Field Trips: K-12 Students
Explore Buffalo Field Trips provide exciting opportunities for your students. Get into the sunshine to explore in person all the history that makes Buffalo unique! Consider the following tours for your K-12 students; go to this page for College Groups.
We are now booking field trips for Winter & Spring 2025!
For more information, please contact School Tour Coordinator Lori DeMaria at 716-245-3032 ext. 204 or lori@explorebuffalo.org
Delaware Park: Explore History, Landmarks, and Art
Available May-October
Students will enjoy Buffalo’s beautiful Delaware Park and experience the natural beauty, architectural landmarks, and captivating art in the park. Your group will see the Young Lincoln Statue and the exterior of the AKG, and walk to the exterior of the Buffalo History Museum and through the Japanese Garden. We end after crossing the Three Tribes Bridge, the original entrance to the 1901 Pan Am Exposition. Your students will hear about the park’s history, the exterior art installations at the AKG, as well as the architectural significance of the Buffalo History Museum, Buffalo State University, the bridges, and the natural surroundings including Hoyt Lake and Scajaquada Creek. Groups can take advantage of the playground and picnic tables and have lunch in the park after their tour has finished! This tour includes themes of community revitalization, community engagement, green infrastructure and the promotion of arts and culture.
Cost: $8 per student
Tour is appropriate for grades 3-12
Groups can choose from a 60 minute or 90 minute walking tour
Maximum group size: 75 students
Downtown Highlights
Available May-October
This 60-minute tour is perfect for younger students or older students that are interested in just the highlights of Downtown Buffalo. Begin at Seneca One, the tallest building in Buffalo. Go inside the Ellicott Square Building, learn about St. Paul’s Episcopal Cathedral and Buffalo’s first skyscraper – the Guaranty Building. You’ll end with a tour inside the lobby of Seneca One, which is filled with unique treasures and great views. This tour includes themes of Community, Architects, Symbolism, and Technological Advancements in Building. Plan lunch for your group at the cafeteria at Seneca One or the Pearl Street Grill & Brewery.
Cost: $8 per student
This walking tour is 60 minutes
This tour is recommended for all grades
Maximum group size: 75 students
Best of Buffalo
Available May-October
This tour takes students through the heart of downtown Buffalo. Students will see the exterior of City Hall, Niagara and Lafayette Squares, go inside the Ellicott Square Building, and more! This is a great tour to introduce students to downtown Buffalo and talk about the themes of Community, Architects, Symbolism, and Technological Advancements in building.
Cost: $8 per student
This walking tour is 90 minutes long
Recommended for grades 3-12
Canalside with the Buffalo Heritage Carousel
Available May-October
This tour takes your students through the vibrant Canalside area to discuss the history of the Erie Canal, and present-day Canalside. Important themes on this tour include Industrialization, Local Economy, Innovative Thinkers, & Technological Advancements and Community. In addition, your students will love the opportunity to take a ride on the carousel and get an informative mini-presentation by the Buffalo Heritage Carousel staff. We are adding a walk onto the Seneca Chief packet boat in 2025!
Cost: $8 per student
This walking tour is 90 minutes long for grades 3-12
This walking tour is 60 minutes long for grades K-2 and special needs
Recommended for grades K-12.This tour is fully accessible.
Silo City Ground
Available May-October
Students will experience the monumental scale of the grain elevators constructed in Buffalo in the first half of the twentieth century, and see how they are now being repurposed. On this guided walk around the grounds of Silo City, you’ll learn about the history of the grain trade in Buffalo and the development of the grain elevator, including the construction methods used to build such massive structures. Students will learn about how the Silo City campus is being creatively used for arts and culture today and see the redevelopment of some of the historic buildings currently in progress. This tour includes themes of Community, Industrialization, Technological Advancements, Local Economy, Adaptive Reuse.
Cost: $10 per student
This walking tour is 90 minutes
Limited to grades 5 and above
Buffalo City Hall
Available year-round
An interior walking tour that introduces students to the diverse and meaningful art throughout this Art Deco masterpiece. Learn about different levels and responsibilities of government. This tour includes Niagara Square, the McKinley Monument, and the history of the square. The City Hall tour covers themes of Art Deco Architecture, Symbolism, Representative Government, and Citizenship. It also includes a walk up to the amazing observation deck for a 360-degree view of Buffalo!
Cost: $8 per student
Limited to grades 3 and above
This tour can be a 90 minute tour which includes Niagara Square or a 60 minute tour which is the inside of City Hall only.
Group size limited to 50 students – no exceptions.
Please Note: The observation deck access is at the discretion of City Hall. The observation deck requires three flights of stairs and is not handicapped accessible.
For more information, please contact School Tour Coordinator Lori DeMaria at 716-245-3032 ext. 204 or lori@explorebuffalo.org