Frank Lloyd Wright's Graycliff

I've never been to this museum, but still think a museum membership here is an amazing deal.

Then why post a review...

Reciprocal benefits.

This has been one of the most useful museum passes that we have ever purchased. The card allows admission to over a thousand museums, art galleries, historic homes, including Frank Lloyd Wright masterpieces, and cultural centers both in the US and abroad.

The Martins Pass is a fantastic deal at $100 for 2 adults and children under 18 in a household. It includes five reciprocal benefit programs: the Time Travelers Reciprocal Program, the Empire State Museums Reciprocal Program, the Frank Lloyd Wright National Reciprocal Sites Membership Program, the North American Reciprocal Museums Program (NARM) and the Reciprocal Organization of Associated Museums Program (ROAM). They also have occasional discounts off their membership passes.

Some of the museums that we have visited via the North American Reciprocal Museum Association (NARM) include, but are definitely not limited to, the Royal BC Museum in Victoria, Canada, the High Museum and the National Center for Civil and Human Rights in Atlanta, Georgia, the Richard Driehaus Museum in Chicago, and the Cabildo, the Beauregard-Keyes House and Presbytere in New Orleans.

The ROAM (Reciprocal Organization of Associated Museums) has also been useful. Favorite museums include the Atlanta History Center and Swan House in Atlanta, the New Orleans Museum of Art and the Sculpture Garden, and the Walt Disney Family Museum in San Francisco. The Oscar statuettes for Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs are so cute.

Nice to be able to visit The Guggenheim in Manhattan by reserving online with the FLW benefits.

We've also been able to visit the grand mansions in Newport, the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, and the Honolulu Museum of Art. The Asian Art Museum in San Francisco houses one of the most comprehensive collections of Asian art in the world. Simply stunning.

And of course, the annual pass will give you unlimited access to Graycliff. Found this museum and museum pass while looking at museums near Buffalo, NY, for my friend Linda M. Make a donation at the museum or buy a souvenir at the gift shop.

Special thanks to Ryan in the museum membership office. It has been a great membership for our family and a nice gift for our friends.

Thursday nights in the summer for the market are an experience to not miss.

Great vendors and a $10 donation gets you into the first floor of the estate.

Stopped here on our way back from Toronto and after having gone to the Martin house earlier in the day, this was a nice choice as an additional one to go to while in the area.

I think that for the most part - this was a nice place to also visit. I liked the look of the house but making people wearing protective gear was obscene . Especially when one lady refused to do it - and one one made her.

I would recommend this as a stop.

First visit here. We were lucky enough to hear about a deal for Erie County residences for 50% off all tickets so we decided to take the 2 hour tour, we'll worth it even at full price! there Are still renovations being completed (long process) but they're now pretty limited to the water front area. Though this does include a fence along the shoreline that blocks the view just a bit.

it was so interesting seeing and hearing about the differences in Graycliff and the Darwin Martin House, both by Frank Lloyd Wright (FLW). They're totally different. Can you imagine having so much money to be able to do that? FLW designed this house thinking about Mrs Darwin, doing things like making sure there was plenty of light and wider halls because of her limited sight. He's also known to want to design things that way he wants such as telling Mrs Darwin no when she asked for chandeliers. He told her it would take away from the light coming in and the beautiful views. The views are amazing. I couldn't stop looking out the windows at the lake all through the house!

Overall I loved hearing the history of the house along with hearing more about the Martin family. Well worth our time. Next stop is a short trip down the road to Pa to see FLW Fallingwater House.

2022-30

An absolute GEM of the community ! The history the architecture! The grounds are amazing ! Best views of the lake and sunset ! During summer they have festivals and vendor events shopping and food ! What a total blast ! The gift shop is priced very fairly and the workers are knowledgeable and friendly . Great place for a date ! Immersion in history and culture right here I. Wny

What a great place full of history and the grounds are amazing, my niece had her wedding there. I live very close by just up the hill.

I signed up the night before for the 2-hour tour. Splurge on the 2-hour tour. You won't regret it. The tour had 3 people from the area, a couple from Philadelphia, and a couple from Wisconsin. Very intimate, and the perfect size. Everyone was a Frank Lloyd Wright enthusiast and had visited several of his houses, except for me. So both novices and experts alike will enjoy this. Our tour guide, Denise, was exceptional. She told us stories about the past inhabitants of the residence, geology, made it fascinating, so much so that I wanted her to continue to talk the entire day.

The site is breathtaking with the first scene you see being the house, with the view of the lake next to it, and through it. The grounds are also great, and currently the tennis court is being restored. The entire house is restored. My favorite room was the room off the living room with the stone features and ivy plants indoors to make it feel like it was outdoors. If I lived there, I would grab a book and position myself near the windows.

FANTASTIC. History buffs, architecture lovers, museum-goers, and Frank Lloyd Wright fans will absolutely LOVE Graycliff.

After visiting the Filling Station at the Pierce-Arrow museum, I jumped right online and booked a tour at Graycliff. I don't know, something came over me and I had forgotten how intensely I love FLW's work and the history around him and the Darwin D. Martin family in Buffalo.

This place is definitely a bit off the grid, 30 minutes from Buffalo but so worth the trip. It's tucked away in the lakeside neighborhoods of Derby, way back off the road and out of view. Also off the grid in the sense that I feel like not many people even know it exists!

You book tours online; they offer 1-, 2-, and 3-hour tours of the grounds. I only booked the hour tour to dip my feet in. The grounds are clearly marked with a sign and have a gravel driveway for parking in. The M&T Bank Pavilion is where you go to check in for your tour, and also serves as the gift shop.

I learned SO MUCH on this tour, that I'm already planning on returning in the summer.

Now I've heard a lot about their restoration process over the years, but it seems like the main structures are definitely sound enough now to amaze and wow you. As of now the tennis court is under reconstruction, and the cliff behind the home has claimed the bridge to the beach and a stone bench to erosion.

To see this building in such glory is truly remarkable. Our tour guide was absolutely amazing, pointing out small details in the structures we never would have noticed, providing insightful history on the estate and its' construction, and her pleasant attitude really kept our group interested and captivated! No question went unanswered, and we geeked out about FLW's architecture a whole after the tour.

We lucked out on a spring day - it was relatively nice out, great for pictures. Touring this place is definitely best when it's clear, and you're better off visiting in the warmer months. The garden will be blooming by then, and the fountain in the front will be running.

They also host Market at Graycliff here, with local artisans and food trucks starting in June!

Last summer we were passing by FLW's Graycliff, and spontaneously decided to stop in a take a tour - we were VERY impressed.

Tip: Buffalo's got some of the most diverse Frank Llyod Wright designs, and this site is quite historic.

All of the landscape is beautifully integrated, and the horizontal lines & vistas are perfectly planned. The whole place sits atop an eighty-foot cliff overlooking Lake Erie - don't miss out; come check it out!!

Beautiful historic home with excellent tours and knowledgeable docents. Be sure to support the Thursday Market. Free entry to the grounds and live music. Great place to watch the sunset over Lake Erie.