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What to do in Niagara/Buffalo for a day?

Beardman — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 19:46:33 -0800

We're driving down to Niagara Falls tomorrow--other than the falls, what should we do there or in Buffalo? On a whim, we're going from Toronto to Niagara for one day. We want to soak up the rumoured gaudiness and kitsch of Niagara as well as the falls, but what else in that area should we check out? Any kitschy upstate NY towns to explore? Cool cafes or stores in Buffalo? We're vegetarians and relatively poor, but otherwise, anything goes. Please--bombard us with recommendations, and fast!

I want to buy your cheap American wares.

anekona — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 08:54:51 -0800

Driving from Toronto to Buffalo (and back) over Independence Day weekend: asking for grief? My friends and I want to do a mini-road/day trip to Buffalo from Toronto to shop and enjoy the weather this coming Sunday. Given that it's Canada Day/Independence Day weekend, is this an absolutely horrible idea? Will the lines at the border (and everywhere else) be unbearable (ie half an hour or longer)? Will I want to shoot myself?

Stuff to do tomorrow in Niagara Falls, ON

saraswati — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 19:21:59 -0800

Good non-touristy activities in the Niagara Falls, Ontario area? So I've recently been in touch with someone I used to work with and we've just arranged to meet up tomorrow. We've gone for coffee before but I'm pretty smitten with her and want to do something a bit more entertaining than sitting in a Starbucks for a few hours. I'm frantically searching for stuff to do around here but coming up short. We're both originally natives of the region visiting for the holidays so the tourist path is well travelled between us.

Artsy stuff would be cool. Also, anything that's timely (i.e. "festive") that isn't the Niagara Falls Disney lights thing. We're aiming for tomorrow afternoon sometime but it could be pushed into the early evening if there's something good happening then.

Please help!

I'm a reverse snowbird!

phytage — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 13:56:05 -0800

Moving to New Hampshire from Arizona next week! We are driving across to OK, then up to Chicago and through Ontario from Detroit. From there I just don't know what route to take... ... What are some fantastic things to see, and what route would you go after you left Niagara Falls? I have never driven past Niagara before. I want to see anything from balls of twine to giant glacial rocks! My boyfriend has not traveled and I want to expose him to as many mind blowing and wacky things as possible! I've looked at RoadsideAmerica.com... but what am I missing?

Help me help my friend help his partner...!

gursky — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 19:31:47 -0800

Southern Ontario Filter: Any good, inexpensive places to buy a guitar for a beginner? Asking for a friend:

"I want to buy my partner a guitar but have no idea where to start. I don't even know a good range of prices for this sort of thing. He is a beginner, and hoping to teach himself.

I live in the Niagara region, but travel to Toronto frequently. Is there anywhere in Niagara, or Toronto, that I should look?

Any recommendations welcome, especially if they are in the Niagara region. As well, if you could inform me about price ranges for beginners (i.e. he doesn't need a fancy guitar), that would be great!"

Thanks in advance!

Don't go chasin' waterfalls...

eunoia — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 19:04:51 -0800

Campgrounds with cabin rentals near Niagara Falls? Does anyone have any recommendations of campgrounds near Niagara Falls, on either the American or the Canadian side, that have cabins to rent? We'll be leaving New Haven, CT on Saturday morning and making our way toward the Falls (any ideas on what to check out on the way is also appreciated) and then coming back on Monday. There's two of us & ideally, we'd like to spend $100 or less per night for the cabin and be within an hour or two of Niagara. I've found a few places online that look alright, but I'm looking for a firsthand (or secondhand or even thirdhand) opinion.

Romance in the Buffalo area (aside from Niagara Falls)?

inigo2 — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 10:59:45 -0800

I'm looking for things for a couple to do up in the Buffalo / Youngstown NY / Niagara area for a few days in July (early July. Like later this week.) Ideally looking for romantic-type stuff (that doesn't involve Niagara Falls, already done that one a few times now). We're into camping and hiking and general outdoors stuff. We'll have a car. Any (fancy?) veggie/vegan-friendly restaurants in the area? I've seen this thread, and this one. But definitely looking for any additional comments/suggestions, especially for something romantic.

Sub question -- anything romantic to do to pass the time of a long car ride?

Please help. Please.

Death by fat stunt falls minibike attempt

destro — Fri, 23 May 2008 21:54:06 -0800

What happened to the Mccrary twin (of the Guinness world's fattest twins who ride the bikes together) in the Niagara Falls mini-bike accident? He died there, but I'm unable to find anything about how, what or why. Was he trying to jump the falls in a minibike?

Wanna go hang out at the mall..again?

gursky — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 21:21:33 -0800

Niagara-Region-Filter: What should I check out in the Niagara region? I have seen this thread, but it's old and not what I'm looking for.

I attend school in the Niagara region (the Canada side) and it recently occurred to me that I should stop complaining about what a terrible place I live in, and find out what it has to offer. I am in my 4th year of a 5 year program, so I have a year left to see some cool things.

What I like:

- concerts, indie music, small bands
- art - especially the modern period
- books - used bookstores are a favourite
- thrift shops

What I know about:

- the small music venues located in St. Catharines
- the Albright-Knox gallery in Buffalo
- the Book Depot in St. Catharines
- every Goodwill, Salvation Army, Value Village, and Christian thrift shop in the Niagara region

I don't want to tour wineries, and I have been to Niagara Falls too many times to count.

Any suggestions? I'm open to almost anything. If there is something that can redeem the area for me, I'd love to hear about it!

Why so many Indians at Niagara Falls?

Meatbomb — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 10:31:43 -0800

Is there some special historical / cultural reason that (South Asian) Indians are really big on Niagara Falls? When I was there this summer I was really surprised by the number of Indian tourists there. I swear, it must have been at least 10-15% Indians (my woman says it was 90%), and not just local resident-looking Indians, I mean people in saris that look like they had just stepped off the plane from Delhi / Mumbai / Calcutta. Big multi-generational family groups, kids, teens, adults...

So, I figure that there are a few possibilities:
1) I happened to be there coincidentally on the same day that some massive tour group from India was also passing through;
2) There is a huge Indian community somewhere near Buffalo that I am unaware of;
3) (this is the one I really hope is true!) There is some special cultural reason that Indians love / want to see Niagara falls. Maybe similar to the Japanese with Anne of Green Gables, they all read about it in school? Or there is some spiritual Hindu thing about seeing a huge waterfall? Or some other special reason?

Anyone who can shed some light on this, I thank you in advance!

Cheap Tires in Buffalo?

smitt — Sun, 28 Oct 2007 18:07:52 -0800

BuffaloFilter: Where should I go for discount tires? I am a Canadian heading south for some shopping (like many, many others). I am looking to get new tires for my car and was wondering if any locals in the Buffalo or Niagara area can recommend good places to go for tires?

Thanks.

Winery Tours in Niagara Region of Ontario???

vidarling — Thu, 17 Aug 2006 05:00:16 -0800

Any suggestions or recommendations for Winery tasting / tours in the Niagara region of Ontario? Logistics appreciated..... Where, when, any reservations or costs involved. Is there are some that serve snacks as well? I am just trying to plan a Sunday afternoon.

Some small unique ones or even large ones would be great!

Need help with NiagaraFalls trip during the Sep1-4 Labor day weekend.

forwebsites — Fri, 14 Jul 2006 11:46:37 -0800

NiagaraFalls filter: Wifey and I (not US citizens), are planning a trip to Niagara Falls Canada side from Austin, TX during Sep 1-4 weekend. Need help with several things. Our situation: We are not US citizens, though we will be having valid work visas/I94 permits. I also have Texas DL (clean record). My questions:

1) I know the real deal of Niagara (better view, more activities at Falls etc) lies on the Canadian side. A friend says you can get a visit/tourist visa upon arriving on the border. I am not sure. Is that only for US citizens? What should I do? Do I need to plan in advance or just land up on the border? What docs I will need? Is it too much of a hassle that I should just forget the Canadian side and be satisfied with Niagara, US side (though I know many ppl have commented that the US side is hardly worth a visit)?
It's absolutely important that I should have no problems reentering back into the US. Both of us will be having valid visas and I-94 which we got when we first entered US. And though we don't look like terrorists (whatever that's supposed to mean to DHS), we are not exactly whites, and will most probably come off as "not from here". What should I do?

2) If the answer to Q1 successfully resolves that we can go to the CA side(yay!): I tried a couple of flight+hotel searches on priceline/hotwire and though I select the NF,ON as destination - both of them come up with flights that show Buffalo as my flight destination and hotels in NF, ON? Do we *have * to fly to Buffalo and then cross the border via land? Can I take US rental cars on the CN side? Are there buses/shuttles taking you from Buffalo airport to some central point in NF,ON? Will I need a rental car for local commute to do the typical touristy things around?

3) Since we'd be spending so much money, and we've heard a lot about the Falls view from hotels, especially during nights (and there are fireworks scheduled during my travel period), we definitely don't want to miss them. From some googling I understand that Sheraton/Mariott/Hilton Fallsview offer the best views. But do you get these rooms when you go via PL's "name your price" bidding system. Any other hotels you'd recommend which offer the Falls view. Do the fireworks happen only on the Canadian Horseshoe view side or both sides? Any priceline bidding strategies(or other websites) to get these hotels cheap?

4) How exactly do we get the most bang for the buck from the Niagara trip. What all things we should do/see/visit? Any good eating places? Though I am not on a student budget, but not on a luxurious 5-star budget either. Should we go in for some 2-3 day packages to do all the touristy things?
Any other must-see, must-do, tips/suggestions/dos/donts most welcome.

Thanks a lot!

Toronto traffic scares me.

oaf — Sat, 24 Jun 2006 12:41:56 -0800

Driving from Toronto to Rochester and back. I'm going to be driving from Toronto (eastern North York, near Finch and the 404) to Rochester and back pretty soon. I have a few questions about this:

I have never done any driving outside the state of Florida. The 401 kind of scares me. Is there any reasonable way to avoid it, or should I just grin and bear it? Also, is there anything peculiar I should know about driving in southern Ontario or upstate New York?
I'm borrowing someone's car (not a rental car) and meeting them in Rochester; they're leaving before me. Should I be worried about being suspected of having stolen the car, and if so, what can I do to prove that I have permission to drive it?
How much does the Thruway cost between Rochester and Niagara Falls?
Other than Niagara Falls, are there any things that I shouldn't miss on the way down?