Batavia, NY Outdoor Activities

Named one of America’s top 100 driving ranges by Golf Range Magazine in 2011, Broadway Driving Range & Miniature Golf invites golfers to launch towering drives under covered hitting bays toward a target field that stretches more than 350 yards. Golfers who favor a natural feel can hack through a bucket of balls at the range’s all-grass hitting areas; synthetic hitting mats cater to refined sand wedges that consider divots uncouth. Laid-back clubbers can practice pendulous putts at the complex’s miniature-golf course, where players circle around a barn built in 1932 through a farm-themed circuit of 18 miniature fairways featuring antique farm tools. Broadway Driving Range can cool down clients with soft-serve custard from Green Acres Ice Cream.

A Golden Griffin emblem presides over Canisius College Athletics’ 17 sports teams, which traverse grass, water, and hard court in search of victory. As part of the NCAA Division I’s Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC), Canisius’s athletes face off against other East Coast schools including Marist College, Niagara University, and Loyola University Maryland. From the stands, a sea of blue and gold cheers on the men’s basketball, hockey, and lacrosse teams, the women’s soccer, softball, and volleyball teams, and the adjunct professors’ annual soapbox derby.

The aquatic-minded architects behind Fallsview Indoor Waterpark stocked their three-acre splash zone with family-friendly amusements that simulate the sun-soaked days of summer year-round. With both kids and adults in mind, the park's designers included two large, adults-only jacuzzis, where grownups can marinate in relaxation while the tots zip down 16 waterslides up to six storeys tall, or high enough to make Aquaman feel like a damp Godzilla. After the kids bodysurf in the wave pool or get caught in the deluge of the 1,000-gallon tipping bucket, families can refuel at Planet Hollywood Beach Club. Located on the site of the Falls Avenue Resort, the waterpark encourages families to retire to 20 acres of luxury for the night and return the next day to shake their fins beneath faux palm trees or traipse through Jungle Beach Playland, a dry indoor playground.

The Rochester Americans trace their roots back to the 1956–57 AHL season, when they entered the league with a bang by advancing all the way to the Calder Cup championship. They ended up losing the series to the Cleveland Barons, but their fast start did, indeed, portend future success; in a stunning spell of dominance, Rochester won three Calder Cups from 1964–68, losing in the championship series in 1966–67, the one season they failed to capture the title. The Amerks seized Calder Cup glory again in 1983, 1987, and 1996 for a total of six championships. Today, the Amerks are in their 31st season as the AHL affiliate of the Buffalo Sabres and remain one of the league’s most storied franchises.

Canoes float under a sunny sky, kayakers speed along lush riverbanks, and standup paddleboards engage core muscles in adrenaline-pumping workouts. With dozens of watercraft for rent and sale, BayCreek Paddling Center's team brings aquatic adventures like these to life. Their staff members, which range from young enthusiasts to 30-year industry veterans, launch customers into Irondequoit Creek, where they can float amid an orchestra of bird songs and opera-trained fish. In addition to rentals, the staff guide activities. Aboard their various watercraft, ACA and BCU instructors lead lessons and nature tours that wind through glacier-carved terrain and former Seneca Native American lands.

Niagara Go-Karts entertains entire families with the leisurely competition of miniature golf and the fast-paced fishtailing of more than 40 racing-style go-karts. Double-seated family karts let children 10 and older play copilot while parents practice high-speed chaperoning. For faster-paced driving, 13-horsepower engines propel realistic Formula 1 karts to high speeds under the control of drivers 14 and older. For the safety of all drivers, each kart features a roll bar, seatbelt, and outside bumper cage.

Outside of the driver's seat, a pastoral collection of wild flowers, safari animals, and indigenous astro turf decorates a mini putt course that's flecked with a barrage of amusing obstacles. All-day pricing allows for unlimited rounds from open until close.