Five Things to do in January 2016

credit: freedigitalphotos.net/IceHawk33

A new year means new things to do – here are five things to check out in January.

Visit the Buffalo History Museum, located at One Museum Ct. in Buffalo, and check out a few of their exhibits including: Quilts: Techniques & Styles explores notable quilts and their stories (closes in January); Our Buffalo: A Photographic Retrospective of Buffalo during the 40s and 50s (closes January 10); the John R. Oishei Native American Gallery traces Buffalo-Niagara’s history through its first inhabitants; and Inside Tim Russert’s Office: If it’s Sunday, it’s “Meet the Press.” Learn more about these and other exhibits at www.buffalohistory.org.

Head north of the border for a little icewine at the 2016 Niagara Icewine Festival, celebrating 20 years of “liquid gold” with a variety of events at a number of locations in the Niagara Region of Ontario. Dates are Fridays through Sundays, January 15-17, 22-24 and 29-31. Get a full schedule of events and other details at the Icewine Festival’s website.

If beer is your beverage of choice, check out Buffalo on Tap at the Buffalo Niagara Convention Center, Franklin St. in downtown Buffalo. There are three sessions this year – 6-9 p.m. on Friday, January 15 and 1-4 and 5-9 p.m. on Saturday, January 16 – sample more than 100 beers from some of the country’s top craft breweries. A VIP ticket ($75) includes the VIP Hoppy Hour on Saturday beginning at noon (full session noon-4 p.m.), a meal from Santora’s, a Buffalo on Tap hoodie, exclusive samples and more; general admission tickets for each session are $35.

For some outdoor fun, check out the second annual Larkinville Ice Festival on Saturday, January 30 from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. There will be festivities at Larkin Square, The Filling Station, Hydraulic Hearth, Flying Bison, the Larkin Center of Commerce and Army-Navy Outfitters, including live music, crafts, outdoor yoga (“Snowga”) and other weather-permitting activities. Find a schedule and more information here.

Warm up the next day, Sunday, January 31, at Buffalo Soup Fest at the Buffalo Niagara Convention Center – sample soups from more than 30 restaurants. Tickets for the event will be $5 at the door, and kids 5 and under are free with an adult – purchase soups with $1 “Soup Bucks.” Find more information, including times when posted, at www.buffalosoupfest.com.