Explore Buffalo, a nonprofit organization providing tours and other opportunities where guests can discover Buffalo’s great architecture, history and neighborhoods, has announced an exciting lineup of March events.
Inside St. Mary’s School for the Deaf
March 1 • 6 p.m.
Meet: St. Mary’s School for the Deaf, 2253 Main St., Buffalo. Enter the driveway from Main Street to use the parking lot which is behind the buildings; the main entrance faces the parking lot and is up a flight of stairs to the right of the bridge that the driveway goes underneath.
Cost: $15, Students $5, Explorer Pass holders $10
This two-hour walking tour highlights the beautiful architecture of this historic building and offers fascinating information about the history and culture of deaf people in the Buffalo area. The tour also offers a glimpse into the current world of educating deaf and hard of hearing students in the 21st century. Join Explore Buffalo for a one-of-a-kind tour in one of Buffalo’s iconic buildings!
Inside Downtown – North
March 3, 10, 17, 24, 31 • 10:30 a.m.
Meet: Spot Coffee, 227 Delaware Ave., Buffalo
Cost: $15, Students $5, Explorer Pass Holders Free
Join Explore Buffalo for a winter tour of downtown landmarks, focusing on interior spaces to stay warm! This tour covers a variety of architectural styles and successful adaptive reuses of buildings in the northern part of downtown Buffalo. Buildings featured on this tour include Goldome Bank, Market Arcade and the Electric Tower. There are short outdoor walks to get from building to building, with the tour designed to allow tour takers to spend most of the time indoors.
Two-hour metered parking is available on Delaware Avenue and other nearby streets, or private parking lots are available; the closest is on Delaware Avenue, next to Spot Coffee. The nearest MetroRail station, Fountain Plaza, is three blocks away.
Inside Downtown – South
March 4, 11, 18, 25 • 10:30 a.m.
Meet: Buffalo Harbor Museum, 66 Erie St., Buffalo
Cost: $15, Students $5, Explorer Pass Holders Free
Join Explore Buffalo for a winter tour of downtown landmarks, focusing on interior spaces to stay warm! This tour covers a variety of architectural styles and successful adaptive reuses of buildings in the southern part of downtown Buffalo. Buildings featured on this tour include the Guaranty Building, St. Paul’s Cathedral, Ellicott Square Building and the Old Post Office. There are short outdoor walks to get from building to building, with the tour designed to allow tour takers to spend most of the time indoors.
Art of the Subway
March 5 • 10 a.m.
Meet: University Station, Buffalo
Cost: $15, Students $5, Explorer Pass Holders Free
Buffalo’s Metro Rail system is an oft-overlooked treasure trove of modern art! Each station features unique artwork by a wide variety of artists, which will be seen on this tour as you travel from one end of the Metro Rail system to the other, getting off at each station along the way.
The tour meets at the University Metro Rail Station on the University at Buffalo’s South Campus. Plentiful free parking is available adjacent to the University Station in the Park-and-Ride parking lot. Metro Rail fare is not included in the tour price and must be purchased separately. (Round-trip fare is $4). This tour is approximately three hours in length and will end in downtown Buffalo, where you may either board an outbound train to return to University Station or stay for lunch before returning.
Winter Speaker Series Session 5: Origins of Buffalo – Artsy Buffalo
March 9 • 7 to 9 p.m.
Meet: First Presbyterian Church, 1 Symphony Circle, Buffalo
Cost: $10, Explorer Pass Holders Free
Literary Legacies in the Queen City
Many of us know about the connections between Buffalo and famous authors Mark Twain, F. Scott Fitzgerald and Lauren Belfer; perhaps you have even taken Explore Buffalo tours on these topics! But did you know that Buffalo is also one of the epicenters of American poetry, boasting one of the oldest Poetics PhD programs in the U.S.? Or that the third largest collection of Anglophone modern poetry in the world — housing one of Shakespeare’s rare First Folios — is at UB’s North Campus? Join Explore Buffalo at this talk where we explore Buffalo’s poetic literary legacy, past and present!
Buffalo’s Public Art
From the Spirit of Niagara to Shark Girl, the existence of public art in Buffalo has transformed itself to be available to all. We will look at women in art and women artists, historical events in art, and some of the lesser known public art in our great city!
Inide Tri-Main
March 24 • 3:30 and 5:30 p.m.
Meet: Tri-Main Center, 2495 Main St., Buffalo. Please note the main entrance to the building lobby is on Halbert Street, adjacent to the building’s parking lots.
Cost: $15, Students $5, Explorer Pass Holders $10
Join Explore Buffalo for a tour inside one of Buffalo’s most historic industrial buildings! The Tri-Main Center’s history encompasses four different eras, beginning with Ford in 1915 and continuing through Bell Aircraft and Trico to the present day as a mixed-use facility housing more than 100 different companies over six floors and across 575,000 square feet. This tour will highlight the past, present and future of this massive building. As we wind our way through the Tri-Main Center, you’ll learn about the building’s history and see some of the current tenants. The tour will end at the Buffalo Arts Studio, which you are welcome to explore on your own at the end of the tour as part of their free Fourth Friday event.
This tour is approximately one hour in length. The tour is indoors (in good weather, a small amount of the tour may be outside). This tour is approximately one mile of indoor walking within the building. Stairs are typically used, but an elevator is available if needed. Cameras are encouraged!
City of Light Bus Tour
March 25 • 1 p.m.
Meet: Buffalo Seminary, 205 Bidwell Parkway, Buffalo
Cost: $40, Explorer Pass Holders $35
At the end of the 19th century, Buffalo was a major American city in the forefront of technological progress. It was a busy inland port and a railroad hub with heavy industry and state-of-the-art electricity, all of which brought great wealth to the city. These economic and technological developments culminated in 1901 when Buffalo hosted a spectacular world’s fair: The Pan-American Exposition.
Experience Buffalo through the eyes of the narrator of Lauren Belfer’s historical novel, City of Light, which is set in Buffalo at the dawn of the 20th century.
Advance reservations are encouraged but not required for tours and speaker series. All credit card payments must be made in advance. Advance reservations with a credit card can be made online until the tour starting time. Cash or checks are accepted at the start of the tour.
If you make an advance reservation, please print your confirmation email or be prepared to show it on your phone.
Unless specified, most tours are between 90 minutes and two hours in length. Please wear comfortable walking shoes and dress for the weather! Winter Weather Cancellation Policy: Tours will be cancelled if there is a Travel Advisory in place in the City of Buffalo. Reservations can be made online at explorebuffalo.org or by calling (716) 245-3032.
