The Cary Graphic Arts Collection should loom large in anyone’s plans for typographic research.
http://wally.rit.edu/cary/
The UB Poetry Collection has some amazing things as well including a complete run of Kelmscott books and other British private press works.
http://ublib.buffalo.edu/pl/
UB also has a large Polish collection which I have never looked through, but could prove useful for typographic research.
http://ublib.buffalo.edu/libraries/asl/guides/polish-room/index.html
The Central Buffalo Library not too far from the conference hotel has a rare book room with some surprising things as well.
http://milestones.buffalolib.org/main.htm
As with all special collections, it is best to make an appointment and if possible, state what you are looking for before you arrive. Browsing generally is not an option.

Wells College Book Arts center has summer institute sessions before and after (and during ...whoops) TypeCon
http://www.wells.edu/bkarts/courses_2008.htm

If you are feeling Arts & Craftsy, you could spend a night before or after the conference at the Roycroft Inn in East Aurora
http://roycroftinn.com/
or in a Frank Lloyd Wright house in Buffalo
http://www.thedavidsonhouse.com/

Thanks very much!

Those were a few Typographic suggestions.
For other general interest diversions: Niagara Falls is 20 minutes from downtown Buffalo and the wine tours in the Niagara region of Ontario are plentiful. The TypeCon website will have more when it goes live.