Discovering the Village of Williamsville, NY
During past trips for weddings and a funeral in my hometown of Buffalo, our knee-jerk reaction has been to stay downtown and come out to the suburbs only if we had to. But this time we rolled the dice—and we’re glad we did.
I’ve always been curious about the Norman Rockwell-feel of the Village of Williamsville, about a dozen miles northeast of downtown Buffalo.
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Friends told us about a newish hotel right in the center of town—and the name itself intrigued us: The Mosey Hotel. (In answer to your first question, it was named after a friend of the developer. Works better than Smith or Jones!)
Despite the quaint name, this is no ma & pa bed & breakfast. This is part of the Tapestry Collection by Hilton—meaning, professional all the way.
The lobby includes a bar, restaurant, and award-winning spa. Nearby is a fitness center and an indoor pool! We were there before winter resumed, but I bet that heated pool would feel good on a frosty night in Western New York!
Parking was also incredibly convenient—steps from the lobby and get this, it is in a parking garage! No chipping ice from the windshield in January!
There are 120 rooms with refrigerators and microwaves. Internet access was easy–and the 37” flat-screen TV was a big plus.
Our room was ideal. Clean, spacious and plenty of outlets around the bedside table for our cell phone chargers. Funny how our requirements have evolved!
The hotel is on Main Street, a few blocks east of the interstate and a few blocks west of the Village of Williamsville. That’s what you call ‘the best of both worlds.’ (www.themoseyhotel.com)
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Once we unpacked our bags and freshened up after our direct flight from Florida, it was time to explore around the hotel and find a place for dinner.
We stumbled on a series of outdoor bands and big crowds a few blocks from The Mosey. Turns out our trip coincided with some monthly event along Main Street. It was nice to see so many people out and having fun, and not having to go downtown to get some sense of nightlife.
We found a place called Britesmith Brewing and went inside for a closer look.
The restaurant originally was a blacksmith shop in the 1800s. A quick Google search found they were also called ‘brite smiths.’
The building is beautiful–and the proximity next to the Ellicott River makes the whole scene picturesque.
Being gluten-free, I was ecstatic to find they had beer and pizza that wouldn’t trigger my allergy. Erin and I shared a meat pizza and enjoyed chatting with a friendly bartender named James who made our visit even more memorable. (www.britesmithbrewing.com)
The restaurant was full but didn’t feel crowded. We went outside after dinner and was amazed what a niche this place so quickly filled in Williamsville. Just like some Lakewood Ranch residents prefer staying on their own Main Street and not coming into Downtown Sarasota, I’m sure there are people in Williamsville who are glad to see entertainment—and lodging—options have evolved.
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It was a treat to be able to have a nice dinner and then easily walk back to our hotel where we received a warm wave across the lobby from the front desk clerk.
We went to bed early which often concerns me in hotels—but I was happy there was no loud noise in the hallway and even the doors have a “soft-close” feature to them.
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We spent the next morning exploring all the shops and fun things to do around the hotel. A couple blocks away, across the street from Britesmith Brewing, is Glen Park. The creek that runs through it made Erin wonder if it would be a good place for kayaking. I told her she’d get her answer in another one hundred’ when she saw the waterfall.
“Is there a little dip?” she asked.
“Um…more than a dip,” I replied, holding back a laugh.
We sat and watched—and listened to the falls, the second most famous waterfall in the region after that other one with a bigger dip called Niagara.
We walked deeper into the park and found a well-worn trail that hugged the side of the river. Suddenly we were on a glorious hike through nature.
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It was again a leisurely walk back to the hotel where we freshened up and headed downtown for a relative’s wedding. The hotel can offer a delayed check-out or even hold your bags in a room off the lobby if necessary.
If you ever travel to the Buffalo area, do yourself a favor and mosey on in to The Mosey Hotel. You won’t be disappointed!
Ray Collins is a travel writer, Realtor and recovering TV news anchor—including in Buffalo. He’s written over a hundred articles over the past ten years for Family Beautiful. www.raycollinsmedia.com/articles
