Tonawanda, NY Road Trips

Canal Fest. Held on the third full week of July in the twin cities of Tonawanda and North Tonawanda a short distance north of Buffalo, Canal Fest is the largest annual festival held along the banks of this historic waterway. The live music performances the festival holds yearly at Gateway Harbor are legendary; additionally there's a parade and fireworks finale. 1 Adventure Landing, 2400 Sheridan Dr, ☏ +1 716 832-6248. Mini golf, arcade, and build your own stuffed teddy bear. (updated Dec 2021)

1 Frank Gourmet Hot Dogs, 707 Kenmore Ave., ☏ +1 716 440-9397. Daily 11AM-10PM. Like the still-popular food truck that has served as the original incarnation of the Tripi brothers' operation since 2013, Frank's newly-opened standalone restaurant is a place where the hot dog is reimagined into a bevy of truly creative, upscale concoctions. You start by choosing a sausage (pork, beef, or a vegetarian dog made from lentils and rice) and then choose from a wide range of specialty topping schemes to dress it up in. Witness the fiery "Holy Moly" where the heat of sriracha sauce and jalapeños is tempered just a bit by fresh guacamole, the sweet-and-savory "Violet Beauregarde" with cheese, crunchy French fried onions, and (you guessed it) blueberry glaze, and a faithful take on the Chicago hot dog. The unadventurous needn't worry, either: if you want to stick to the standard ketchup/mustard/onion/relish scenario, they'll serve you an "Original Frank" too. Whatever your pleasure, you can rest assured that you're enjoying high-quality fare made fresh in-house from locally sourced ingredients. $10-20. (updated Jun 2018) 2 La Divina, 2896 Delaware Ave., Kenmore, ☏ +1 716 447-8989. M-F 11AM-9PM, Sa noon-9PM, Su noon-8PM. In the years since these folks started serving Western New York's first truly authentic Mexican food, many competitors of the same ilk have come and gone. The fact that there are now three La Divina locations in the metro area goes to show who still rules the roost, and the original location in Kenmore is still the odds-on favorite.

1 CenterWay Hotel (Formerly Microtel Inn Tonawanda-Buffalo), 225 Crestmount Ave., Tonawanda (I-290 exit 1 or 1B), ☏ +1 716-693-8100. Fax/copy service, free continental breakfast. 2 Super 8 Kenmore/Buffalo/Niagara Falls Area, 1288 Sheridan Dr., Tonawanda, ☏ +1 716 876-4020. All rooms have coffee maker, hair dryer, cable TV with HBO. Continental breakfast. 3 Budget Inn, 1080 Sheridan Dr. This Tonawanda hotel is within a 10-minute drive of downtown Buffalo. Niagara Falls is within a 10-minute drive of the Budget Inn. $76. (updated Nov 2021)