It may be a bit far, but East Aurora is an inviting little village worth a visit sometime during your tenure at Houghton. Main Street has a certain small-town charm, with its old-fashioned theatre marquee and historic Five and Dime Store called Vidlers.
Vidlers itself is a unique attraction; it is the largest five and dime store in the world. Other attractions in the area include the Millard Fillmore House, the Roycroft Campus, and the Elbert Hubbard Museum.
Another fun fact: Millard Fillmore, the 13th President of the United States, lived in a simple clapboard house in East Aurora for four years before beginning his political career.
Fillmore’s house has been designated as a National Historic Landmark, and according to the Village of East Aurora’s website, “The 1825 structure is restored to that period and features some original Fillmore furniture of the era, as well as items from Fillmore’s presidential years.”
The Roycroft Campus in East Aurora has also been designated as a National Historic Landmark, and it features guided walking tours, artisan classes and demonstrations, unique handcrafted artworks, and a copper shop gallery, according to its website.
The Campus is described at its website as “the best preserved and most complete complex of buildings remaining in the United States of the ‘guilds’ that evolved as centers of craftsmanship and philosophy during the late 19th century.”
To continue this historical journey through East Aurora, visit the Elbert Hubbard Museum, which “features an extensive collection of Roycroft books and Arts & Crafts pieces,” as stated on the Village of East Aurora’s website.
For those who enjoy the outdoors, the Sinking Ponds Nature Preserve “offers hiking trails and a natural habitat for migrating geese and other animals,” according to the village’s website. In addition, there is an outdoor ice skating rink in East Aurora that is open to the public on the weekends during the winter.
Spend a Saturday away from campus discovering the historic treasures and charm of East Aurora sometime during your stay in Western New York; the opportunity is a riveting one.