Any one been to Niagara Falls (Canadian side) recently?

[Glockspeed31]

Family & I are driving up there this weekend, spending about 4 days there and then over to DC for 2 days for vacation.
Anyone been to Niagara Falls lately. Just looking for suggestions of things to do & see, besides the Falls.

Don't know how I'm going to feel being unarmed for a week.

 

[DinkyDau]

Take them to the Wall, WWII Memorials and introduce them to the Sacrifices, so many made to keep our Country free!!!

 

[Glockspeed31]

Take them to the Wall, WWII Memorials and introduce them to the Sacrifices, so many made to keep our Country free!!!

Yeah, my 11 year old son is fascinated with WW1 & WW2 (thanks to video games). He actually ask a lot of really good questions about the Wars and wants to learn more. Me being a Army veteran helps in being able to answer some of his questions.

 

[MacTavish]

When you go to the WWII memorial please note that the ending of FDR's speech "...so help us GOD" was omitted. This memorial was erected during the Clinton administration.

 

[Dogtown Darren]

Niagara Falls on the Canada side is really awesome. We went a few of years ago.

You can literally walk right up to Horseshoe Falls and get a sense of the shear power of the water and the size/scope of the whole thing. It's an amazing thing to take in. You can also look across to the American Falls.

They have a VERY nice visitor's center right at the Falls where you can buy souvenirs, get an ice cream, etc.

The whole area is *VERY* clean with beautiful landscaping and flowers. It's honestly incredibly nice.

We bought a visitor's pass/combo thing at a booth down at/near the Falls. I forget what all in includes, but it turned out to save us some money if you do all of the touristy stuff.

Things we did:

Maid of the Mist is an absolute must do. Seriously, if you don't do anything else, it's *THE* thing to do. I'd advise going early, the lines get pretty long pretty fast.

Clifton Hills is an area that's 3/4 - 1 mile down from the Falls that's very nice. Kind of a Gatlinburg type place. Gift shops, fudge shops, game rooms, etc. It's an easy, flat walk from the Falls to Clifton Hills that goes thru a beautiful park along the river. Nice, wide, clean sidewalks. It's a very nice stroll to just relax and enjoy.

The observation tower up the hill from the Falls offers some epic views. We really enjoyed going up and taking it all in.

There's a tunnel system that you can do that takes you behind the Falls. There's openings behind the Falls where you can get surprisingly close to the rush of water. Other than getting a sense of the power of the water, it's neat, but not a must do in my opinion.

There's a 4D ride that you can do at the visitors center. It was pretty fun, and I could see where kids would dig it.

There's a nature area down river where there's a boardwalk along the river where there's some rapids, etc. It's kind of a nature preserve. If your family enjoys that kind of thing, I'd recommend it. If they'd get bored in a natural habitat setting, they'd probably get bored fast.

There's a turn in the river downstream that creates a natural whirlpool. I thought it was lame, the Mrs. thought it was alright.

There's a STEEP hill that leads to things up from the Falls, and it's a lot of walking in general. Comfy shoes are an absolute must.

There's a food court in the bottom floor of the casino/hotel, and it has a Tim Horton's. We ate breakfast here every day.

Most places take either American or Canadian currency, which is handy.

About the only thing that comes to mind is there's tons of tour buses, and tons of foreign tourist. Sometimes you have to use some patience, but it's not too bad.

 

[GAgunLAWbooklet]

Go visit a Canadian gun shop in Fort Erie, Ontario.
Get a laugh out of the restrictions are Canadian neighbors have to deal with!
I was in Niagara Falls about six years ago. I can't remember exactly which attractions I went to, but the Canadian side is filled with little shops, museums, and tourist attractions--some of them are pretty good.

If you have the ability to boil corn, keep an eye out for freshly picked corn on the cob at roadside stands. There may be some farms where you can actually pick your own.
Also, if you get the chance to visit an apple orchard or cider mill, it would be good to get some freshly squeezed apple juice or apple cider. I think this is the right time of the year for those crops.

If you want to get a kick out of a completely decrepit Rust Belt dying city, cross the Peace Bridge and go into Buffalo, New York. Check out the east side and the south sides of Buffalo; maybe 2 to 4 miles east or southeast of downtown. You should see plenty of burned out shells of factories and warehouses, vacant lots, boarded up houses, graffiti, broken glass on the streets, just like Detroit in the late 1980s.

 

[TresMonos]

Two Words.....Whirlpool Jetboat.....

You're welcome.....

 

[BillsCamino]

You'll need a Passport (book or card) or enhanced driver's license to cross into Canada.
I grew up on the Niagara River... 20 minutes south (upstream) of the Falls.

 

[bilgerat]

ditch the family one night and go to the Sundowner .... Its Awesome!!!

 

[InTune]

Always better to put more foam in the whiskey barrel than you think you need