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, including The Intersection Cafe, as well as local bakeries, including, Fairy Cakes. 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
AM Buffalo- July 2021
Buffalo Spree- February 2022
Advancing Women Podcast- March 2022
(see our Social Media for videos of TV spots and links to articles)
























Our Mission:
To build Buffalo up by breaking it down. To shed light on the true story of our city.
