Niagara Falls: Nature's Thrills
Written: Aug 22 '02 (Updated Jan 20 '04)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: fairly inexpensive, beautiful views, plenty to see and do
Cons: weekends are crowded, transportation can be a problem, nearby tourist traps
The Bottom Line: An entertaining and fun destination for families and couples.
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| AliventiAsylum's Full Review: Niagara Falls |
My husband just doesn't get time off in the summer. It's just a sad fact that we deal with it. Well, mostly I deal with it. If my children want to see anything in the summer, it's up to me. You could either say I am very brave or very insane to take an 11, 7 and 2 year-old camping at Niagara Falls.
As we crossed over the Rainbow Bridge from New York to Canada, I knew I had made a great choice. The view of The Falls was breathtaking and my kids were eager to tour the area. I grabbed as much literature as I could and plotted my strategy for the next day.
We purchased two-day passes for our trip since we were going to be there for 6 days. I asked the woman in the booth who sold them if they had to be used two consecutive days and she responded that they didn't even have to be used just two days - the tickets for the attractions were not dated except with an expiration date and could be used over any number of days before they expired. Sounded good to me! These passes were $39.95 (Cdn $) for an adult and $21.15 (Cdn $) for children age 6-12.
What we received was a small pamphlet with tickets to rip out at the attractions. The two day passes include Journey Behind the Falls, Great Gorge Adventure, Butterfly Conservatory, Niagara Spanish Aerocar, Mosaiculture Garden, Niagara Glen Rim Tour, Old Fort Erie, Laura Secord Homestead, Mackenzie Heritage Printery, McFarland House, and 2 tickets for all-day use of the bus transportation in the park area.
In hindsight, we would have been better off with just the one day passes which only include Journey Behind the Falls, Butterfly Conservatory, Great Gorge Adventure, one day bus passes, and a $2 off coupon for Niagara Spanish Aerocar. This pass costs only $24 (Cdn $) for adults and $16 (Cdn $) for children ages 6-12. However, we didn't know at the time that it was going to jump from being in the mid to high 70's during the day to the mid 90's. The last weather forecast I'd seen had only predicted the mid 80's.
We parked our van ($10 Cdn) at the Table Rock Complex which houses Journey Behind the Falls as well as some wonderful views of the Horseshoe Falls. We traded the tickets from our passes for timed tickets to report back and descend in an elevator to an overlook where we were right next to the thundering water of the Horseshoe Falls. We were given lightweight, recyclable ponchos to wear as we stood out on the platforms. There were plaques around the platform detailing various facts about The Falls which kept my 11 year old very interested and reading. Did you know the first person to ever go over The Falls in a barrel was a 63 year-old woman from Long Island??? Just goes to prove we are missing a little something between the ears down here ;-)
We then walked along a tunnel to two vantage points that was actually behind The Falls. It was something to see the thunderous water in front of us as well as see that wind can be strong enough to push the water back into the tunnel.
After coming back above ground, we took a short, pleasant walk down to the Maid of the Mist boat. While this was not included with our passes, this is definitely an attraction not to be missed. My kids enjoyed it so much that we did it a second time over the time we were there. The cost was $12.25 (Cdn $) for adults and $7.50 (Cdn $) for children to ride. It was most definitely worth it! The general hours of Maid of the Mist is 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. It can be open a bit later on special days, but don't count on it.
We rode an elevator down to the dock where we were handed another lightweight, recyclable poncho - this one blue. I didn't have to take Danny out of his stroller at all - not even on the boat. This was good, since he fell asleep! The steamboats ride right up to the Horseshoe Falls. On the first trip we stayed on the side of the boat closes to the dock. We learned our lesson and on the next trip we ventured to the other side as this one spends more time facing the waters of The Falls, both American and Canadian. There is an upper section as well, but I didn't want to try climbing the stairs with the stroller.
When touring with kids, eating can be difficult. My usual practice is to stick with the familiar that I know has kids menus and food they like. There are plenty of typical chain restaurants to choose from in the area such as the Hard Rock Café, Planet Hollywood, and the Rainforest Café. There are also food and/or snack stands at just about all of the attractions.
On our first day we also managed to take in the Butterfly Conservatory. This is located in the Botanical Gardens - a wonderful, quiet place to leisurely walk around. Once again we tore off the tickets from our passes and were given a ticket with a time to return on it. Once inside the atrium we were walking through topical gardens with thousands of butterflies flying all around us. We've been to Butterfly World in Deerfield Beach, Florida several times and while that has a much bigger exhibit and more to do than here, when included with the passes the price was much better.
One piece of advice I would definitely follow myself the next time we venture here is not to try to tour on the weekends. We went down on a Saturday and it was packed! The bus transportation - which was fine during the week - made Manhattan look good. While waiting up at Table Rock, one bus was sitting there with no driver and no one knew where he was. We were at least another bus behind that one for getting on, and I didn't want to wait for 3 busses to show up so we ended up walking down to Maid of the Mist. During the week I found the crowds to be much more manageable - even fairly empty the Thursday we were there.
After facing the heat and humidity for a few days by sitting around the pool, we finally ventured back to try to use up as much of our passes as we could. This was on a Monday and the crowds were fairly light until we left to go for a swim at about 2 in the afternoon. We arrived early, parking at Table Rock again and using the bus transportation.
Our first stop was the Niagara Spanish Aerocar. My kids were very eager to go on it and they were not disappointed. Again, we traded the tickets in our passes for timed tickets and wandered around the gift shop and viewing platforms until our time came up. We were transported our over the Niagara Whirlpool in a very large Spanish-designed cable car and then back to where we originated. This does not take you to the "New York side" as so many people mistake it for. This also gives a great view of the rapids as it comes down to the Whirlpool area.
Next we rode the bus back up to the Great Gorge Adventure. This is a boardwalk which goes along the rapids between The Falls and the Whirlpool area. It's not long, but being able to walk and see the size of the rapids is amazing an well worth it. Again, we rode down in elevators and the majority of the boardwalk I could walk along without having to take Danny out of his stroller. The only time I did take him out was when we chose to go down steps for a closer view.
Right across from the Great Gorge Adventure is a Buddhist Temple. We didn't have time to take a complete tour. However, it is free and open to the public when the big green gates are opened. They will give tours and provide you with paper slippers for your feet. My daughters were interested in just the outside and the reception area, so I think as Danny gets older a tour would be wonderful.
What we didn't get to see was disappointing. I wanted to see The Falls lit up at night with the different colored lights. A driver told us that the lights don't start going on until 9 p.m. or later and don't start changing colors until 10 p.m. That was one very nice bonus about the transportation - all of the drivers and monitors are so knowledgeable about the area that we could ask them any questions we wanted to. We ran into one woman that has been driving for 17 years and she told us so much about the bed and breakfast inns along the bus route.
We had wanted to see Old Fort Erie very much, especially since they were having War of 1812 re-enactments the weekend we were up there. Faced with 96 degree temperatures, we passed. This also meant we missed out on the other heritage sites as well - the Laura Secord House, Mackenzie Heritage Printery, and McFarland House. These are not right on the bus route that departs from Table Rock, so your best bet is to get in the car and drive to these separately.
We actually camped fairly far from The Falls in a small Canadian town called Fonthill. It was about a 20 minute drive, and after a few trips to The Falls area, I was very glad I did.
The area immediately along The Falls is owned by Niagara Parks. This area is kept absolutely beautiful with some nice walking paths amongst various plantings and magnificent views of both the American and Canadian (or Horseshoe) Falls. However, about a block west is where the commercialization begins. There are tourist traps galore, especially in the section known as Clifton Hill. I would definitely say it puts Route 192 in Kissimmee to shame for those Disney afficionados out there who can judge the comparison. There are haunted houses, fun housed, 3-D theaters, kitschy museums such as the Guinness World Records Museum and the Ripley's Believe it or Not Museum. We did not venture into any of these since our one neighbor in the campground warned us off. Before then, my older two were asking to go to The Fun House and I was thinking about doing it.
The Skylon Tower overlooks The Falls as well and is something I would consider doing. It has a selection of restaurants as well as a viewing platform which would be wonderful to watch The Falls when they are lit up at night, or the fireworks shows which are generally Fridays and Sundays through July and August.
Also in the area is Marineland, a combination aquarium and theme park with rides and shows. We did not get over to it, so that's something else for our list when we go back.
And we will most definitely go back. I found the prices to be very good on just about everything (except for the themed restaurants). My daughters were asking to go next year, but I think I will wait until my son is a couple of years older and better able to walk through the day on his own. I do highly recommend a vacation to Niagara Falls for just about anyone. It's a great change from theme park vacations with your family.
WEBSITES FOR MORE INFORMATION:
http://www.niagaraparks.com
http://www.maidofthemist.com
http://www.skylon.com
http://www.marinelandcanada.com/
© 2002 Patti Aliventi
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Families
Best Time to Travel Here: Jun - Aug
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AliventiAsylum
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Member: Patti Aliventi
Location: Mount Washington Valley, New Hampshire
Reviews written: 2122
Trusted by: 692 members
About Me:
Now writing reviews to pay for the "out of network" costs of our health insurance...
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