War of 1812 sites in Buffalo & Black Rock

Historian Richard Feltoe came in from Toronto and met some community activists to research possible sites for a War of 1812 memorial in Buffalo. See three video clips below! Books, tours, movies, and many more projects are in the works. Buffalo Tours also gives architecture and history tours of the Black Rock area on July 4th, August 1st, September 5th, and October 3rd at 10am.

Free Roycroft Raffle and Free Tours

When you complete the sign-in sheet at the start of any tour you will be entered into our end-of-season raffle. A free dinner and overnight stay at the historic Roycroft Inn will be awarded to the lucky raffle winner.

In addition, you can take the tour for free and get $20 in Tour Bucks for future tours! Just select the option on the sign-sheet to join Preservation Buffalo Niagara ($40/individual or $50/family). We accept cash, check, Visa or Mastercard.

Unanswered Tour Questions

Tour patrons sometimes ask questions for which the docent doesn't have an answer. With this in mind I've created a public place to display those questions and answers .

Buffalo Tours now has a Flickr group

If you give or take tours, you take pictures along the way, and you have a Flickr account, we'd love to have you join & share your pictures.

http://www.flickr.com/groups/buffalotours/

Buffalo Tails: Dog Walk and Historical Downtown Tour

When: Fri, June 26, 6pm – 8pm
Where: 431 Ellicott Street, Buffalo NY 14203
Call (716) 602-7169 for reservations.


Bring your pooch to a special edition of the Queen City Downtown tour! Co-sponsored by Companion Animal Network and Buffalo Tours, this 1 1/2 hour, fido-friendly family walk will visit some of the our beautiful downtown landmarks. Along the way you’ll hear the stories of Buffalo’s beginning, the Erie Canal and several master architects like Sullivan, Burnham, Upjohn and our own E.B. Green. This fun event will provide water and treats for our 4 legged companions. Some buildings will be open for the tour and dog sitters will be provided for your dog so that you may visit the inside of some of these fabulous buildings. The tour will begin from the Puppy Playpen on 431 Ellicott Street at Genesee Street. Hot dogs will be served from 6:15 to 7:00pm. The tour starts promptly at 7:00pm. Refreshments, desserts and dog treats will be served at the Puppy Playpen after the tour. ThetTour will cost $25 for a family or $20 dollars and a pet food contribution to the Pet Food Pantry in advance or $30 dollars at the door. Your dog must be leashed and we ask that you bring materials to clean up after your dog.

Buffalo Tours: Queen City Downtown

Over 1500 people have taken a tour with us in the past month, including over 75 people who braved the rain at a Queen City Downtown tour just a couple of weeks ago.


Our Queen City tours are held on Saturdays from June through October, Monday through Friday in July and August, and Tuesdays all year long.


To see tour times and meeting locations, check out the tour description online.

Elmwood Village Free Summer Concert Series

Each Tuesday from June 30th to August 11th the Elmwood Village Association will stage a free concert on Bidwell Parkway.

Event sponsors include M&T Bank (Presenting Sponsor), Bergen & Schiffmacher, LLP, Damon & Morey LLC, Delaware District Councilmember Michael LoCurto, and the law firm of Cantor, Lukasik, Dolce and Panepinto.

The complete Summer Concert Schedule is as follows:

June 30th - Neville Francis & the Riddim Posse
July 7th - Doug Yeomans and the Lo Blu Flame
July 14th - Latin Jazz Project
July 21st - Outer Circle Orchestra
July 28th - Lee Ron Zydeco & the Hot Tamales
August 4th - Gretchen Schulz and the Morvels
August 11th - Babik

For more information about specific concerts please visit www.elmwoodvillage.org.

Food, water, beer and wine are available for sale by JP Bullfeathers with proceeds benefiting the Elmwood Village Association. Concert goers are also welcome to bring their own picnic to enjoy!

Forest Lawn Cemetery Summer Tour Program

From Forest Lawn:

Forest Lawn Cemetery and Garden Mausoleums will greatly expand its popular Sunday in the Cemetery Tours. A total of 38 guided motor coach and walking tours will focus on the cemetery's history, nature, art and architecture, famous women, and African-Americans from June 7 through September 27, 2009. In 2008, Forest Lawn offered 25 tours as part of the summer program.

Now in its 13th year, the tour series marks the 160th anniversary of Buffalo's oldest cemetery. Founded in 1849, Forest Lawn continues to serve as an important end-point destination for tourists, historians, and families seeking a better understanding of the history of Buffalo and the nation.

During the tours, professional guides and authentically costumed characters chat with visitors and speak "in character" about what life was like from the early 1800's. Visitors tour parts of Forest Lawn's 269 acres (one of New York State's largest arboretums!) and see outstanding examples of funerary art. Forest Lawn is listed on both State and National Registers of Historic Places. More than 156,000 people have chosen Forest Lawn as their final resting place, and famous people interred there include a President of the United States, 47 Mayors of Buffalo, recipients of the Medal of Honor, veterans from more than 8 wars, and thousand of others.

The summer's schedule includes 20 History Tours by air-conditioned motor coach, 11 History Walking Tours; 2 Nature Walks; 1 Famous Women Motor Coach Tour and 1 Famous Women Walking Tour; 1 African-American Motor Coach Tour; 1 Pan Am Motor Coach Tour; and 1 Art & Architecture Motor Coach Tour. Motor Coach Tours are $25 per person. Walking Tours are $15 per person. Tours last approximately one and a half hours, and due to length, are not recommended for children under 12. Adult group tours are available by special arrangement through the Forest Lawn office, and information on both school and group tours may be obtained by calling 885-1606, extension 302. Reservations are required, and tickets may be obtained from Forest Lawn at the corner of Delaware and Delavan, or on line at forest-lawn.com, or www.brownpapertickets.com/producer/8231.

"Californians Drawn Here for the Culture"

Read the Buffalo News article about a group who recently took one of our group bus tours. They also visited a number of museums and Frank Lloyd Wright buildings in Buffalo.

I had no idea that Buffalo had this much,” said Koch, who owns a travel agency in Manhattan Beach, California. “It’s a hidden gem. I knew this would be a good tour.

To arrange a bus tour for your group, visit our Group Tours page.