This is what we did. We had planned to stay 3 days in Niagara Falls but after doing my research I found a bus tour that left from Toronto, stopped at a winery, went to the falls, included and included dinner and The Maid of the Mist ride, plus pickup and drop off at our hotel. We stayed those 3 days in Toronto instead and there was so much more to do and see. The Falls trip was awesome, but I’m so glad we didn’t stay there. We would have been bored to death after a day.
That all said, the Falls are spectacular and something I’d always wanted to see. I really enjoyed our time there.
If you like historic stuff you can swing by Lockport and look at the 2 Barge Canal Locks that are built next to the 5 Erie Canal staircase locks. A quick side trip.
If you go to Lockport, you should check out the “caves” tour. They’re not real caves; they’re the underground tunnels that were drilled out to run factories on water power. They take you down inside of one of them and do a tour by boat.
Why exactly should one find the word “girly” as a diminutive of girlfriend to be so offensive? She uses the term herself, as do several other young women and men my age. Is it really all that different from saying “hubby” instead of husband?
For rooms check out groupons. There are always a million of them for Niagara. Check exclusions carefully before buying.
The AG is my favorite restaurant. It a lovely semi extravagant evening out ($30-45 entrees). If you don’t get a groupon, the hotel it is attached to (Sterling Inn) is slightly more expensive than the chains but the rooms are huge and lovely and breakfast is delivered to your room each morning.
I just happened to be discussing this with my BIL this part weekend. He and my sister went there last year. He said they didn’t spend a penny on any “attractions” until they went on the Maid of the Mist on their last day. So apparently there are a lot of free things to do there.
I believe he mentioned a tour of a power plant and a ship going through a canal and some other stuff. But of course, it depends on your interests.
Most people are saying a day is enough.
Since it sounds like you have some extra time there, if you’re an outdoorsy type Letchworth State Park is about 1-1½ hrs away. It’s called the Grand Canyon of the East & has some non-NF-but-otherwise-decent falls. Lots of hiking, riding & floating things (canoes/kayaks) can be rented there.
The Falls are a Lot of fun. In this heat, how can you beat Natural Air Conditioning? The area is historic & fun. Yes, it can be every bit as kitschy as the Wildwood Boardwalk (Yes, the Hill, I Mean You!) but there are still so many cool & different things to do. Tesla’s Lab is there. On the Canadian side on the bottom is an abandoned power plant. There are moonrises & sunrises that will stop you in your tracks. The casinos are Amazing; they are what AC SHOULD have been (the compare/contrast truly do explain why AC is going under).
Yes, you can get a bottle of wine from a Dan Aykroyd winery (its pretty damn good too). In Clifton Hill, you can have lunch at a place that Kelsey Grammer owns (also pretty damn good). You can ride on an air-conditioned ferris wheel while Beatles music plays on outdoor speakers. If you like Hibachi, may I recommend Suisha Gardens? (yes, its in the middle of an industrial park; fortune favors the Bold!) The only bad time you will have there is the one you drag there with you.
Everyone else loved ‘My Cousin Vinny’s’, but Italian restaurants a Really Good by me, so it only seemed average. Windows was worth the price as was Remington’s and The Sandstone… and if you are willing to drive some, Syndicate Restaurant and Brewery.
Dammit… now I want to go back & I can’t. its a ‘no vacation’ year.
That and I might not be welcome back into Canada.
I was on a tour bus and the guide was extolling the virtues of all of the historic buildings. The tour guide said, “Here we have the RCMP building; its the Single Oldest Police Force in All of Canada!”
Unfortunately, I loudly added, “…But, folks, Don’t You Worry! They Still run Really, Really Fast!!!” (I’m lucky I got across the bridge with my life)
PS- Niagara on the Lake is a lot of fun, but you’ll peel through money faster than a floored 440 6-pack goes through gas.
Have you been to San Francisco? Do you like Fisherman’s Wharf? That’s what the Canadian side of Niagara Falls reminds me of - lots of unusual attractions, but the natural beauty still makes it worthwhile.
Maid of the Mist, do the caves, see the falls at night, walk the park, take the funicular - no car needed. Our family spent two nights on the Canadian side, and that was plenty. We were on to Toronto the next night, otherwise we might have done it as a day trip from Toronto.
We had our honeymoon there way back in 1981 and trying to kill time, we visited the Niagara Falls Museum. They had a great mummy on display, incredibly well preserved down to the eyelashes. Later we found that it was the original Ramses I mummy and was returned to Egypt in 2003. PBS had an episode about it in a 2006 Nova episode. You just never know what you might find there.
