Buffalo Art & Craft Festival (Buffalo, MN)

Hello, my friends! A few weeks ago on a beautiful midwestern summer day, some friends and I took a little road trip to Buffalo, MN. While it was only a little over an hour away from the Twin Cities, it felt like we were miles from the big city! We heard about this big art and craft festival happening that weekend and decided to check it out! Come along as I share all about the Buffalo Art & Craft Festival as well as other places we visited in Buffalo, MN.

Buffalo Art & Craft Festival

August of this year (2022) marked the 38th Annual Buffalo Art & Craft Festival! The festival took place in the downtown streets of Buffalo, MN with over 150 artisans. Each year this event brings so many uniquely handmade items such as outdoor furniture, pottery, embroidered dish towels, paintings, lawn ornaments, soaps, jewelry, and the list goes on and on. Tents were set up with different artisans as far as the eye could see – there was definitely something for everyone! One of my friends bought some embroidered dish towels, which reminded us both of our moms and grandmas when they had them hanging in their kitchens. Great memories!

To add even more fun, there were tasty treats from food trucks and restaurants and all the downtown boutiques were open. There was plenty of shopping being had by all!

More from Downtown Buffalo, MN

I just have to mention the name of this downtown business, because I thought it had the most unique name! It was called, A Wreath of Franklin. How cool is that name?! A Wreath of Franklin is a woman-owned small business that has a little of everything including furniture, home décor, and clothing.

What’s a summer road trip without ice cream, right?! My friends and I checked out a fun family-owned ice cream shop called, What’s the Scoop?, and oh my goodness, this place was amazing! I had the Cookie Dough Extreme Sundae with cookie dough ice cream, hot fudge, cookie dough topping, whip cream, and a cherry on top. Delicious! One friend had a Banana Split, and the other the Turtle Sundae. Anyone could tell by our silence that we really enjoyed our treats! 😊 What’s the Scoop has been in business since September 2017 and offers 40 flavors of ice cream from French Vanilla to Amaretto Mackinac Island Fudge.

What’s the Scoop offers catering as well. They have food trucks that serve 16 flavors of premium hard scoop ice cream for many different occasions (birthday parties, graduation parties, weddings, city festivals, music festivals, and more!). Oh for fun!

Buffalo Nickel Antique Market

Moving away from downtown, my friends and I checked out the Buffalo Nickel Antique Market (or just Buffalo Nickel). Buffalo Nickel has turned an old two story 1949 barn into a business for 40 years, and offers an ever-changing variety of antiques, home decor, handmade items, furniture, jewelry, and clothing.

Every nook and cranny is filled with treasures, and I mean every nook and cranny! Antiques are mixed in with home décor and soaps, in a way that makes it so enjoyable to stroll around and peruse. It was so much fun checking out the beautiful antiques that brought back so many great childhood memories. How are they antiques already? Haha! The antique desks, dressers, tables, chairs, and more were all in wonderful shape, and just so lovely! If you enjoy antique shopping, I highly encourage you to check out Buffalo Nickel!

Thirsty Buffalo Saloon

My friends and I stopped in at the Thirsty Buffalo Saloon (formally known as the Buffalo Bar and Grill) for a meal, and it did not disappoint! Serving the Buffalo and Wright County area for over 20 years, the Thirsty Buffalo Saloon offers daily happy hour and food specials, great live music, and tons to do in an inviting and enjoyable atmosphere. The customers were playing bingo while we were there and having a great time!

The Thirsty Buffalo Saloon has a little bit of everything on their menu including burgers, sandwiches, salads, soups, wraps, nachos, and much more. They also have The Small Stuff menu for children and seniors, which includes their choice of a cheeseburger, chicken strips, mini corn dog, or mac n’ cheese served with fries and a drink for $6.99 – great deal! For me, the California burger sounded so good, but I noticed it didn’t include cheese. The server was very accommodating and said there was no problem adding cheese when I requested it (the saloon was hoppin’, but our server was so amazing even with the place being so busy!). One of my friends ordered a patty melt and another an appetizer, and we all agreed that everything was very tasty!

I can’t wait to go back to Buffalo, MN to check out the other downtown shops and restaurants! I’ll admit the town was bigger than I thought it would be, but it still had that small-town feel. I loved it and hope you will as well! Enjoy!