Tonawanda

Tonawanda offers a range of very different experiences: a long, narrow park is part of the Shoreline Trail System/Riverwalk, paved trails invite visitors to get active, and a history museum focuses on the history of the Town of Tonawanda and surrounding areas. When planning your trip, you can focus on the waterfront and trails, active pursuits or local history. Which of these interests shapes your choice of a vacation rental in Tonawanda depends on what you’d like to discover during your stay.

Parks and trails by the water

Isle View Park is a 39-acre, long, narrow park owned by Erie County and part of the Shoreline Trail System/Riverwalk. Its shape and connection to the trail system give the site a clear link to trails and the waterfront landscape. Four ramps are available for launching boats and jet skis. This also makes the park appealing to travelers who want to include a boat or jet ski in their stay.

A pedestrian bridge connects Niawanda Park with Isle View Park. This provides a specific point of reference for anyone exploring the two parks: it is expressly designed for pedestrians and links these two places.

Get active on a variety of trails

Tonawanda Rails to Trails offers a different kind of outing. The paved trail is 12 feet wide, has multiple access points and small parking lots at both ends. As a recreational connection between Buffalo and the Tonawandas, it is used by walkers, runners, skaters and families. The multiple access points and parking lots at both ends give you practical reference points for planning your day and treating the trail as an outing in its own right.

Visitors can walk along the banks of Ellicott Creek. Inline skating and cycling are possible on the paved trails there. Ellicott Creek Park also has an 18-hole disc golf course for beginners. If you’d like to include different kinds of physical activity in your trip, you can consider these options as distinct interests for outings.

History of the Town of Tonawanda

The Tonawanda-Kenmore Historical Society and Museum preserves and exhibits historical materials related to the Town of Tonawanda and surrounding areas. The museum is located in one of the oldest surviving original buildings in the Town of Tonawanda, at 100 Knoche Road. The building was completed in 1849 as St. Peter’s Evangelical Church. The historic site and the museum’s materials offer a different focus for your trip than parks and trails: here, the history of the Town and its surroundings takes center stage.

Discover more places

More places to consider when planning your trip: Lackawanna, Cheektowaga, Getzville, Orchard Park, Buffalo, Clarence Center, Hamburg and Bowmansville.

For the broader travel overview: Erie.