I just got back from a long weekend in Niagara Falls, NY with my girlfriend. We had a great time. We went to the Minolta Tower, Skylon Tower, Casino Niagara, and viewed the falls from a plethora of angles. I might as well walk through the highlights of our itinerary and give my opinions/recommendations as I go.

We drove to Niagara Falls, NY from Bergen County NJ on Saturday morning. The drive took about 6 hours and was kind of boring. There was snow on the ground on our way up, which was pretty crazy considering there hasn't been any sign of snow in NJ so far this year. So, if you're heading up to the Falls in the colder months, it's probably best to be prepared with some food and blankets just in case you get snowed in on the way.

For starters, the NY side of the river is not quite as bad as most of the other reviews here have made it out to be. I wouldn't call it "run down" or anything. There wasn't much happening there, and it was pretty quiet, but from reading the other reviews I was expecting a slum, which it wasn't. It was actually quite nice.

We arrived at our destination, the Holiday Inn Select, in the evening. The hotel was nice. There was nothing exceptional to mention, but the accommodations were good and we had no problems there.

We walked over to the American side of the Falls in the evening. It was freezing outside. On top of that, when you get close to the Falls, the mist creates a steady light rain. It goes without saying that light rain, digital cameras, and 30 degree weather isn't exactly the best combination. However, we made the best of it and got some great pictures of the falls, which were just amazing.

We walked across the little bridge to Goat Island and viewed the falls from there, which was an even more wet experience, but also more breathtaking.

At night we ate at a little Indian restaurant called "The Taj Mahal". The food was very good and very inexpensive.

The next day, Sunday, we went to the circus, which was at the HSBC Arena in Buffalo. That was a lot of fun, but that's another review...

Sunday night we journeyed to the Canadian side of the river. The border guards are kinda scary, and have NO sense of humor. So don't even try to joke around with them. The view of the falls is definitely better from the Canadian side, and there is a lot more to do. We stopped at the main observation area for a little while. There was no $10 parking fee, probably because it was the off-season. BONUS!

Next we went to the Minolta Tower. The view is really nice from there. We parked by the Outback Steakhouse for free. The ride up to the observation area only cost $5. I would probably be more likely to recommend the Minolta Tower if we didn't go to the Skylon Tower as well. ...more on that later.

We ate at the Rainforest Cafe, which is always fun no matter where you are. Then we went to the Ripley's Believe It Or Not Museum. I had been to Niagara Falls years ago and remembered having fun there. Most of the attractions on the Canadian side are "cheesy", touristy, and pretty boring. I think the Ripley museum is an exception. It's interesting and a we had a good time. You might enjoy taking in one of the better haunted houses, but overall most of the attractions are not worth the time or money in my opinion.

The next day we did some shopping at the Niagara Falls Prime Outlets. We also hit the VF Factory Outlets in Waterloo on the way home, but I digress. Shopping was fun and a nice break from the Falls.

On Monday night we headed over to the Canadian side once again to eat at the Skylon Tower. We happened to get there before 5, which entitled us to the "early bird" dinner. Lucky us! Try to get there early because the dinners are priced about $10 cheaper and come with chocolate mousse for dessert. I highly recommend the prime rib. It was delicious. The view of the Falls is much better in the daylight as well, especially if you plan on taking any pictures. As it gets darker, the lights inside the restaurant cast reflections off the glass and taint your photos. The Falls are pretty at night, lit up in various colors, but seeing them during the day is still best. The view from the Skylon Tower is much better than the view from the Minolta Tower. Location location location.

From there we went to the Casino Niagara. Don't expect the casino to rival Atlantic City casinos or anything like that. It's not quite up to par with those. I think there were only about 7 craps tables in the whole place, and only 4 were staffed. Overall, though, the casino was pretty nice. There are 3 floors, and the bottom two floors are non-smoking. Too bad the craps tables were all on the top floor... I actually came out ahead, so I'm not going to complain!

The next morning we decided to walk across the Rainbow Bridge. I highly recommend that. It's free for pedestrians and the view is awesome. We got some great pictures from there.

That about sums it up. We had a great time, despite skipping out on the Maid of the Mist and Cave of the Winds and all that. We had both done those things years before and decided they weren't worth doing again in the cold weather. I recommend the trip to anyone who wants to get away for a few days.

Recommended: Yes

Best Suited For: Couples
Best Time to Travel Here: Anytime