Niagara Falls is one of those places that everyone says they want to visit at least once. There are 14 million visitors per year that visit, and it is a beautiful place, so it’s understandable. For me, I live within driving distance, currently, so I have visited countless times, usually on the American side. The Canadian side has such an amazing view of both falls, it’s hard not to go over to see everything from a different perspective.
The American side offers a quieter setting, it is more nature friendly. There are walking trails, as well as a crossing over the walking bridge to Goat Island which sits between both falls, that is a must if you get up here. From Goat Island, you can see both the American Falls and the Horseshoe Falls up close. The American side has the Maid of the Mist, which is a boat ride down into the horseshoe falls, don’t worry, they provide a raincoat because you will get wet. The Cave of the Winds is something I personally have never done, but I am sure at some point I will. It takes you for a walk, coming out right to the bottom of the Bridal Veil Falls, which is a small set of falls tucked right next to the American falls.
Off the immediate falls area in New York, you have the Aquarium of Niagara which offers up close encounters if that is something you’ve always wanted to do. If you visit in the summer, there are some amazing festivals in the Buffalo area that are noteworthy. There is also the Fashion Outlet Mall, which if you want to get your shopping on, this is the place to do it!
The Canadian side is more commercial. There is a small park area along the falls, which in the winter offers a Winter Festival of Lights, where they put up light displays throughout. On my most recent visit, for Christmas, we made time to visit the light displays. These images are from this trip.
Clifton Hill is well-known in the falls area on the Canadian side. It is jam packed with fun activities, stores, restaurants. You name it. Some of the more prominent things to mention, they have a 2-story race car track, dinosaur putt putt golf, a giant sky wheel that is enclosed and temperature controlled, Ripley’s Believe it or Not, and several haunted houses.
The Canadian side also has some really amazing restaurants and hotels, which also include one indoor Water park, within walking distance of the falls and Clifton Hill. The most notable restaurant and attraction would be the Skylon Tower which has an observation deck which stands 775 feet above the base of the falls. The restaurant inside the Skylon Tower has a revolving deck, so you get a 360 degree view of the city, American and Canadian, while eating your meal. You will be able to see the Niagara River, the City of Buffalo and on clear days you can even see Toronto. The restaurant is on the pricey side, but it is totally worth it. On our recent trip, I planned our dinner reservation for the exact time the nightly fireworks start (during the Winter Festival of Lights the fireworks display is nightly between Christmas and January 4th, usually only on the weekends otherwise). Luckily, we got sat on the correct side of the revolving restaurant to watch the fireworks, it was a gamble, but it worked out.
If you make a dinner reservation, you get automatic access to the observation deck at no additional charge, so you could say, the expense of the dinner covers being able to go to the observation deck. Tickets for the ride to the observation deck are typically $20 per adult (Canadian currency), so keep that in mind when you see the price tag on your meal.
Outside of the immediate area, there are activities like the Bird Aviary, which has zoo vibes but it is very small, the Butterfly Conservatory which is one of my favorite stops and then there is also a little place called Niagara-on-the-Lake, which has an entire strip of cute little boutique stores and restaurants.
Both the American and Canadian sides have the usual “commercial” activities. There are restaurants, my favorite is the Rainforest Cafe (there is one of these on both American and Canadian side of the falls), shops to purchase items from, a Casino or two depending on which side you’re on, for those gamblers out there.
No matter the season you go, you will always experience the weather just a bit cooler at the falls. The wind is just different there. And the mist from the falls just adds to that. Of course, everyone says visiting in the summer makes the most sense, but honestly, there is something about seeing the falls in the winter with the snow and ice all around. It just makes for a spectacular view. If I had to choose only one time to visit, it would have to be in the winter. And believe me, I am not a cold weather lover, but the falls have this magical feeling in the winter. It is absolutely beautiful.
Typical trips to Niagara Falls, for me, are just an ordinary day, but for most people, this is a once in a life event. You could say that no matter how many times you visit, the falls will always be different, because they erode away a little bit each year. One foot per year to be more exact. So, if you were to bring your child to visit, and then they chose to go visit when they are 40 with their children, the falls will have moved about 40 feet back from the point you saw them at. Someday, the falls will all be one big waterfall, not 3 separate falls, and it will move further and further away from all the commercial properties that have been built to entertain those visiting the falls each year. It may not be in our lifetime, but it is thought provoking. You will see in the image above captioned the “Horseshoe falls (winter of 2023)”, that dry rocky area closest to the front of the photo, it used to have water running over it. Below, you will see a photo from 2020, only 3 years earlier, where you can see water running, it’s not a lot, but there was still water in that area. Just small proofs that the falls are ever changing.
I made a small reel of some videos from my trip with my daughters, that you all might enjoy, it’s on Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/reel/2313217125820831
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