Our Story

Buffalo is my home. It is my passion. I've lived in and around Buffalo all my life and every day I learn something new about this city.

Since I was young I've valued stories and the way that people are connected through the craft of telling them. I believe that you can learn a great deal about a person or a place by the stories that they choose to tell. For a long time the stories people have told about Buffalo were of a dying rust belt city with nothing left to give the world.

But Buffalo is much more than rust and chicken wings and snow. And in recent years more and more people are showcasing the old and creating new, strong and beautiful stories about Buffalo.

Our goal, at No Illusions Tours is to add to those new stories by breaking down the history of Buffalo itself.

We seek to tell our city’s story through different voices from the past, from the Burning of Buffalo more than 200 years ago to new art and innovation from the last decade.

Our very first stories at No Illusions have been told through the voices of remarkable women who have lived and worked here, who have helped Buffalo and in many cases the rest of the world to grow, as they grew. This series of tours, Buffalo's Favorite Daughters consists of three separate tours. We also feature a tour that tells Buffalo's stories through the eyes of authors who have lived here, called Buffalo Lit, as well as an Anomalies Tour series in October each year.

We have worked with other local companies to create unique tour experiences as well, including carriage rides featuring Buffalo's Favorite Daughters and Buffalo Lit stops and the full Anomalies tours by wagon with Banner Farm, as well as a unique Women's History tour with Buffalo Bike Tours. WE've also created memorable season opener tours featuring local cafes, Grindhaus, Caffeology, and The Intersection Cafe, as well as local bakery, Mundycakes and What's Poppin' Popcorn. No Illusions Tours has also worked with Sobremesa Buffalo to put on a historic dinner celebrating the Pan American Exposition at Buffalo Harmony House.

We look forward to many more experiences telling the story of Buffalo's hidden past, dispelling the illusions about this area and lifting the city up by breaking it down.

~Maria Blair

Owner, Operator

No Illusions has been featured in:

Lancaster/Depew Sun- June 2019

Alden Advertiser- July 2019

Speaker at NYS Women Inc.- Buffalo Niagara Meeting - November 2019

AM Buffalo- July 2020

Welcome 716- August 2020

Amherst Bee- August 2020

Channel 2 WGRZ News- October 2020

AM Buffalo- October 2020

Spectrum News July 2021