Niagara Falls?

[madteaparty]

We are going for a weekend trip. Will be staying on the Canadian side (or at least crossing the border--I suppose we can stay anywhere that's recommended). Any tips for me? Thank you!

[creekland]

We stay here:

 

http://www.sheratononthefalls.com/

 

because we love their falls view rooms and their location for walking distance to both the American and Canadian attractions.  We can park (costs extra  :glare: ) and simply walk everywhere we want to go.  They have an indoor water park if that is appealing to families, but we've never been interested in checking it out.

 

As for attractions, we love walking to the US side and walking around Goat Island (clockwise).  You get to see the river build in its fury in a way that one can't see as much from the Canadian side.  Then you end up at both falls, getting to walk across a small bridge crossing Bridal Veil.  This whole section is as close as you can get to the Falls.

 

If you can afford it, we also like going down next to the American Falls and basking in the spray.  This departs from Goat Island.  You can take as long as you want to bask and feel the force of the water.

 

We also tend to do the Maid of the Mist boat ride from the US side.  If you hit this early morning or closer to closing it's often not crowded.  Hornblower cruises goes from the Canadian side, but their boats are larger (more crowds) and we just prefer the smaller boat feel.  I also think the boats leaving from the US side get a tad bit closer to the US falls, but that may be just my perception.  Either way, doing one or the other is a must for us.

 

On the Canadian side we enjoy the walk behind the Falls (leaves from Table Rock area) to see the water from the backside - and again - feel the force of it all.  Sometimes we go up in the tower, but that's not a "need" for us.  We like the view from our room and closer to the falls better than from above.

 

There are a couple of movies that can be fun and a daredevil museum that is interesting.  When the kids were younger we also let them play in the arcades or hit putt putt sometimes.

 

Be sure to stop at Smoke's Poutinery for a true Canadian dish (poutine).  It's probably a -10 on the health scale, but we love it anyway.

 

https://smokespoutinerie.com/

 

There's pretty much anything else you'd ever want to eat on the Canadian side too.  We've done the buffets at the Sheraton.  They are quite good - very good - but also very pricey - so we don't do them often.  It's far less expensive to get food elsewhere and just eat it in our room enjoying the view.

 

There are other things there too - tons of other things - but those are our personal favorites from many visits.

 

Staying on the Canadian side is preferred.  Goat Island on the US side is our favorite attraction though - tied with the Maid of the Mist.  It only costs 50 cents to walk across the border.  Bring your passports.  You are still crossing the border.

 

[creekland]

I should probably add that when walking around Goat Island one MUST go out to Three Sisters (islands).  It's a very short walk at about the 3 o'clock position and from the end (the Third Sister) one really sees the fury of the river.  If you opt to take the tram instead, there is a stop here.  We've never done the tram.  We prefer walking, but I know others have different needs or time constraints.

[creekland]

And if there are fireworks the weekend you are there (usually there are), you can see them from your room if you choose a falls view room.  This is a really nice perk (for us).  We don't have to worry about crowds nor returning home afterward.

 

Here's the view of the falls from one of the rooms we had.  Hubby took the pic. (if this link works properly - I'm at school and can't put the pic in directly):

 

http://s45.photobucket.com/user/creekland/media/General/d30b7fb5-6277-45a2-8d2d-5c12cc66ecdf.jpg.html?sort=2&o=2

[Pam in CT]

We were there a couple of years ago and stayed at Niagara-on-the-Lake, maybe 20 minutes out of town on the Canadian side.  The Niagara towns themselves (both sides) are on the touristy/crowded/somewhat honky-tonk side -- fun especially for young kids, but I'm old and grey and prefer to retreat to something a bit quieter.  The Shaw Theater is there as well - we went to two performances, both excellent.

 

Goat Island on the US side, the Lady of the Mists boat (either side), and going into the dam wall and looking out from under the water on the Canadian side are the classic views, all worthwhile and quite different.

 

I'd also second HH's recommendation the power generation visitor center (evidently there's one on the US side as well).  It really puts the falls into perspective in terms of both nature -- what we see is only something like 10-15% of the water that would flow naturally; both countries divert a staggeringly huge amount-- and in terms of the complexity of bilateral agreements and power generation.  Really neat.

 

Corning Museum of Glass on the way back.
If it rains, perhaps stop at the Niagara Power Project Visitors Center in Lewiston.

 

Corning is sooooooo, implausibly, unexpectedly fantastic.  We meant to just stop for 45 minutes, and had to drag the kids out after 4 hours (all sorts of hands on stuff the kids can make).  There was one exhibit on the history of glass from Mesopotamian times (!) to the present that I could easily have spent 6 hours in, just that.  Yeah, OK, nerd.

 

 

 

 

 

[gardenmom5]

there is a footbridge for walking back and forth so you don't have to hassle parking - I wish I'd been warned it cost a quarter on the American side - as I don't carry much change.

be sure and have your passports on you if you go back and forth.  even walking.

[creekland]

there is a footbridge for walking back and forth so you don't have to hassle parking - I wish I'd been warned it cost a quarter on the American side - as I don't carry much change.

be sure and have your passports on you if you go back and forth.  even walking.

 

It's 50 cents to cross the bridge now and only paid on the Canadian side (not both) so still technically 25 cents per direction in a way.  There are change machines there for either Canadian or US money if one doesn't have change.

 

They've improved their system over the years.  ;)

[zimom]

We were there last month.  Canadian side.  My girls loved going up on the Sky Wheel for another angle.  I was pretty disappointed in the cheesy touristy area around the falls otherwise.  Really took away from the beauty of the falls.  Just a FYI, if you need to exchange money, there is a casino in that area that I was told had the best exchange rate.  They were very happy to exchange my $$ and certainly seemed better then anywhere else I exchanged.  

 

It was freezing otherwise so we did not do anything that involved getting wet.  

[MedicMom]

We were there a couple of years ago and stayed at Niagara-on-the-Lake, maybe 20 minutes out of town on the Canadian side. The Niagara towns themselves (both sides) are on the touristy/crowded/somewhat honky-tonk side -- fun especially for young kids, but I'm old and grey and prefer to retreat to something a bit quieter. The Shaw Theater is there as well - we went to two performances, both excellent.

 

Goat Island on the US side, the Lady of the Mists boat (either side), and going into the dam wall and looking out from under the water on the Canadian side are the classic views, all worthwhile and quite different.

 

I'd also second HH's recommendation the power generation visitor center (evidently there's one on the US side as well). It really puts the falls into perspective in terms of both nature -- what we see is only something like 10-15% of the water that would flow naturally; both countries divert a staggeringly huge amount-- and in terms of the complexity of bilateral agreements and power generation. Really neat.

 

 

Corning is sooooooo, implausibly, unexpectedly fantastic. We meant to just stop for 45 minutes, and had to drag the kids out after 4 hours (all sorts of hands on stuff the kids can make). There was one exhibit on the history of glass from Mesopotamian times (!) to the present that I could easily have spent 6 hours in, just that. Yeah, OK, nerd.

Yes, plan more than 45 minutes for CMOG. Kids are free up to 18 and it's cheap for local residents with ID, so we go there somewhat often. Even my little kids think it's great.

 

There are also some fantastic places to eat right there in Corning.

 

I complain privately to my husband a lot about our location(I want to move out of NY), but frankly the Fingerlakes and surrounding area are pretty nice.

 

Niagara Falls is beautiful and if I could just look at the falls, I would love it. Unfortunately there is a lot of crass commercialism built up around it that reminds me of a bad Vegas strip. Even so we drive up once or twice a year, mostly because my kids love the aquarium.

[Farrar]

The only thing we really enjoyed that I didn't see mentioned was the White Water Walk on the Canadian side. Just amazing rapids.

 

We stayed at Great Wolf, which is a whole thing to itself. Seconding a stop at Corning if you go that way. We were there for a few days so we also did a day trip to Toronto, which was really nice.

[creekland]

Just be sure when choosing a motel that you consider the location.  Some are within easy walking distance.  Some are much farther away (and parking can be expensive + tough to find, though there are some buses you can pay for instead).  Some are near/in all the "other" entertainment things.  Consider what you are looking for based upon what is important to you while there.

[madteaparty]

Wow. Thanks so much, everyone!

[madteaparty]

Wagjag often has deals for Niagra. We are going next month and have a great deal on a hotel, 4 attractions, and some other stuff for 60 dollars. 

 

I recommend you check it out if you haven't already made plans:

http://www.wagjag.com/category/travel

 

This website has amazing deals, but unfortunately it's only available to Canadians.

[Rachel]

Do children need passports too if walking across the footbridge or will birth certificates be sufficient? We may be in Buffalo next week and will drive up to the falls if we are. It's completely last minute so I don't have time to get passports for my kids.

[wapiti]

It's funny, I grew up in WNY but only went to Corning once.  It was nearly 40 years ago, and I still remember it!

 

Eta, I should probably start another thread, but we're bringing six kids to Manhattan this summer - eek.  I will need a few tips...

[luuknam]

Do children need passports too if walking across the footbridge or will birth certificates be sufficient? We may be in Buffalo next week and will drive up to the falls if we are. It's completely last minute so I don't have time to get passports for my kids.

 

From what I've heard, birth certificates are enough for the kids. However, I've never tried it.

 

Corning is a 2.5 hour drive or so from Buffalo... which explain why I never heard of it and possibly explains why the poster above me had gone only once. Too far for a day trip, really, unless you're really motivated.

[creekland]

Do children need passports too if walking across the footbridge or will birth certificates be sufficient? We may be in Buffalo next week and will drive up to the falls if we are. It's completely last minute so I don't have time to get passports for my kids.

 

According to this website:

 

http://www.niagarafallslive.com/Niagara_Falls_Border_Crossing_Information.htm

 

Children just need their original birth certificate or a signed copy.

 

HOWEVER, if you are traveling into Canada without both parents present, you will need documentation from the other parent giving permission.  If the other parent is deceased, you'll need official record of that.  They are strict on this - or at least they used to be.  We went with a church group once and encountered these things.

 

Even if you can't cross the border, many great Niagara things can be seen on the US side including our favorites of Goat Island and the Maid of the Mist boat.