Cincinnati to Buffalo road trip: Distance, time & best stops
The best road trip stops on the Cincinnati to Buffalo drive are Columbus, Mansfield and Cleveland. The distance from Cincinnati to Buffalo by car is 436 miles, with a 6h17m driving time.
Planning a Cincinnati to Buffalo road trip itinerary
The drive from Cincinnati to Buffalo takes you from southern Ohio to north-western New York. Both cities have a lot to offer, but there is plenty to see along the way.
Top Cincinnati activities include underground tours – some with beer tasting – and food tours by streetcar. You can also try baseball history tours, indoor skydiving and guided ghost walks.
Good experiences in Buffalo include Best of Buffalo double decker bus tours, a history of chicken wings food tour and the Theodore Roosevelt Inauguration National Historic Site.
Cincinnati to Buffalo distance and driving time
By car, the distance from Cincinnati to Buffalo is 436 miles. That makes for a driving time of around six hours and 17 minutes. The quickest route is largely along the I-71 and I-90.
The best stops on a Cincinnati to Buffalo road trip itinerary are Columbus, Mansfield and Cleveland.
Cincinnati to Buffalo road trip stops: Columbus
Columbus is the capital of Ohio, and has a series of worthy attractions. None are top tier must-sees, but several are pretty darned good.
In Columbus, a three day attractions pass covers most of the top sights. These include the Columbus Museum of Art, Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens and the National Veterans Memorial and Museum. For other Columbus experiences, try scavenger hunts, a town tour aboard the Trolley Pub and the Legoland Discovery Center.
Best attractions between Cincinnati and Buffalo: Mansfield
There are several attractions in the small Ohio city of Mansfield. These include the Buckeye Imagination Museum, which provides hands-on, play-based learning for kids, and historic Oak Hill Cottage.
The highlight, however, is the Ohio State Reformatory. This former prison offers several guided tours, including one with a Shawshank Redemption theme. The film was shot here. Other tours go into executions and life behind bars.
Cincinnati to Buffalo road trip stops: Cleveland
There are many strong attractions in Cleveland, including the Cleveland History Center. But the big stand out is the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame. It’s an extremely reverent trawl through rock ‘n roll history, looking at the origins and development of the genre. There’s a massive amount of memorabilia, with sections devoted to several Hall of Fame inductees.
The Rock N Roll Hall of Fame is dense, detailed and capable of sucking up the best part of a day.
Alternatively, Cleveland tour options focus on neighbourhood food scenes, the city’s best craft breweries and Downtown’s public art.
More Cincinnati road trips
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More Buffalo road trips
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