Here are some things you need to know if you want to visit Niagara Falls.
Written: Aug 13 '02
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Pros: Niagara Falls are awesome! You will always remember a trip to the Falls.
Cons: Plan ahead. Be sure to bring ID for everyone.
The Bottom Line: Niagara Falls stayed in my head for over 25 years. My boys were just as impressed when we went this year.
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| CyndiA's Full Review: Niagara Falls |
Niagara Falls is an experience you will never forget. No matter what they do short of draining the falls (which they did once on the American side after a rock slide), this is a site to see. Even though they have gone “tourist city” around the Falls, there is just NO way to ruin the beauty of something land made and ultra special.
First, I will note that the land directly around the Falls was preserved for everyone to see. That’s a good thing, because there would be no way the average person could pay to get up close if it was a total free marketplace free-for-all. At one point, Niagara Falls was a private land area, and it was only open to those who had lots of money. Now, the edge area in Canada is open as well as a hunk in the States, which is operated as a National Park.
The first time I went to Niagara Falls was with my family. I was 14, so I think that was about 1975. It was the year Elvis Presley died, so someone can probably clarify that date. I just remember hearing that “the King had died” on the trip and that my mom was really bummed about that. I was into KISS and the Rolling Stones at the time, so I didn’t really get all that.
We camped on the trip. There is one thing I can tell you about Canada and the upper part of New York. It rains a lot, and it gets cold (so take a jacket). We crossed into Canada to a government camping park, and it rained every day we were there. My little sister put her feet on the top of the tent every time it rained, so we were soggy the whole trip. If you don’t know . . . when you touch canvas it springs leaks. My brothers ran ropes under the tent, and they would pull them under the tent and yell, “SNAKE.” My dad is not a slow traveler, so it was pretty much . . . “OK. There are the falls. Soak them in. Let’s move on.” To top all that off, a kid from Canada told me that they only name the dogs and goats Cyndi in Canada. We drove all the way from Canada back to North Carolina in one day (and night) and then wrecked about 10 miles from the house. OK. You may be thinking that it was not a great trip, but it stuck with me and is something I will always remember as being quite a site to see.
When the dad-person mentioned going to NY City, I suggested swinging up by the Falls. It’s not that much farther up, and the boys had never seen Niagara Falls. Dad-person and the boys thought that sounded neat, so that’s what we did this summer.
If you arrive at Niagara Falls through New York by Buffalo (check out the wings), then you’ll see all kinds of Travel Info Centers. Those are just fronts for the package deals to see the Falls which cost a lot. You really don’t need someone to take you around. This is not a New York City crowded kind of place. You can manage on your own and save money and see more.
You may want to get a motel ahead of time, but there are plenty of rooms on the US side. We went during prime tourist season, and we saw very few NO VACANCY signs. The prices jump quite a bit from the main road to the town of Niagara Falls. If you stay even 3 or so miles off the Falls, then you get much better rates. You’ll have to add the cost of parking on that, but you can’t sleep right on the Falls anyway. My estimate is that we saved about $50 per night by not staying right on the block up and away from the Falls.
If you drive in, then go to the Park area. If you arrive early (10 am or so) or late (4 pm or so), then you can get a space. The cost is $5.00 in the National Park area. You can move from lot to lot within the Park, and you can leave and come back and not pay more. Just keep the ticket if you leave the lot. The stub gets you back in all day.
If you can’t get in the Park lot, then you will see lots of places to park close—just look for the PARKING signs on the street. The going rate is $8 for the day, but I’m not sure if you can leave and come back. We hit the $8 lot the first day, since we arrived about noon and the Park lot was full. But, we did not leave and come back that day.
You can buy a pass to get several attractions there at the Park, and that is the way to go . . . unless you are just driving by and looking which would be free except for parking. The only thing you want to watch for is the Trolley pass. That is good for one day only. If you come later in the day and want to look around the next day, then save the Trolley pass as you can’t use it two days. You’ll want that on your full day and not just the “looking around” time.
You’ll want to see the movie first if possible. It runs over and over, so you only have to wait a little bit. That gives you background on the Falls. It means more to learn about the Falls and then look at them up close rather than to look and then find out what you were seeing. That’s right there where you buy the tickets, so just stick around and see the film.
If you bought the package ticket, then see the Magic Show while you are in the main building at the theater. It’s a cute show by the milk producers in the area. It’s more for the 12 and under crowd, but it’s fun at any age. At the end, they will (try to) sell you a coloring book and a yoyo thing that is really like a pencil with paper that shoots out. If you get the book, then you can get the autograph from the magician. That was only $2, and it was OK for the favors. The book has coloring pages and magic tricks, and the pencil thing has held up for a month—so far.
Before you leave the main center, you can check out the gift shop. It is small, but they have some cute things. Look in the ticket book for a coupon with $2 off a t-shirt. That coupon works at the other shops at the park. I wanted a certain t-shirt, which was sold out at the main (but smaller) shop, but it was in stock at the lower shop. Though it says “Top of the Falls” shop, it is good at any of the shops at the park. I asked the girl at the bottom shop if it was good there, and she said: “If you buy a t-shirt.” Well, I was holding one in my hand, so I got the $2 off.
If you’re only going for one day, then head right out to the trolley after the main shop and see the aquarium and the islands. If you are coming back the next day, then skip the trolley stop and walk around where you’re at. You’ll see the observation deck where you can get a pretty good view of the Falls from the middle of the river. That runs about 50 cents, and you are at the “Maid of the Mists” elevator on the deck. You can just ride down and see the Falls from the bottom of the cliff (no cost), but the Maid of the Mist is the best experience and not to be missed. That is what we skipped when I was a kid, and I was determined to ride the boat this time.
“Maid of the Mist” is an open boat that goes right up to the Horseshoe Falls (Canada side) where you feel the mist and the power of the Falls. They give you rain jackets for the ride. You will still get pretty damp even if you wrap those tight and pull the chinstrap. Don’t miss the boat ride. It really is worth it. Try to stand near the front of the boat, which is the part that heads right into the Falls.
If you don’t want to pay for a Trolley ticket (or the package), then you can walk to the Island section or to the Aquarium from the center of the Park. I would guess you are looking at about 10 minutes each way. At the Island section, you can go to “Cave of the Winds.” At the Aquarium, you can see lots of sea life and also see shows.
“Cave of the Winds” is an elevator that takes you down a shaft that was chipped out by hand. At the bottom, you walk some steps down close the falls and then up to where they have a cave up under the Falls. You can cut off for the “quiet” trip or go up to the Hurricane Deck. At the Hurricane Deck, you have gale force winds and loads of water hitting you.
The boys liked “Cave of the Winds” best (and you can go back at night with the package ticket with $2 off). You have to wear some non-slip shoes that are cramped and the raincoat that is hot. They take a picture before you ride down. You can see that and buy it if you want at the end of the trip. It was an experience, but it is high impact. If you don’t want to get soaked, then don’t take this trip.
On the other side of the Falls, they have the Aquarium. It is not a big place, but it is nice. They have a lot of small exhibits and information. Check for the program schedule. They have a lot of programs, which are really wonderful. If it is crowded, then just wait a bit. The fish people will hang around and talk to you if you hang back and wait for the crowd to move on. Our favorite was the small pool area where they feed flounder and crabs. You can’t even see some of the critters, until they start to put food in.
If you are on the US side, then you will notice that you can cross over to Canada. You can go by car, which is more expensive and takes longer, or you can walk over on the bridge. One thing you won’t know until you cross back is that you have to pay a toll to the US on the walking bridge. Save two 25-cent pieces from Canada, as that will cost less than 2 US quarters (due to the exchange rate). If you don’t have any change, then they have change machines as you come back stateside.
The really BIG thing to keep in mind is that you need ID for everyone going over. We had ID for me, the dad-person, and Caleb, but Eli is not 10 yrs old and does not have a military ID, which was a problem.
The stateside people said that Eli would probably be OK on a cross over. We did ask about that. When we got to the Canada desk, the woman there had a fit. The only thing I had was his bankcard. She threw that on the floor and screamed that we had no idea what was needed to enter a foreign country. Since we have lived overseas, I really do have an idea. I didn’t think to bring his birth certificate, because I had not thought about crossing a border. We just stood there and listened to the woman PMS, and then she let us cross. Eli looks just like his Dad, but do remember to bring birth certificates for little kids. It will save you a lecture and a lot of grief.
The Canada side is nicer as far as the view and also for the overall experience of the Falls. The state side is kind of low rent overall, while the Canada side is pretty with lots of green and flowers. You really want to go to the Canada side, so be sure to bring ID to get over. You may get the kids over anyway, but you will have to suffer for it.
On the Canada side, you have all the typical tourist traps. They have Hard Rock and Ripley’s and places where you can rent go-carts. Those are fine if you are looking for those places. The real draw is the area next to the Falls where you can see a good view and see people from all parts of the world. The tower is pretty nice too. Turn left after the checkpoint and go past the police station and up a path that is killer walking (or take a taxi or tour bus). The Tower is up there. You can go up top the top of the tower for a small fee, and you can eat and watch the view if you want to. The dinner menu is pretty steep, but the lunch buffet was less than $50 for the 4 of us. They cashed out all my Canadian money, and then gave me the small total in US dollars. I should have kept the 50 cent per person for the walk back across, but it was good to cash out before we hit the States again.
Eli wanted to ride the hot air balloon more than anything on the trip, so we hit that at night. We thought the line might be long, but it was only about a 20-minute wait even for the night lift. That ride is tethered and short, but you can see the Falls from up high. If you go at night, then you see the laser lights on the Falls and the fireworks (Fri and Sat in season only). The Fall lights are pretty neat. The fireworks are just so-so. If you come back for the night show, then be sure to save that ticket stub to park in the Park to avoid more parking fees. If you kept your trolley arm band on for the day, then you can ride around the US side to an area where you want to watch the colors.
Here are the key tips from our trip:
1. Stay a few miles off the Falls for lower prices on lodgings.
2. Park at the US Park and save the stub to come back later in the day.
3. Get the Pass, but save the Trolley part if you coming back the next day.
4. If you can only do one thing, go on the Maid of the Mist boat.
5. If you want to go to Canada, then have ID--even for kids.
6. If you eat at the Tower, then hit it at lunchtime. Much cheaper.
7. If you want to see the night-lights, then save your parking stub and trolley arm band.
Niagara Falls was just as wonderful as I remembered and even better with the up close views. I was glad I did not get soaked (other than when it was planned) and didn’t have to pay a quarter to get in the restroom on this trip. No one told me that “Cyndi” was what they called dogs and goats, though the Canadian border patrolwoman treated us like dogs for not having the ID for Eli.
If you want to see Niagara Falls, then I would suggest planning a little. Just make sure that you have all the paperwork that you need to cross over and that you look at and think about the things to see and do. It could get pretty expensive, but if you think ahead just a little, then you can see one of the natural wonders of the world without wondering how you are going to pay your rent next month.
Recommended:
Yes
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CyndiA
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Member: Cyndi
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Get some sleep and dream of rock 'n roll - Bread.
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