Maria Blair at No Illusions Tours

19/06/2024

One of the stars of our Buffalo Lit tour is the remarkable, William Wells Brown. Born around 1814, William escaped enslavement, settling in Cleveland and then Buffalo for nine years. In both cities he risked his life working on the Underground Railroad. Once arriving in Buffalo he began his first forays in writing and began working with the Anti Slavery Society as an orator, speaking all over WNY. He would go on to write a narrative of his life and then many other books, including his first fiction piece, Clotel which made him the first published African American author. He’d go on to work as a medical doctor, and would continue speaking and writing against slavery as well as in support of temperance, women’s rights and education for people of color. You can learn much more on a Buffalo Lit tour and be reading Narrative of William W. Brown, a Fugitive Slave. Written by Himself. I’d also recommend a very thorough biography on him by Ezra Greenspan called William Wells Brown: An African American Life.
✨
First Picture: William Wells Brown
✨
Second Picture: an illustration from his first novel, Clotel

15/06/2024

Any day I can talk about Buffalo’s Badass Babes is a good day. When you add in a beautiful historic setting, very friendly hosts and a wonderful crowd it’s a pretty perfect afternoon. Thank you, for having me to speak today!

15/06/2024

✨Forest Lawn is magic.✨
………Change my mind……….

09/06/2024

07/06/2024

⚡️⭐️⚡️

05/06/2024

Our tour star, Katherine Cornell and her husband and theater partner, Guthrie McClintic had a fairly well known “lavender marriage”, a marriage in which one or more of the participants is not straight. It is widely believed that Katherine and Guthrie were both gay and though many close to them were aware, they unfortunately lived at a time when they believed it would better suit their careers to present a life that was more easily excepted by the masses. They lived together for decades and worked very closely together to produce plays in which she starred and he directed. It is said that Katherine had several relationships with women, but remained married to Guthrie until his death about a dozen years before her own. Through some more recent research I’ve learned that the house their shared in NYC was split am interesting way. It was said that they shared the first two floors, but the third floor was strictly hers and the fourth his. There’s always more to discover.

02/06/2024

Thanks for coming out for our first Buffalo Lit tour of the season! We almost made it through before the rain started up again!

01/06/2024

Part of what is endearing about Marian DeForest is that after her partner Mai Davis Smith passed on in 1924, Marian, a prolific playwright and journalist in her own right, continued Mai’s musical legacy. Mai is referred to as Buffalo’s first professional impresario and she and Marian were together for 25 years. Their home on Irving Place became a salon hosting musician and theater friends. After Mai passed Marian spent much of her last 11 years continuing Mai’s concert series and creating Symphony Concerts for children and Pops concerts for out of work musicians during the Depression. She even helped to form the Buffalo Philharmonic. Marian worked with many charities later in life and continued her writing career, but she also set aside a great deal of her time to honor, Mai’s legacy, which is so beautiful. The two are laid to rest side by side in Forest Lawn in Marian’ family plot.
You can learn more on our Buffalo’s Favorite Daughters Full Tour, Buffalo Lit Tour and our collab with in July August, Women of the Pan Am.

31/05/2024

If you missed the first collaboration we had this year with now is the time to grab tickets for the next one! We have some spots still available on both the July 20th and August 24th dates. Join us to learn all about some of Buffalo’s phenomenal women and their connections to the Pan Am Expo as well as Forest Lawn connections to Buffalo’s World’s Fair!

26/05/2024

Thanks for joining us for our Full Length Buffalo’s Favorite Daughters tour! I appreciated all the questions. We made it through the heat!

15/05/2024

On my season opener this past weekend, I discussed how controversial Evelyn Rumsey Cary’s “Spirit of Niagara” poster for the Pan Am Expo was for some. I mean for heaven’s sake this woman is n**e! Never mind that she’s made entirely of water… Seen here alongside Evelyn’s work is a political cartoon satirizing those expectations of modesty. Is this what the critics would have preferred?

13/05/2024

Book a tour today for beautiful views… walking the city is different. You notice everything.

11/05/2024

What a great way to celebrate 5 years of No Illusions Tours! I never would have thought when I started this business that I’d be telling Buffalo’s story through all these amazing women I’d encountered in the space in this city I adore the most. Thank you to for welcoming me into this beautiful park like cemetery to do what I love! Thank you to Amizetta who has been my partner there in planning this, past and future events! Thank you to my long time friend, Meghan for taking so many pictures that it took an hour to sort through and pick a few to post and thank you so much to everyone who joined us for this tour. It was a great way to spend a beautiful spring morning, to celebrate Buffalo’s amazing history and to give back a little to the ! ⭐️⚡️⭐️

08/05/2024

✨Attention Those Seeking Non-Walking Events✨

Living History Lecture Series: Buffalo’s Favorite Daughters
✨
in Lancaster, NY
✨
June 15th at 1pm
✨
Step back in time and immerse yourself in the captivating stories of Buffalo’s favorite daughters. Join us at The Hull House in Lancaster, NY for a thought-provoking lecture that highlights the remarkable achievements of women who have shaped Buffalo’s history. Learn about a pioneer of the NAACP, America’s 1st professional female architect, the “First Lady of American Theater”, Buffalo’s 1st WOC business owner, a playwright, journalist and creator of the international women’s service group Zonta, the author of the First American Best seller, and many more. Each story is a testament to the resilience and determination of these trailblazing women!
✨
Link to tickets are on our site- link in the bio!

07/05/2024

Such an incredible setting for a tour… excited for Saturday!

01/05/2024

Join Forest Lawn & No Illusions tours for a special limited tour celebrating the women who helped shape Buffalo’s World’s Fair.
⚡️
You’ll hear the stories of all the ways the Pan American Exposition just wouldn’t have been the same without them. This includes the stories of their efforts to create equal representation and diverse perspectives at the fair. We’ll also delve into the art and advertising they created to promote the Pan Am itself and other connections these women had.
⚡️
And you’ll learn some of Forest Lawn’s direct connections to the fair through beautiful elements of the space you can still enjoy today.
⚡️
Two dates only: July 20th & August 24th at 11am
🌟Tickets on Sale Now!🌟
Link in the bio!

26/04/2024

So happy that we could partner for another wonderful event!!

26/04/2024

This event was a dream! Thank you to the College Club of Buffalo for sharing your beautiful historic space with us. Thank you for always being the best partner to work with! Thank you especially to all who came. I’m always so humbled when people come to hear me tell Buffalo’s story. I just love that this has become my life! 🩷🖤⭐️

24/04/2024

⚡️Special Event Alert⚡️
✨June 8th @ 4pm✨

July 1901 . . . in the shadow of the glittering Pan-American Exposition lies a zone of darker pleasures: the notorious Tenderloin District, where vice is the main attraction. As the crowds and the summer heat oppress, women in prostitution begin turning up dead, their bodies carved with strange symbols. Has Jack the Ripper himself come to Buffalo?
⭐️
Join No Illusions Tours and Special Guest Robert Brighton for an unforgettable exploration of the underbelly of Gilded Age Buffalo—the setting for Brighton’s gripping, award-winning novel ‘The Buffalo Butcher’. You’ll walk the streets and the back alleys of what was once Buffalo’s Tenderloin, and see the locations where the Buffalo Butcher’s victims were found, learning things about your city that you probably didn’t know . . . but which you will never forget! The tour will also offer details on the time period to help contextualize the crimes.
⭐️
At the conclusion of the ninety-minute tour, there will be an opportunity (but never an obligation) to acquire inscribed copies of Robert Brighton’s books.
⭐️
Spots are incredibly limited for this one night event, so act fast to ensure you don’t miss out on this unique opportunity!
⭐️
Please note that due to content this tour will only be open to those 16 and older.

22/04/2024

Somebody’s ready for Buffalo history walking tours! Are you? Season begins in 18 days!

09/04/2024

The Soldiers & Sailors Monument in Lafayette Square is such a great tour meeting place, especially for two of our Buffalo’s Favorite Daughters tours since The Ladies Union Monument Association is responsible for its creation. They wanted to ensure that those that fought for the Union cause were remembered and by the 1870s were tired of waiting for someone else to do it. So they spent years early on planning and raising funds and chose this design from George Keller. They unveiled the monument on a rainy 4th of July in 1884.

20/03/2024

Thank you so much for having me speak about Buffalo’s Badass Babes in honor of women’s history month today! And for sending me pictures. 💛🤍💜

20/03/2024

What better to get ready to view the absolutely anomalous event of the solar eclipse next month than by learning about all things anomalous in Buffalo’s history?!
🌖
Normally our Buffalo Anomalies tours are only available in October or by special private tour, but just in time to celebrate the eclipse you can book a spot for this one weekend event.
🌘
On the full tour you’ll hear the tales of Buffalo’s oldest cemetery and the city and county’s only public hanging. You’ll also hear about the assassination of one president and inauguration of another as well as the invention of the electric chair and the crime and trial of the first person to succumb to it. There are also two ghost stories and a couple of lighter stops. In the abridged tour you’ll hear some of these stories and one exclusive to it, about Buffalo’s Statler.
🌑
Buffalo Anomalies Full 11am Saturday and Sunday, April 6th & 7th, 2 hours
Buffalo Anomalies Full 1pm Saturday and Sunday, April 6th & 7th, 1 hour
🌒
✨Tickets available now! Link in our bio!✨

17/03/2024

✨It’s time!!!!✨ Tickets for the regular season tours are now live!!

Tour Season # 6 starts with our season opener on May 11th and the following day all regular season tours begin.
✨
Buffalo’s Favorite Daughters (all 3 versions) & Buffalo Lit are now booking for May thru October.
✨
Buffalo Anomalies (both versions) are now booking for October. (and these dates tend to sell out or come very close every year- so buying early might not be a bad idea)
✨
The Opener still has half the spots available, but is filling up!
✨
Regular season tours are now also 10% using code EARLY now thru March 31st!

15/03/2024

Thank you so much to the Alden Historical Society for having me tonight. Any day that I can talk about Buffalo’s Badass Babes is a good one!

08/03/2024

Join us on May 11th for a very special season opener at Buffalo’s beautiful park-like cemetery,
🌟
On this tour we’ll celebrate No Illusions 5th Anniversary and the start of the 6th season by telling the stories of some of Buffalo’s most prominent women at their final resting places.
🩷
You’ll hear all about The Mother of Detective Fiction, an early Civil Rights Activist, Art Nouveau Artists, the creator of America’s 1st Childcare Center, the 1st Professional Female Architect in the U.S., and more!
⚡️
The ticket price will also include a $5 donation to the and a small treat from a local bakery to celebrate!
🖤
Tickets on Sale Now. Link in the Bio!

04/03/2024

Five years ago today I went to my favorite building and registered the name for a business… so that I could help tell Buffalo’s story. That decision changed my life.
⭐️
“The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.” – Mark Twain
⚡️

02/03/2024

✨We’ve rescheduled and revamped our Galentine’s Day Tea just in time for Spring! Get your tickets quick- this one sold out in a few days last time! Link in the bio.✨

Co-Presented with , bring friends or come solo to enjoy 3 courses of traditional American Springtime tea party fare influenced by British customs in a unique historical setting in Elmwood Village. The evening’s celebration will open with a presentation on a few amazing Buffalo women who lived through the Victorian Era! Come learn about Ida Dora Fairbush (First Teacher of Color in Buffalo), Marian deForest (q***r playwright + journalist), Francis Folsom (“Victorian It Girl” & Youngest First Lady), Mary Burnett Talbert (Civil Rights Activist), and Louise Blanchard Bethune (First Professional Female Architect). Also featured will be the art of Buffalo based Art Nouveau painters, Evelyn Rumsey Cary (work featured here) & Alice Russell Glenny. $65 6:30-9pm 12 seats April 25th at College Club of Buffalo Come celebrate the warmer weather with delicious treats and the stories of these badass babes. We look forward to a fun, intriguing & delicious night full of dainty tea sandwiches, scones, petits fours, sweet berries & other Victorian-era treats (All-vegetarian menu is available if you request it in advance.) These treats will be served with the traditional hot black and oolong teas.

27/02/2024

Very excited to speak at the Alden Historical Society again this year! Please join me to learn about some of Buffalo’s amazing women on March 14th.
💜🤍💛

26/02/2024

Celebrate this St Patrick’s day by immersing yourself in Irish-American culture and history!
🇮🇪
Co-presented with this pop-up Irish dinner opens with a fascinating, interactive talk on Irish Buffalo history!
☘️
Sobremesa will serve a 4-course menu of small plates inspired by The Motherland! These dishes will focus on Ireland’s traditional cuisine & culinary heritage- as well as play with traditional Irish ingredients and flavors in more unusual ways. Full menu to be announced soon.
🇮🇪
(Note from Chef Claire: This means no corned beef, which is a dish immigrants invented *in America* as a cheap, accessible substitution for their much-loved traditional salt pork.)
☘️
We’ll also begin with a presentation on the history of Buffalo’s Irish immigrants & their families. We’ll tell the story of the Old First Ward and the expansion of the Irish into other neighborhoods, including South Buffalo. This includes tales of work and life on the waterfront, strikes that affected the entire nation’s supply of grains, the early days of the Catholic Church in WNY, and famous Buffalonians of Irish descent.
🇮🇪
Tickets on Sale Now. Link in bio.