Location: Niagara Falls is located along the Niagara River, which not only forms the international border between Canada and the United States, but also connects Lake Erie with Lake Ontario: Map
Time: You should plan on spending a full day (or more) here, enjoying the beautiful scenery and activities.
Cost: - Vehicle parking fee - $10/vehicle
- Maid of the Mist cruises - $17/adult and $9.90/child (6-12)
- Cave of the Winds tour - $14/adult and $11/child (6-12)
- The Niagara Falls USA Discovery Pass - $38/adult and $31/child (6-12)
- Rainbow Bridge is a toll bridge: 50 cents/pedestrian or cyclist (each way); $3.50/car (round trip)
Description: Among all the fun and exciting things we did on our New York/New England trip, Niagara Falls was voted the most fun activity by a majority of the participants.
There are multiple ways to see the Falls. The oldest and best known tourist attraction is the Maid of the Mist boat tours. Since 1846, these cruise boats take passengers through the rapids to the base of the Falls for spectacular views of all three waterfalls. The boats can be accessed from boat docks on both sides of the border.
The least expensive way to see the Falls is along the various walkways along Prospect Point Park and Goat Island. Or you can see the view from the Prospect Point Observation Tower or Rainbow Bridge.
If you prefer to ride, the Niagara Scenic Trolley offers guided trips along the American Falls and Goat Island. You can also purchase aerial tours via the Flight of Angels helium balloon ride or helicopter.
Perhaps the most unique and fun view of the Falls is by taking the Cave of the Winds Tour. After purchasing tickets, you can take the elevator down from Goat Island, then hike along the boardwalks to the base of Bridal Veil Falls. The boardwalk leads you to the Hurricane Deck, where visitors are sprayed by the Falls as they ricochet off the giant boulders at their base.
On the Canadian side, you can enjoy the beautiful manicured gardens and viewing platforms of Queen Victoria Park. Underground walkways lead to observation rooms that provide the illusion of being among the Falls. The Skylon Tower's observation deck provides the highest view of the Falls.
The Whirlpool Aero Car is a cable car that takes passengers over the Niagara Whirlpool on the Canadian side. The Journey Behind the Falls is a tour that takes visitors down an elevator to an observation platform and a series of tunnels at the base of Horseshoe Falls.
It is spectacular to see the Falls by day, but it is just as fascinating to see them by night. During the summer months, giant floodlights illuminate the Falls until midnight.
The Niagara Gorge Discovery Center allows visitors to learn about the geology and history of the Falls and Gorge through film and interactive displays. It is also home to the Niagara Gorge Trailhead Center - gateway to a variety of spectacular hiking and biking trails.
The Aquarium of Niagara has a variety of interesting animals to view. They also post penguin and shark feeding times, and present a couple of shows featuring sea lions.
Rating: 5 stars (out of 5)
Things You Should Know: The Niagara Falls USA Discovery Pass allows you to see five popular attractions on the US side of the border at a discounted price. It includes: the Niagara Adventure Theater, the Aquarium of Niagara, the Cave of the Winds tour, the Niagara Gorge Discovery Center, and a Maid of the Mist boat ride. It also allows one day unlimited trips on the Niagara Scenic Trolley. Maid of the Mist and Cave of the Winds are musts. If you only wish to do those, then the pass isn't worth it. Since we also wanted to see the film, it was cheaper to buy the pass which also allowed us to go to the Discovery Center and the Aquarium for no extra cost. We thought it was worth it. Tourists to the Canadian side have a similar deal if they purchase the Niagara Falls Adventure Pass.
- Tourists for the Cave of the Winds tour receive rain slickers and cheap water sandals to wear while they explore the views from below the Falls. You still get wet, especially if you go on the Hurricane Deck, but at least you don't have to worry about your shoes. The Maid of the Mist tours also provide rain slickers.
- Much of the water that flows from Lake Erie is diverted to hydroelectric facilities by employing a weir with movable gates upstream from the Falls. To appease the tourist industry, the amount of water going over the Falls is increased during the summer tourist season (100,000 cubic feet/second), but halved at night and during the winter months (50,000 cubic feet/second). So if someone says, "They turn off the Falls at night," they are only partly joking.
- The Falls have historically eroded at a rate of 3 feet/year. By diverting much of the water, that rate has been slowed to 1 foot/year. At the current rate, it is estimated that the Falls will disappear in approximately 50,000 years.
- Although it rarely happens, one or more of the 3 falls have frozen over, or been reduced to a trickle due to ice blockage upstream. The last time this phenomenon occurred was in 2015.
- Niagara Falls is part of the international border between the United States and Canada. To get a more complete view of the Falls (particularly American Falls and Bridal Veil Falls), you might want to cross over to the Canadian side via Rainbow Bridge. However, to do so, a passport is now required.
- Goat Island divides Horseshoe Falls from the other two. Visitors may walk across bridges to Goat Island and the accompanying 3 Sisters Islands.
- In 1901, Annie Edson Taylor (a 63-year old school teacher from Michigan) went over the Falls in a barrel as a publicity stunt. She came out bleeding but alive. Since then, 14 people have intentionally gone over the Falls. Some have survived, others have drowned or been severely injured. Since it is now illegal to intentionally go over the Falls, survivors face stiff charges and fines.
- The Falls have been featured in several movies and TV shows including: Niagara, Superman II, and Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End.
Nearby: Buffalo, Lake Erie, Lake Ontario, the Erie Canal
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