Where Can I Go to See Fall Foliage and a Yodeling Pickle?

Western New York is blessed with so many wonders, and many of them can be seen by taking a drive along the Western New York Southtowns Scenic Byway.

And for you leaf peepers, this is the perfect time of year to take such a drive, for the fall colors are just starting to turn and will crescendo to a peak in late October, making for an outing that’s almost as much fun for the whole family as a Pig Popper or a Nose Flute. (Key word: almost.)

How good does it get when you’re gliding along this incredible byway that truly earns the name “Scenic”? Let’s just put it this way: Unnn. Beee. LIEV-able! Just look at this photo I took a few years ago of a stand of trees in the middle East Aurora, in our village park. Wow! Does it get any better than that? Well, yes, but only if you look inside one of our 48-count boxes of Crayola Crayons. On second thought, opening one of our boxes of crayons would be like looking at fall foliage as a rainbow is arcing over the trees and you’re slurping your way through a pile of assorted Dum-Dums. Which is to say that instead of spending gas on a fall-foliage tour, you could just sit at home with some of our crayons and color.

But, hey, you could do that any time of year, right? So we suggest sticking with the original idea of appreciating the area’s fall colors while you can by taking a driving tour of the byway, a 108-mile scenic loop that runs from the towns of Orchard Park and Aurora south through Boston, Colden, and Concord, through Ashford down to Ellicottville.

The byway comprises U.S. 219, NY 240, and NY 242 in a stitched-together wending through the foothills of the Allegheny Mountains, past not only breathtaking fall foliage but also some of the area’s most captivating – no, downright stirring – scenic wonders:

• The Sinking Ponds Archaeological site
• Chestnut Ridge Park
• Sprague Brook Park
• Knox Farm State Park

Historical revelations also abound, including Orchard Park’s Railroad Depot, the Johnson-Jolls House, and the old Quaker Meetinghouse.  

The Village of East Aurora boasts the renowned Roycroft Campus. Then there’s the Village of Springville and the town of Concord, in the center of the newly expanded byway.  

Beckoning you here are Scoby Dam, which boasts superb trout fishing, camping at Sprague Brook, and a vibrant village shopping and dining experience.

And only 45 minutes further east, on Route 20A, is the “Grand Canyon of the East,” Letchworth State Park.

And the last Western New York wonder, but certainly not the least, is the Yodeling Pickle.

That’s right, Vidler’s, too, is on the WNY Scenic Byway.  

Depending on where you start, you can either begin or end your trip at Vidler’s.

See you soon! Yo-de-lay-HEE-hoo!

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