Little Valley

Little Valley is the county seat of Cattaraugus County, New York.

Understand

Get in

By car

Coming from Jamestown, Erie, and points west, get off at Exit 16 of the Southern Tier Expressway (I-86) in Randolph, then follow Route 394 eastbound for 3 miles (5 km) until its junction with Route 242 just outside of East Randolph. Turn left and follow Route 242 for another 9½ miles (15½ km) and you'll be in downtown Little Valley.

Coming from Olean, Corning/Elmira, and points east, get off at Exit 20 of the Southern Tier Expressway (I-86) in Salamanca, then follow Broad Street for half a mile (1 km) until its intersection with Center Street (Route 353). Turn left on 353 and continue northward for a little over 6 miles (about 10 km), bearing left at the merge with Route 242. Just over a mile (about 2 km) ahead is downtown Little Valley.

Coming from Buffalo and points north, take US 219 south into Ellicottville. At the corner of Washington and Jefferson Streets, continue straight on Washington via Route 242 westbound. Downtown Little Valley is a bit more than eight miles (13 km) down the road.

By plane

The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Bradford Regional Airport (BFD ^IATA) in Bradford, Pennsylvania, which is served with daily commuter flights from Pittsburgh via Southern Airways Express: four on weekdays, two on Saturdays, and three on Sundays. In practice, however, arriving in Little Valley by plane usually means flying into Buffalo Niagara International Airport.

By bus

Little Valley is located on Coach USA's Jamestown-Olean line:

• Eastbound buses depart daily at 6:45AM and 4:45PM from the Jamestown Gateway Train Station at 217 W. 2nd St. in Jamestown, passing through Randolph and various points in between and arriving in Little Valley roughly 45 minutes later.
• Westbound buses depart daily at 9AM and 6:30PM from the parking lot of the Olean Center Mall at 400 N. Union St. in Olean, passing through Salamanca and various points in between and arriving in Little Valley roughly 55 minutes later.

Get around

See

• 🌍 Mansfield Area Historical Society Museum, 7691 Toad Hollow Rd., Mansfield (about 7 miles/11.5km north of the village center via County Route 14), ☎ [phone]. Open by appointment. In this small museum inside the Mansfield Town Hall are preserved artifacts and records related to the history of the Town of Mansfield and surrounding area. (updated Dec 2017)

Do

• 🌍 Cattaraugus County Fair, 501 Erie St., ☎ [phone]. Fairgrounds open daily 8AM, midway rides begin operating M 4PM and Tu-Su 1PM and typically shut down between 10PM-11PM based on demand, exhibition buildings close 9PM. Held annually since 1842 at the end of July and beginning of August, the fun and entertainment that the Cattaraugus County Fair brings to the people of Little Valley takes myriad forms: whether it be exciting carnival rides, lumberjack competitions, the annual 4-H horse show, pig races, monster truck rallies, tractor pulls, or live musical performances (the 2017 fair brought in Grammy-nominated country singer Joe Nichols), this weeklong event is a surefire hit for the whole family. $10 per person covers admission and unlimited rides, 2 and under free; weekly gate passes start at $20 (based on age) and do not include rides. Cash only. (updated Jan 2018)
• 🌍 Little Valley Horse Park, 5397 Route 353, ☎ [phone]. Open "whenever driveway is passable". Home of The Little Valley Riders Club since 1952, this expanse of state-owned land just outside of the village center not only contains its own horseback riding trails for all skill levels, but also links up with the 12-mile (about 19.5km) Pat McGee Trail where you can ride all the way northwest to Cattaraugus or southeast to Salamanca. (updated Jan 2018)
• 🌍 Little Valley Speedway (At the Cattaraugus County Fairgrounds), ☎ [phone]. Western New York's only half-mile (800m) dirt racetrack is a multi-purpose one, hosting exciting races of stock, sprint, modified, and late-model cars every year, as well as an annual schedule of four demolition derbies, including one on July 4th and another one to coincide with the Cattaraugus County Fair. (updated Dec 2017)

Buy

Eat

• 🌍 Hughes Hotel, 129 Main St., ☎ [phone]. Daily 11AM-2AM. A menu of homestyle stick-to-your-ribs American pub grub — burgers, hot and cold sandwiches, a wide variety of deep-fried finger foods on the appetizer menu, specialty pizzas (these especially are what customers rave about), platters of Buffalo-style chicken wings, a few salads, and hearty country-style mains such as meatloaf and oven-roasted smoked chicken dinners — served up in the country roadhouse ambience of one of the oldest buildings in town (erected 1834). The bar has quite the range of beers on tap (mostly big-name domestics, but with a few imports and craft brews for good measure), and live music happens frequently. $10-25. (updated Jan 2018)

Groceries

• 🌍 Cornerstone Market, 213 Main St., ☎ [phone]. Daily 8AM-10PM. Small-town supermarket with an adequate if limited selection of groceries and a menu of hot prepared foods. Prices are a bit high, but if you're looking for a full-fledged grocery store, they're the only game in town. (updated Nov 2018)
• 🌍 Dollar General, 5442 Route 353, ☎ [phone]. Daily 8AM-10PM. Standard dollar-store setup with a limited range of packaged groceries, frozen foods, a few milk and dairy items if you luck out. (updated Jan 2018)

Drink

• 🌍 The Bear Brick, 100 Main St., ☎ [phone]. Tu-F 11AM-2AM, Sa-Su 8AM-2AM. A friendly, well-kept neighborhood tavern smack-dab in the middle of the village center, The Bear Brick is the place to go if you're looking for a more easygoing, low-key experience than you'll find at some of the rowdier watering holes around these parts. At the bar you'll find decent beers and mixed drinks but slow service, and there's also a somewhat limited menu of pub grub (fish fry packs the normally empty house on Friday nights). (updated Jan 2018)

Sleep

Bed and breakfasts

• 🌍 Bush Bed & Breakfast, 5286 Route 353, ☎ [phone]. Check-in: between 4PM and 7PM, check-out: 11AM. A picture-perfect 19th-century farmhouse brimming with charm and offering a relaxing getaway for all four seasons of the year, Bush Bed & Breakfast comprises your choice of four comfy guest rooms, each with their own decorative schemes, unique antique furnishings (many of which are for sale — ask the owners), and individual amenities: "Katherine's Simplicity" and "Sophie's Rose" each feature a queen bed and a small sitting area and share a bathroom between them, while "Stanley's Den" boasts an ensuite bath and "masculine" decor in navy blue, and top-of-the-line "Molly's Blush" upgrades to a canopy bed and also features a pullout sofa and larger sitting area. ("Thomas Station" — a fifth room, smaller and with a double bed — is only available in conjunction with one of the four other rooms.) The common sitting room contains a TV set and a selection of board games and other rainy-day pastimes, and that's also where guests are regaled each morning with a full spread of country-style breakfast specialties. Kids welcome. $75-$125/nt Dec-Mar, $80-100/nt Apr-Nov. (updated Jan 2018)
• 🌍 The Manor House Bed & Breakfast, 6864 Sodum Rd., Mansfield (about 4 miles/6.5km north of the village center via Kahler Hill Road), ☎ [phone]. Check-in: between 3PM and 7PM, check-out: 11AM. This 1850s-era horse farm turned charming bed & breakfast markets itself to wintertime visitors who come to hit the slopes in nearby Ellicottville, but it's a perfect country getaway for other times of the year too (and with cheaper rates offseason to boot!) Situated on 130 acres (52.5ha) of property, you'll find the Manor House tucked away in a grove of pines and surrounded by verdant frog ponds, manicured gardens, and a network of onsite hiking and horse-riding trails. Two guest rooms each contain a king bed, sitting area, a large closet with extra pillows and blankets for those nippy winter nights, a TV with in-room DVD player, and a private bathroom with glass-doored shower stall. Additionally, the somewhat more luxuriously appointed second-floor room boasts a futon, an antique pedestal sink in the bathroom, and access to the back porch, where cool mountain breezes caress you on a summer's day and the stars come out brilliantly at night. Breakfast is a hearty country-style affair that takes place between 8AM and 9:30AM according to your preference, the sunken Japanese-style hot tub just off the dining room strikes a romantic note, and you can enjoy your own private après-ski in the first-floor common room, playing checkers or curling up with a book in front of a roaring fireplace. $105-$120/nt during ski season (Dec 21-Mar 14); $100/nt offseason; 2-night minimum. (updated Jan 2018)

Campgrounds

• Little Valley Horse Park, 5397 Route 353, ☎ [phone]. Horseback riders and others can take advantage of 24 serviced and over 50 primitive campsites, with onsite showers and restroom facilities provided. Call the listed number for rates and availability. (updated Jan 2018)

Connect

• 🌍 Little Valley Post Office, 115 Main St., ☎ [phone]. M-F 9AM-1:30PM & 2:30PM-5PM, Sa 10AM-noon. (updated Jan 2018)
• 🌍 Memorial Library of Little Valley, 110 Rock City St., ☎ [phone]. M-Tu & Th 10AM-8PM, F 10Am-5PM, Sa 10AM-noon (except Jul & Aug). Free WiFi is available at this member library of the Chautauqua-Cattaraugus Library System. (updated Jan 2018)

Go next

Routes through Little Valley

END ← East Randolph ←

W  E

→ Ellicottville → Machias