EXPLORE BUFFALO'S RELIGIOUS ART & ARCHITECTURE
Experience Buffalo is proud to provide fabulous tours highlighting the historical importance and architectural splendor of Buffalo's treasured Heavenly Spaces.

AVAILABLE TOUR EXPERIENCES

• The Avenue
• Buffalo's Polonia
• A WING and a Prayer
• Buffalo's Heavenly Spaces
• Stained Glass Masterpieces
• Buffalo's Religious Architecture
• The Splendors of Europe Close to Home
• 6-Hour Tour Experience

Get a bird's eye view of Buffalo from the top of the Observation Tower (elevator plus one flight of stairs). Learn the history of the city and see architectural wonders while on a driving tour. Lunch is at Pearl Street Grill & Brewery. Following lunch, see a pictorial history of the canal days and enjoy a brew pub Beer Tasting! Visit Definitely Buffalo where everything is Buffalo - wing sauce, shirts, stuffed animals, jewelry, picutres and more! Browse in the The Christmas Shoppe. The store is filled with a huge variety of decorations and not just Christmas. These folks have decorated the White House for many years. You'll be surprised to see what Buffalonians made or invented while touring the Buffalo & Erie County Historical Society. The "Buffalo Made!" Exhibit showcases our Cheerio's, the pacemaker, Keri Lotion, Barcalounger and many other everyday items. This is a 6 hour tour experience.

Begin your architectural tour at the Darwin Martin House, Frank Lloyd Wright's greatest Prairie House. Next we're on to the George Barton House built between 1903-04 for Darwin's sister and husband. Enjoy lunch at the Pearl Street Grill & Brewery , followed by a tour of the Isabelle R. Martin House at Graycliff. Enjoy a spectacular view of Lake Erie from the cantilevered balconies of this summer home built for Mrs. Martin. 6 hour tour experiences are available upon request.

Experience Niagara-on-the-Lake, "The Prettiest Town in Canada". Rich history and charm greet you as you meander through the boutiques and elegant gardens. Taste the award winning vintages of this region's remarkable wineries with a visit to an area winery for a tour and tasting. An add-on lunch is also available with this 5-hour tour experience upon request.

Experience the awe-inspiring power of Niagara Falls from the rail of the Maid of the Mist boat. Learn about the men and women who challenged the Niagara in a barrel or simply enjoy the panoramic beauty that surrounds this area. Your step on guide will escort your group on a four-five hour sightseeing tour of Niagara Falls, NY including the Maid of the Mist boat cruise, American Falls, Bridal Veil Falls, Goat Island, Three Sister Islands, and more!

The streets of Buffalo are lined with creative designs of master architects. Visit Frank Lloyd Wright's Darwin Martin House with a docent-led tour of the complex, see the towering mansions of Millionaire Row, see the incredible beauty of Forest Lawn Cemetary and the spiritual magnificence of Our Lady of Victory Basilica and National Shrine. Four-hour tour includes admissions and step on guide.

Journey to Murphy's Orchard for a farm tour and visit to a stop on the Underground Railroad. Then, it's off to historic Lockport, NY for a luncheon buffet at the Canalside Emporium, followed by a relaxing two-hour narrated cruise on the Erie Canal. Hand-dug to connect the Hudson River with the Niagara River, the 363 mile Grand Old Erie Canal is truly a great engineering feat! Enjoy an unforgettable experience that will educate your group about the Canal's history and lore while locking up and down the Niagara Escarpment. 7-hour tours available.

Cruise the historic Erie Canal and through the Lockport Locks aboard a Coast Guard inspected vessel. Enjoy this unique narrated 2 hour cruise followed by lunch back at the Lockport Locks and Canal Side Center. Following lunch, the Lockport Cave & Underground Boat Ride on the Erie Canal offers an exciting 70-minute guided tour through America’s past. You will explore the historic Erie Canal Locks 67-71, constructed in 1838. You will also view ruins from an earlier industrial age, walk safely through a water tunnel that was blasted out of solid rock in the 1850s, viewing stalactites, flow stone, various geological formations and artifacts left behind by the men who built the tunnel in the early days of the Erie Canal. The next part of your journey is on America’s longest underground boat ride. Marvel at artifacts left by miners on the Erie Canal over a century ago. And view cave formations in their early stages of development. Visitors are awestruck as they take a ride that has been described as both “peaceful and eerie” as the boat glides through the lifeless water, illuminated only by small, sporadically placed electric lights.

RIDE THE MEDINA RAILWAY FROM MEDINA TO LOCKPORT
A unique and exciting “living history” of Niagara County await you on the Medina Railroad Museum Train Ride.  Enjoy the scenic and historic ride from Medina to Lockport (and return) while interacting with costumed characters from Niagara’s History. "Queenie Rivers", a conductor on the Underground Railroad, shares stories of the flight of fugitive slaves to freedom. Dangerous bounty hunters board and search the train - while explaining how and why bounty hunters carried out their duties throughout New York State. Meet a young Union soldier returning by rail from the Civil War battlefields. Listen as Erie Canal employee "Dewey Sinclair" shares stories of how the railway supplanted the Erie Canal. Enjoy a crisp empire apple as a farmer celebrates how the railways opened the doors for New York State to become the nation's leading producer of apples. Other re-enactors bring color and realism to the experience. This tour includes admission to the famous Medina Railroad Museum, a visit to Ridge Road Station, scenic road trip rail ride, luxury motorcoach transportation, and BBQ luncheon. 4-hour tour experiences available on demand.

*Tours depart Medina Railroad Museum

THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD IN WESTERN NEW YORK
No story in our Nation's history is as compelling as that of the Underground Railroad, and the network of people - Black, White and Native - who risked life and livelihood to help fugitive slaves reach freedom. Led by "Queenie Rivers", this tour visits sites of interest in and around Niagara County. The tour includes stops at the Castellani Art Museum Underground Railroad Interpretive Center, then visits Murphy's Orchards, an actual stop and safe house of the Underground Railroad. View the concealed room, and encounter menacing bounty hunters as the story unfolds around you. This is an experience like no other, with re-enactors in period dress who interact and educate throughout. 5-hour tour experiences available. Call for more details.

The Roycroft Renaissance is blossoming in East Aurora and throughout the country. Visit the Elbert Hubbard Museum,an East Aurora hidden gem. Lunch is planned at the Roycroft Inn followed by a visit to the Cooper Shop & Gift Boutique across from the Roycroft. Shop in downtown East Aurora at the many gift shops and boutiques- including Viddler's Five & Dime . . . a historic treasure.

In the 1980’s, a group of GE retirees and members of the General Electric Elfun Society initiated a project to accumulate and validate material of historic interest and to interview persons of responsibility and knowledge in the Erie Plant operation. This preservation became the Museum of Erie GE History. The displays feature early Erie plant history, foundry operations, direct current motor, an HO gage model railroad in operation, and more. Next, it’s off to the MARX Toy Museum. The Museum features wonderful Marx Toys such the famous big wheel, large running train displays, tin toys, and Erie's Famous Mouse House. This is a 16-room cardboard box mansion, 55”H x 72”W built as if mice had gathered things from “downstairs”. The history of trains then continues with lunch at the Concourse of Union Station - A 1927 restored antique train station. Visit Erie Brewing Company and learn how beer is produced. Of course, there are samplings of Erie’s finest!

SAVOR THE FLAVORS OF BUFFALO TRADITION
Nothing connects us to the comfort and familiarity of our ethnic traditions quite like the Broadway Market.  Savor the flavors of Buffalo tradition. Enjoy the history that unfolds in this spectacular one day tour, only available through Snyder Tours. You'll be greeted by a native Buffalonian who will escort our group through the market to Savor the Flavor of Buffalo. Enjoy a "Buffalo Foods" cooking demonstration by Sandy Starks, WNY's Field Editor of the Taste of Home Magazine. Learn about the history of the Broadway Market, the Buffalo area and more!  Each passenger receives coupons, special recipes, samples and MORE! Take advantage of the shopping - featuring Buffalo's finest offerings - with special Snyder Tour participant discounts and "treats" offered throughout the market.

AVAILABLE TOUR EXPERIENCES

• Tuesday, April 7, 2009
• Thursday, April 9, 2009
• More 2009 Holy Week tour experiences to be announced

Customized group tour packages available. Small groups welcome!
ASK ABOUT OUR OTHER GROUP TOUR OFFERINGS!