Niagara Falls
Author: Jason
Date: 2007-05-19 15:14:52
Country/State: Canada, City: Niagara Falls
Category: Nature
Niagara Falls is a great place to take the family. We chose to visit the Canadian side of the falls. There is no passport required but I would bring your birth certificate and photo ID. You can spend part of a day walking around the falls, or spend the night. If you spend the night you can watch an impressive light show against the falls. They have fireworks over the falls as well in the summer months starting mid May through early October. You may want to bring blankets or camping chairs to have a comfortable seat in the park, because there are only a few benches available. When we were there in early summer it was pretty hot, if we were to visit again I would rather choose late Summer or Fall.
The kids loved wandering around the falls and playing in the parks. Please keep an eye on your kids around the falls. There are several places they can climb up the railings and could fall into the river! While there are vendors that provide food/drink we brought our lunches in our backpack. The highlight of the trip was taking a boat ride to the foot of the falls on the Maid of the Mist. The boat ride costs $12.50 for adults and $7.30 for children 6 to 12 yrs old, children 5 and under are free. The ticket cost includes rain ponchos, you'll need them because you will get wet.
For dinner we ate in the Skylon Tower. The tower turns while you eat! If you don't want to eat, they do have an observation deck. The fee is nominal to ride to the top. The restaurant has a very nice atmosphere and the view is unbeatable. The photos below were taken from the tower. The service there was excellent. Our son was 2yrs old at the time so he had spaghetti everywhere and would drop his fork and the waiters were there picking everything up before I even had a chance. Our meals were included in a hotel package from the Holiday Inn just a short walk from the falls. When I made my hotel reservations I had to pick the day and time to eat at the Skylon Tower, so reservations are a good idea since it isn't a very large restaurant.
There are so many things to see and do while you visit Niagara Falls. Here are a few of the things that you could do while staying on the Canadian side of the Falls: horse carriage ride, a butterfly conservatory, a botanical garden, Casino Niagara, IMAX Theatre showing the history of the Falls, Daredevil Gallery, which displays barrels and other containers that people have made to ride down the falls in.
Accommodations
There are many hotels offering package deals to help make this trip affordable and convient. Here is a good website to look for hotels: www.niagarafallsbesthotels.com.
We stayed at the Holiday Inn which was just on top of the hill that descends toward the falls, it was around a ten minute walk from the falls. We stayed 2 nights for around $120 per adult and each child was able to stay for a small fee each. This included dinner at the Skylon Tower one night, dinner at the hotel restaurant the other night and free breakfast each morning at the hotel restaurant. The hotel had a pool and free parking in the rear of the hotel. The hotel also offers a discounted priced package for a visit in the off season. Here is the Holiday Inn's website to view their current offers: www.holidayinnniagarafalls.com.
The Skylon Tower and IMAX theater were located just behind the hotel and there was also a casino across the street as well as several restaurants. It really was in the right location to get to all the attractions.
Restaurants
Skylon Tower: http://www.skylon.com
Attractions
Illumination information: http://www.niagaraparks.com/nfgg/illumination.php
Behind the Falls: http://www.niagaraparks.com/nfgg/behindthefalls.php
Horse Carriage rides: http://www.niagaraparks.com/garden/horsecarriage.php
IMAX Theatre & DareDevil Gallery: http://www.imaxniagara.com/
Marine Land: http://www.marinelandcanada.com/
Family Fav
Maid of the Mist: http://www.maidofthemist.com
Visitor Thoughts/Comments
