BUFFALO, N.Y. — The iconic Buffalo Lighthouse just reopened for tours after undergoing some repairs to the area around it.
Lighthouse tours have started again after COVID and storm damage forced them to be cancelled for three of the last four years.
On Thursday, 2 On Your Side got to take the tour and learn about some of the history of this iconic lighthouse. Our tour guide for the afternoon was Mike Vogel, the President of the Buffalo Lighthouse Association.
"It's a total panoramic view of the waterfront. There's a view back to the city that is just dynamite," said Mike Vogel.
Once inside, we started up the 50 stone steps to the top.
"What's it like when you bring people out here, who maybe they haven't been out here before, or they haven't been out here in a long time?" asked Kelly Dudzik.
"It's fun. It's just fun dealing with people that come here to see the lighthouse. Especially like dealing with the people who live in this area because this is so iconic for them. This is their lighthouse. A symbol of the city," said Mike Vogel.
But for three of the last four years, tours were out of the question. There wasn't enough room for social distancing during COVID. The November 2020 storm tore up the walkway forcing the 2021 season to be cancelled. They opened in 2022, then the Christmas blizzard caused 30-foot waves that ripped up a whole section of the walkway again. But the lighthouse remained strong.
"We're on the city steel. This tower was built in 1832 and 1833. First light was 1833. That was not long after the War of 1812 and the destruction of Buffalo. This is the oldest building in the city still standing in its original location, " said Vogel.
And still, there's more work to be done.
"We'd love to have a season sponsor. That would help us keep the site open. We have a nominal admission fee, but even that bothers us. We would love to be open as often as we can. We need volunteers to keep the site open more often than we can have it open now. We're just doing weekends," said Vogel.
Vogel says so far, people have visited from 45 countries, every state, and every territory except American Samoa.
"I had a group come in from Luxemburg and then some people showed up, they came from the Republic of San Marino, which is this tiny micro-state locked within Italy, so we get people from all over and you get to talk to them. It's really kind of fun," he said.
The lighthouse needs volunteers and is doing a training session this Saturday.
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