Williamsville, and the others are located just outside of the main village so you'll need to drive to them. Aside from local breweries, craft beer lovers should visit Moor Pat, Williamsville's first craft beer bar.
Britesmith Brewing is located inside an 1800s blacksmith shop on the main street of Williamsville. This is a brewpub and beer garden, so you can enjoy your favorite pint combined with a meal and a view of Elliott Creek. There are flagship beers and rotating seasonal offerings, as well as wood-fired Neapolitan pizza and brunch on weekends.
One-Eyed Cat Brewing is also situated on Main Street Williamsville, so you can pop by for a pint or a flight (four 5oz pours) to sample several. There are a variety of beers for every taste, like a Helles lager, farmhouse ale, pilsner, hefeweizen (my fav!), wheat beer, IPA, porter and sour beer.
12 Gates Brewing Company proudly brews their beer in Williamsville, and you're welcome to visit their taproom anytime. You can catch a glimpse of all the action through large windows from the taproom, and they occasionally offer brewery tours, too. They have 18 different beers on tap dedicated to the beer they brew in-house.
Steel Leaf Brewing Company has their brewery and taproom in Williamsville, New York. From their website, they currently have nine beers on tap, with intriguing flavors like chocolate cake stout, strawberry vanilla sour, and classics like a blonde beer and pilsner. Stop by on Wednesday nights for a weekly trivia night.
Lloyd Taco Factory
Although we didn't stay for dinner, Lloyd Taco Factory is my top pick for where to dine the next time we're in Williamsville. While this Mexican restaurant has its own food truck, they also have two restaurant locations (Williamsville and North Buffalo).
They have a wide selection of tacos, sides and other street food for every taste. I love that there's a "Skinny Thai" tofu taco, sticky sprouts, cracked potatoes, and you can sub in black beans for many typical menu items to make them vegan or vegetarian.
Where to Stay in Williamsville
While Justin and I only visited Williamsville as a day trip from Toronto, you're welcome to get cozy and stay awhile, especially if you're traveling from afar. You might even want a little staycation from Buffalo! Here are some excellent accommodations, hotels and apartments to call home in Williamsville.
You can use the map below to find the best place to stay. Enter your travel dates for even more accurate information. Then, click on each property to learn more and book your stay.
More Things to Do in Western New York
There are so many fun things to do in Western New York. We visit all the time as we live only a short distance away in the Toronto area. These spots make a really excellent day trip from Toronto, day trip from Buffalo or road trip from elsewhere in the USA and Canada.
- Best Things to Do in East Aurora, NY
- Eternal Flame Falls
- Fun Things to Do in Buffalo, NY
- Vegan Guide to Buffalo, NY
- Where to Find Street Art in Buffalo and Niagara Falls, NY
- InnBuffalo Off Elmwood: Our Full Review
- Best Breweries in Buffalo
- Griffis Sculpture Park: One of the Largest Sculpture Parks in the USA
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Amy Troy says
Hi!
I just discovered your wonderful travel blog, and naturally checked out your explorations in Williamsville, New York, my home town. Nicely done, but I have one comment: the stream that runs through the Village is *Ellicott* Creek, not Elliott Creek. The creek was named after Joseph Ellicott, a land surveyor who measured out parcels and townships for the Holland Land Company in the very early 1800’s.
Happy travels,
Amy Troy
Lauren Yakiwchuk says
Hi Amy, thanks so much for letting me know! I'll have to make the edit. Is it possible this is the same Ellicott that Ellicottville was possibly named after? Love learning about local history. Thank you :)