Explore Buffalo is an organization driven by its volunteers, who lead our tours, organize our events, and do myriad other necessary tasks large and small.
Volunteering for Explore Buffalo is fun! It’s a rewarding experience for volunteers, and everyone enjoys working with one another to bring Buffalo’s stories to life.
Tour Assistant Training:
Tour Assistants support Explore Buffalo’s tours by assisting with administrative tour tasks and group management. Our two-part Tour Assistant Training class provides an in-depth training on the responsibilities and procedures of a Tour Assistant. The 2025 Tour Assistant class has been completed – the next Tour Assistant class will be in 2026.
Learn more about Tour Assistant Training
New Docent Training:
Explore Buffalo provides hundreds of tours each year, all of which are led by trained volunteer docents. No prior docent experience or knowledge of Buffalo history or architecture is required – we will provide a thorough training in Buffalo history, architectural styles, and presentation skills.
In 2026, we will have two opportunities to join Explore Buffalo as a new docent:
Public Tour Docent Training will begin January 31st, taking place on 10 class dates – seven Saturdays in-person downtown, and three Thursday evenings on Zoom – concluding on April 11th. New docents in this class will learn one of Explore Buffalo’s walking tours to lead during the 2026 tour season. Details about the 2026 Public Tour Docent Class will be available by December 1, 2025.
Learn more about Public Tour Docent Training
Education Docent Training will take place March 24 – April 16, 2026 on Tuesday & Thursday mornings. Education Docents lead our many tours for students – a rapidly growing program and an essential part of our organization’s mission.