HPS/MAG Trip to Western Pennsylvania and Buffalo, New York
Frank Lloyd Wright Home Tours and Buffalo Garden Walk
Tuesday, July 22 - Sunday, July 27, 2025

We know you have a deep appreciation for the art of gardening, but chances are you also appreciate the art of architecture. If so, this is the trip for you. We will be touring four Frank Lloyd Wright homes and five public and private gardens, taking an Erie Canal sightseeing cruise, and spending a day experiencing the iconic Buffalo Garden Walk. Read on for more details!

Day 1. We will start our six-day trip with tours of the two Frank Lloyd Wright designed homes in the Pittsburgh Area – Fallingwater and Kentucky Knob. A tour of each house has been arranged. Our hotel will be in Pittsburgh at the Hilton Garden Inn - Pittsburg University Place. Before leaving Pittsburgh on Day 2 we will have a tour of the Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens.

Day 2. Back on the bus for Erie, Pennsylvania. In Erie we will visit a beautiful private garden overlooking Lake Erie. The garden owner is a former HPS Member. A tour has also been arranged at Creekside Botanical Gardens in Fairview. This is another private garden that is maintained by a husband-and-wife team. It covers 4 acres with an oriental pond garden, large koi pond, formal rose garden, shade gardens, perennial garden, over 360 different daylilies, 200 orchids, tropical plants, a greenhouse and much, much more. Our hotel in Erie will be the Sheraton Erie Bayfront Hotel, located in the Marina Section of Erie with great views of Lake Erie.

Days 3 and 4 will be spent exploring Buffalo. We will be visiting two more Frank Lloyd Wright Homes – Graycliff and Martin House. Also on the schedule is a visit to the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens.

Another exciting excursion while in Buffalo will be a 2-hour tour with Miss Buffalo (she’s a boat)! The only way to see Buffalo and truly learn about her past, present, and future is aboard a sightseeing cruise. The tour begins on the Buffalo River across from the original lighthouse, built in 1833, and continues on through Lake Erie and the Black Rock canal. We will cruise under the Peace Bridge, one of the busiest border crossings in the world, pass by one of the oldest Yacht Clubs in the country and a boat house designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.

Our hotel in Buffalo is the Embassy Suites in downtown Buffalo, conveniently located to restaurants and not too far for the Garden Walk.

Day 5 will be the Buffalo Garden Walk, the largest free, self-guided garden tour in the United States, featuring more than 300 private and public gardens. You will be able to explore the gardens on your own that day. As the day gets closer, Janice will be figuring out a schedule for the motor coach that will assist you in getting around to the different locations; or you can do it on your own.

Day 6 will be our traveling-home day but not before we make a visit to the Cornell Botanic Gardens in Ithaca, New York. A garden nursery shopping experience is also in the plans; location is still to be determined but it will not disappoint.

Cost of this trip is $1530.00 double occupancy or $2240.00 single occupancy. 

• The cost of the trip covers the following:
• Motor Coach transportation from West Chester and back to West Chester
• Three hotels: Hilton Gardens Inn in Pittsburgh, Sheraton Erie Bayfront Hotel in Erie, and the Embassy Suites in Buffalo
• Breakfasts and Lunches all 6 days except lunch on the Saturday. You will be responsible for your lunch that day during the Garden Walk.
• Frank Lloyd Wright’s Homes Admission and Tours
• Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens Admission and Tour
• Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens Admission and Tour
• Cornell Botanic Gardens
• Bus Driver’s Gratuity

Not Covered in the cost of the trip:

• Lunch on Saturday and all dinners

 Registration opens January 4, 2025 at 8:00am