BroncoFreak_2K3
sucker for Orange
Thinking of doing a quick weekend trip in early September to the Falls. Never been. Any places to stay better than others?... and what else is there to do besides the obvious Falls tours?
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Niagara Falls (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter BroncoFreak_2K3
- Start date
zamboni
Footballguy
We were there just a few weeks ago for a couple of days. The falls are magnificent, but the town of Niagara Falls - at least on the Canadian side - is a cheesy tourist trap. Don't stay in town if you can avoid it.
If you want a bit more countryside, the nearby town of Niagara-On-The-Lake (also Canadian side) is a pretty cool quaint town. Also a lot of good wineries right there if you're into that.
You're also not far from Toronto if you want to take a bit of an excursion.
If you want a bit more countryside, the nearby town of Niagara-On-The-Lake (also Canadian side) is a pretty cool quaint town. Also a lot of good wineries right there if you're into that.
You're also not far from Toronto if you want to take a bit of an excursion.
Apple Jack
Footballguy
Drink. Gamble. Play the Battlefields Course at Legends on the Niagara.
jamny
Footballguy
Yeah, I liked the drive up the Niagra Parkway to Niagra-on-the-Lake. Very scenic and nice town to stop for lunch.
Bill Young
Footballguy
DEFINITELY stay on the Canadian side. Much more developed than the American side.
moleculo
Footballguy
2nd post in the thread. Impressive.
BroncoFreak_2K3
sucker for Orange
Do you have to have a passport for Canada travel?What about for kids? Birth certificate or passport?
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Leeroy Jenkins
Footballguy
Are you rolling solo, with guys, with wife/gf?
Niagara on the Lake is a great historic town with some good restaurants. Do a winery tour. Niagara falls itself you can knock out in 1 day really. They are amazing to see though for sure. If you're with a chick, she might want to see the nearby butterfly preserve. It was kind of cool in there.
Niagara on the Lake is a great historic town with some good restaurants. Do a winery tour. Niagara falls itself you can knock out in 1 day really. They are amazing to see though for sure. If you're with a chick, she might want to see the nearby butterfly preserve. It was kind of cool in there.
BroncoFreak_2K3
sucker for Orange
Wife and 9 yr old daughter
Smack Tripper
Footballguy
NIagra on the Lake is a nice little couples deal. If you have kids, I'd think the cheese fest that is Niagara might be better. Falls do indeed rock, and my suggestion is go for it all. Do the Maid of the Mist, which was actually awesome. I stayed at a Casino in Canada(don't know which one, but it was the one "closest" to the falls, and you can find deals there. We had floor to ceiling windows with a staggering view of the falls. Didn't even do dinner one night, just sat in our room with a bottle of wine and watched them and it was worth every penny. Casino was also decent but didn't get too heavily invested due to time. Not a whole lot of great eats there, and the breakfast scene is atrocious.
zamboni
Footballguy
Yup - need a passport for everyone. And be prepared for a potentially long wait returning to the US. We sat on line in the car for 2 hours.ETA: as per below, I guess you only need birth certificate for kids. We had passports for them, so used them.
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Devilsden2001
Footballguy
I have stayed twice at the Sheratin Falls View (Canadian Side) and it is a very nice hotel. They have a casino that is connected to the hotel as well. If you decide to stay here, I would request a falls view room, it is really nice at night watching the falls change color and also to watch the fireworks over the falls.
I would go take a half a day and visit Niagra on the lake and do the wine trail. Niagra is known for their Ice wine which is a very nice desert wine and very sweet.
I would recommend doing the journey behind the falls and also the Maid of the mist. They will really give you and idea of the power of the falls.
For dinner if I would suggest the Skylon Towers, it is a rotating resteraunt that overlooks the falls. The food was excelent.
I would go take a half a day and visit Niagra on the lake and do the wine trail. Niagra is known for their Ice wine which is a very nice desert wine and very sweet.
I would recommend doing the journey behind the falls and also the Maid of the mist. They will really give you and idea of the power of the falls.
For dinner if I would suggest the Skylon Towers, it is a rotating resteraunt that overlooks the falls. The food was excelent.
Devilsden2001
Footballguy
you and your wife will need a passport and your daughter will need a birth certificate. They have a border passport that I got and it was only 45.00 instead of the full cost of a true passport.
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zamboni
Footballguy
We went with my 12-year-old and 9-year-old boys, so can relate.Can definitely knock out the Falls stuff in a day, as others mentioned.Would recommend Niagara-On-The-Lake for another day. We went to only one winery, which was enough for the boys, but the one we went to let them taste grape juice they made while we sipped the wine. Can find out the name if you want...
Devilsden2001
Footballguy
Was it the Icehouse Winery? They allowed my boy to do the same thing.
zamboni
Footballguy
I forgot - have to look up my credit card info, but will find out.
Copeman
Footballguy
I was there a few weeks ago for the third time. Have stayed on both the American and Canadian side. Both worlds apart, but both will give you what you want depending on what you want in a little vacation.
I also heard from a few locals that the Maid of the Mist is shutting down soon for good.
I also heard from a few locals that the Maid of the Mist is shutting down soon for good.
Devilsden2001
Footballguy
zamboni
Footballguy
Heard the same.
Devilsden2001
Footballguy
This is also something that is a lot of fun to do. Niagra falls Jet boat.
zamboni
Footballguy
Best Falls thing to do is the Cave Of The Winds, which is on the American side.
From afar, you see these people in yellow raincoats walking up flights of stairs. A visual that totally reminded me of Woody Woodpecker.
From afar, you see these people in yellow raincoats walking up flights of stairs. A visual that totally reminded me of Woody Woodpecker.
Steve Tasker
Footballguy
This thread has done a pretty good job of covering things. Just some notes to reiterate (I grew up 10 minutes from the Falls):
- go to the Canadian side if you can. Niagara Falls, USA is a ####hole and is a poorly developed mess. Niagara Falls, Canada is a cheesy tourist trap but at least has a nice little walkable area and a much better view of the Falls. Canadian falls are much nicer than the US falls. Food in the US city is pretty poor. If you want something decent, you'd probably have to drive 15-20 minutes south to Buffalo or suburbs.
- you will need either a passport or an "enhanced drivers license" to get over the border. I'm not exactly sure what an enhanced drivers license entails because I have a passport. Expect a long wait to get back into the US, especially if you're going on a weekend. If you don't mind driving a little out of the way to the Peace Bridge in Buffalo (which may be along the way anyway), the wait could potentially be shorter. Not sure what ID you'd need for your child, but that was covered above
- Niagara-on-the-Lake is a very nice little quaint town. If you're planning on it, you may want to confirm that stuff will still be open. IIRC, last time I went up there was in early fall a few years ago and everything was basically shut down. Per my experience, it seems that the town turns from a high-end touristy resort town to just a little residential village in the fall. Most of the shops and restaurants were closed kinda early too, around 5 PM or so.
- Plenty of nice winery tours, if you're okay with bringing your child to one.
- Toronto is drivable in about an hour and a half from Niagara Falls, on a good traffic day. I love that city.
- go to the Canadian side if you can. Niagara Falls, USA is a ####hole and is a poorly developed mess. Niagara Falls, Canada is a cheesy tourist trap but at least has a nice little walkable area and a much better view of the Falls. Canadian falls are much nicer than the US falls. Food in the US city is pretty poor. If you want something decent, you'd probably have to drive 15-20 minutes south to Buffalo or suburbs.
- you will need either a passport or an "enhanced drivers license" to get over the border. I'm not exactly sure what an enhanced drivers license entails because I have a passport. Expect a long wait to get back into the US, especially if you're going on a weekend. If you don't mind driving a little out of the way to the Peace Bridge in Buffalo (which may be along the way anyway), the wait could potentially be shorter. Not sure what ID you'd need for your child, but that was covered above
- Niagara-on-the-Lake is a very nice little quaint town. If you're planning on it, you may want to confirm that stuff will still be open. IIRC, last time I went up there was in early fall a few years ago and everything was basically shut down. Per my experience, it seems that the town turns from a high-end touristy resort town to just a little residential village in the fall. Most of the shops and restaurants were closed kinda early too, around 5 PM or so.
- Plenty of nice winery tours, if you're okay with bringing your child to one.
- Toronto is drivable in about an hour and a half from Niagara Falls, on a good traffic day. I love that city.
jamny
Footballguy
Love Toronto as well. We did Niagra-on-the-Lake as a day trip from there.
zamboni
Footballguy
Thirded - maybe my favorite city I've ever visited.
Hack022
Footballguy
There is a great wolf lodge on the Canadian side and a water park that is shared by the hotels near the "new/fallsview" casino. Note there are 2 casinos on the Canadian side. 1 right downtown just off Clifton hill, other is closer to the falls. Go to Copacabana for dinner (Brazilian) and enjoy your the great food and entertainment. Has a nice outdoor area as well as indoor.
This place is just beside the casino downtown. I've gone with my daughters , they've enjoyed it and it kills a few hours.
http://www.birdkingdom.ca/
Also close to this is a rainforest cafe which is a fun place to eat for kids.
Niagara on the lake is about a 20min drive and great for it's small shops and wineries.
There's a lot of wax museums on clifton hill which may or may not interest you. As someone else mentioned the jet boat is a good time and maid of the mist if it's still going.
Enjoy.
This place is just beside the casino downtown. I've gone with my daughters , they've enjoyed it and it kills a few hours.
http://www.birdkingdom.ca/
Also close to this is a rainforest cafe which is a fun place to eat for kids.
Niagara on the lake is about a 20min drive and great for it's small shops and wineries.
There's a lot of wax museums on clifton hill which may or may not interest you. As someone else mentioned the jet boat is a good time and maid of the mist if it's still going.
Enjoy.
zamboni
Footballguy
Found it - was actually Caroline Cellars: http://www.carolinecellars.com/I guess the grape juice thing is fairly common, which is great for kids.
BroncoFreak_2K3
sucker for Orange
Wow...great info guys..Thanks!!! 
Al Czervik
Not wearing pants
Just went last month around the 4th of July.
Stayed at the Hilton Fallsview. Stayed there mostly for the pool, which the kids liked a lot because it had a big water slide. Hotel had a nice view of the American Falls and we were able to see the fireworks from our room too (which IIRC happen on Friday and Sunday evenings). The casino hotel was across the street... closer to the falls, so it probably has a better falls view. We walked around the casino/shops and it was very nice.
Keep an eye open for Groupons as there are some that come through for Niagara hotels. Also, be prepared to spend a lot of cash. You will pay double what you think a meal should cost normally... we went to IHOP for breakfast and it was $100+... Subway for lunch was $40 (2 adults, 2 kids). Look for a hotel that includes breakfast (ours offered a package that included breakfast, but deal was not available the holiday week that we were there). There is an Embassy Suites down the road that that includes breakfast and also has fallsview rooms. Discovered the last day we were there that Tim Horton's keeps their prices at the 'normal' level, so you can grab a quick breakfast/lunch sandwich for cheap.
Niagara Falls is very walkable. We were able to walk from our hotel to the falls and across the entire falls viewing area.
Definitely do Maid of the Mist... was the best thing we did (so sorry to hear about it closing in the future). You can get an Adventure Pass to do MoM plus some other stuff (cost of pass is about equivalent of doing two of the activities).
Clifton Hill is a fun little tourist trap area that my kids liked. Has a great putt-putt course along with a big ferris wheel and other wacky stuff (wax museums, Ripley's). FYI... the Hollywood Wax Museum sucked. Half the wax figures looked like the real person and the others looked like random people.
We ended up going the enhanced license route instead of passports. Cost for license was $40 compared to $140-$160 for the passport. Like others said, original birth certificate was all we needed for kids (under 13).
Also, if you are coming through Michigan, wait for us at the Blue Water bridge was about 5 minutes each way.
Stayed at the Hilton Fallsview. Stayed there mostly for the pool, which the kids liked a lot because it had a big water slide. Hotel had a nice view of the American Falls and we were able to see the fireworks from our room too (which IIRC happen on Friday and Sunday evenings). The casino hotel was across the street... closer to the falls, so it probably has a better falls view. We walked around the casino/shops and it was very nice.
Keep an eye open for Groupons as there are some that come through for Niagara hotels. Also, be prepared to spend a lot of cash. You will pay double what you think a meal should cost normally... we went to IHOP for breakfast and it was $100+... Subway for lunch was $40 (2 adults, 2 kids). Look for a hotel that includes breakfast (ours offered a package that included breakfast, but deal was not available the holiday week that we were there). There is an Embassy Suites down the road that that includes breakfast and also has fallsview rooms. Discovered the last day we were there that Tim Horton's keeps their prices at the 'normal' level, so you can grab a quick breakfast/lunch sandwich for cheap.
Niagara Falls is very walkable. We were able to walk from our hotel to the falls and across the entire falls viewing area.
Definitely do Maid of the Mist... was the best thing we did (so sorry to hear about it closing in the future). You can get an Adventure Pass to do MoM plus some other stuff (cost of pass is about equivalent of doing two of the activities).
Clifton Hill is a fun little tourist trap area that my kids liked. Has a great putt-putt course along with a big ferris wheel and other wacky stuff (wax museums, Ripley's). FYI... the Hollywood Wax Museum sucked. Half the wax figures looked like the real person and the others looked like random people.
We ended up going the enhanced license route instead of passports. Cost for license was $40 compared to $140-$160 for the passport. Like others said, original birth certificate was all we needed for kids (under 13).
Also, if you are coming through Michigan, wait for us at the Blue Water bridge was about 5 minutes each way.
Apes with Guns
Footballguy
you should stay as close as you can to the gift shop at the falls and watch reruns of Wonder Falls. that would be surreal!
gmbacm
Footballguy
FWIW if you are going to hit up only one winery this is the one to go to. Great place, great wine and lots of free samples.If you do go to the CDN side to stay, take a look at travelzoo.ca top 20 each week http://www.travelzoo.com/ca/top20/. There is always a niagara deal and often some great hotel/food packages. Also keep in mind Sept/Oct is wine season so not their off-season. Many places will be booked on weekends.
jhib
Footballguy
The Lewiston-Queenston Bridge is nearby as well. Every time we travel through, we call the bridge commission (800-715-6722) which gives you the wait times for the three bridges. It's not uncommon that there's a significant enough difference between the times to make it worthwhile to go a little out of your way.
Smack Tripper
Footballguy
That Ripley's thing is atrocious. Apart from a Giant pinball machine, dont' spend a red nickel there.
tri-man 47
Footballguy
My wife and I did a quick stop a couple of years ago before flying out of Buffalo. What we enjoyed was walking over to the Canadian side, which is the better view. There's a long, narrow park on the Canadian side with a little cafe with outdoor seating. The food isn't fancy, but it's neat to sit and just enjoy the falls over lunch. (As I recall, a lot of birds hop around looking for snacks; your daughter would enjoy that). Crossing to the U.S. took a couple extra minutes, but no big deal. Kind of cool to walk into another country!
zamboni
Footballguy
Good call - as mentioned, we stayed on the Canadian side, and walked over the foot bridge to the American side to do the Cave Of The Winds (and obviously back). It's a nice walk and pretty cool to take a picture on the bridge straddling both countries.
Devilsden2001
Footballguy
gmbacm
Footballguy
Go check out this place
http://www.nightmaresfearfactory.com/top-10-fear-pics-week-august-20-2012
Never been - but would be good schtick to get your photo up there.
http://www.nightmaresfearfactory.com/top-10-fear-pics-week-august-20-2012
Never been - but would be good schtick to get your photo up there.
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Steve Tasker
Footballguy
The ice wines in the Niagara region are phenomenal.
Apes with Guns
Footballguy
on the bright side, it had nothing to do with farting into a hose
Lehigh98
Footballguy
Heading up there with the wife and kids on Thursday for two nights at the Marriott Fallsview. Haven't been up there since an anniversary trip about 8 years ago. Besides the Maid of the Mist and Behind the Falls type stuff, what would you recommend for family touristy stuff? Any good places to eat? (Looking at the brewpub / BBQ options now)
TIA!
TIA!
Steve Tasker
Footballguy
If you're trying to stay in Niagara Falls to eat, you've got nothing.
If you come to Buffalo you'll have options. Lewiston has some decent options too...small town maybe 10-15 minutes north of Niagara Falls.
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Lehigh98
Footballguy
Will be on Canadian side, saw a couple of each with good reviews in the area on Trip Advisor.
Steve Tasker
Footballguy
Soulfly3
Footballguy
I have a place in Niagara.
I'd stay in Niagara on the Lake for day trips... depending on what you want to spend they have GREAT food. but pricey.
Since you're coming w the family, esp a younger daughter. 110% hit up the Avondale Dairy Bar (just outside of NOTL). Been the world around, and no place beats this. Not even close.
The cows are in the back, milked there, all ice cream made there, MASSIVE selection and just damn good. u can try as much as you like. Gets busy, but well worth it.
The sundaes are off the chain good.
Hit me up if u need more or have questions.
I'd stay in Niagara on the Lake for day trips... depending on what you want to spend they have GREAT food. but pricey.
Since you're coming w the family, esp a younger daughter. 110% hit up the Avondale Dairy Bar (just outside of NOTL). Been the world around, and no place beats this. Not even close.
The cows are in the back, milked there, all ice cream made there, MASSIVE selection and just damn good. u can try as much as you like. Gets busy, but well worth it.
The sundaes are off the chain good.
Hit me up if u need more or have questions.
Cliff Clavin
Footballguy
There are a couple touristy blocks with lots of stuff for kids. Wax museums, fun houses, arcades, go-karts, wind tunnel thing, etc.
flysack
Footballguy
Niagara Falls, NY was recently ranked the #1 most dangerous place in NY state, in terms of violence crime per capita.
Yea, so get a passport, and go see the Canadian Ballet.
