Help us fall in love with Niagara Falls
August 3, 2024 5:43 PM Subscribe
Mr. Blah and I will be passing through Niagara Falls (both sides) as part of a road trip. I need advice; parameters inside.
So we'll be arriving on the US side of Niagara Falls one afternoon via car, and then the following afternoon we need to be in a spot in Ontario that's about 70 miles from the Canadian side of Niagara Falls. We need to spend one night in a hotel, though it could be on either side of the border. A couple days later we'll be driving back into the US and could stop for sightseeing but then we will drive on without spending another night at a hotel there.
We want to do Maid of the Mist, but other than that we have no particular goal other than "see the falls."
We could:
-- Arrive on the US side, spend the night in a hotel on the US side, do Maid of the Mist whenever makes sense, and then the next day pass through the Canadian side, with or without sightseeing there.
-- Arrive on the US side, do Maid of the Mist, and then continue on to the Canadian side and spend the night in a hotel there. Wake up and do more on the Canadian side before leaving.
-- Something else that I don't know about because I know nothing about Niagara Falls and the internet is killing my brain because I'm doing a lot of separate road trip planning.
I'd love your advice for our itinerary, hotels, restaurants, or anything you'd like to share!
So we'll be arriving on the US side of Niagara Falls one afternoon via car, and then the following afternoon we need to be in a spot in Ontario that's about 70 miles from the Canadian side of Niagara Falls. We need to spend one night in a hotel, though it could be on either side of the border. A couple days later we'll be driving back into the US and could stop for sightseeing but then we will drive on without spending another night at a hotel there.
We want to do Maid of the Mist, but other than that we have no particular goal other than "see the falls."
We could:
-- Arrive on the US side, spend the night in a hotel on the US side, do Maid of the Mist whenever makes sense, and then the next day pass through the Canadian side, with or without sightseeing there.
-- Arrive on the US side, do Maid of the Mist, and then continue on to the Canadian side and spend the night in a hotel there. Wake up and do more on the Canadian side before leaving.
-- Something else that I don't know about because I know nothing about Niagara Falls and the internet is killing my brain because I'm doing a lot of separate road trip planning.
I'd love your advice for our itinerary, hotels, restaurants, or anything you'd like to share!
Hi from Buffalo! The falls and park are stunning on the US side and the Maid of the Mist is good fun but the main thing I would not miss doing before going over the border is the Cave of the Winds. You get to go behind the falls and it is truly unbelievably beautiful.
As far as accommodations and other city style entertainment I would definitely spend your time and money in Canada. Niagara Falls, NY is not really very nice outside of the park sadly. Unless you like urban decay tourism.
posted by RobinofFrocksley at 6:17 PM on August 3, 2024 [11 favorites]
As far as accommodations and other city style entertainment I would definitely spend your time and money in Canada. Niagara Falls, NY is not really very nice outside of the park sadly. Unless you like urban decay tourism.
posted by RobinofFrocksley at 6:17 PM on August 3, 2024 [11 favorites]
Response by poster: (The rest of the trip is sorted; I'm only asking about this period when we'll be passing directly through Niagara Falls. Thanks!)
posted by BlahLaLa at 6:18 PM on August 3, 2024
posted by BlahLaLa at 6:18 PM on August 3, 2024
Cave of the WInds. It's pretty amazing. The link also lists a lot of other attractions. If you like to hike, there are some great trails that get you up close to the Niagara River.
posted by bluesky43 at 6:18 PM on August 3, 2024 [2 favorites]
posted by bluesky43 at 6:18 PM on August 3, 2024 [2 favorites]
Response by poster: So to clarify, this is part of a longer trip where we'll be doing all sorts of things. For this portion we want to:
-- See the falls in some fashion from land. This might be Cave of the Winds or other walkable area. We can do walking but we can't do full-fledged hiking. Something we can accomplish in basic sneakers.
-- See the falls from the Maid of the Mist.
-- Spend one night in a hotel, on either side of the border. Hotel should be clean and feel safe. If it has a magnificent view, then I'd pay extra for that. If it doesn't have a view, it should be close by the falls so we can access the view and/or the boat tour. We don't want the honeymoon kitsch thing. Don't mind an older place but cleanliness is paramount.
-- Do some basic dining, meaning we don't want corporate fast food or food poisoning but we won't be going for fine dining. Open to food of all cultures/ethnicities.
-- We are not interested in other sites or tourism on either side of the border, souvenir shopping, side trips, etc..
posted by BlahLaLa at 6:38 PM on August 3, 2024
-- See the falls in some fashion from land. This might be Cave of the Winds or other walkable area. We can do walking but we can't do full-fledged hiking. Something we can accomplish in basic sneakers.
-- See the falls from the Maid of the Mist.
-- Spend one night in a hotel, on either side of the border. Hotel should be clean and feel safe. If it has a magnificent view, then I'd pay extra for that. If it doesn't have a view, it should be close by the falls so we can access the view and/or the boat tour. We don't want the honeymoon kitsch thing. Don't mind an older place but cleanliness is paramount.
-- Do some basic dining, meaning we don't want corporate fast food or food poisoning but we won't be going for fine dining. Open to food of all cultures/ethnicities.
-- We are not interested in other sites or tourism on either side of the border, souvenir shopping, side trips, etc..
posted by BlahLaLa at 6:38 PM on August 3, 2024
If you like to hike, there are some great trails that get you up close to the Niagara River.
Nothing will get you closer down in the gorge than the White Water Walk. I could go a hundred times. It's absolutely breathtaking. There's a butterfly conservatory too, cool but not unique.
posted by kate4914 at 6:40 PM on August 3, 2024 [2 favorites]
Nothing will get you closer down in the gorge than the White Water Walk. I could go a hundred times. It's absolutely breathtaking. There's a butterfly conservatory too, cool but not unique.
posted by kate4914 at 6:40 PM on August 3, 2024 [2 favorites]
Oh!!! And if you're in Niagara Falls proper at a mealtime and can brave Cifton Hill (the main tourist trap area), you can get yourself a great wood-fired pie at Antica Pizzeria & Ristorante
posted by kate4914 at 6:47 PM on August 3, 2024 [1 favorite]
posted by kate4914 at 6:47 PM on August 3, 2024 [1 favorite]
Best answer: I say this as a US citizen: Spend the night on the Canadian side. Heck, spend basically all of your time on the Canadian side. It's gorgeous, with lots of amenities, good restaurants, and a vibe that the US side does not match.
The US side is Old Navy, and the Canadian side is Banana Republic.
posted by yellowcandy at 7:24 PM on August 3, 2024 [3 favorites]
The US side is Old Navy, and the Canadian side is Banana Republic.
posted by yellowcandy at 7:24 PM on August 3, 2024 [3 favorites]
Also in metro Buffalo, but that does mean I haven't had to stay over at the falls in 20+ years.
If your trip is in the fall, be aware that Maid of the Mist very rightly shuts down for the season when it gets cold. Last year it was November but it depends on the weather. Also, I dunno what you mean by arriving in the afternoon. If you mean you're planning to get there at 1230 this doesn't apply, but if you figure you're going to arrive at like 3pm then trying to cram in a good walking gawk at the falls and MotM is gonna be pretty cramped.
Given what you've said of your schedule, there's no reason you can't walk around the afternoon you get there and do MotM (or the Ontario-side equivalent whose name escapes me) the next morning.
If you want to fall in love with the falls, I'd:
Drive straight to the state park parking lot by the Rainbow Bridge. You're gonna be right by Maid of the Mist. No! Not yet! You want to see the falls from the top first. Anyhoo, there's a nice walk down to American Falls and then over... Luna Island? to Goat Island, the island that separates Horseshoe Falls from American Falls.
Walk over to Terrapin Point, gawk at the falls. They're big! Do the cave of the winds if ya want; I haven't done this myself.
Walk back to the car. If it's not too late, you can do the MotM now. It's really quite nice and the perspective you get from down there is kinda surprising if you've seen them from the top first. If it's too late for it to make sense to do the MotM, again, just do it the next morning.
A falls view hotel really is nice, and that means staying in Ontario, full stop. Absolutely start looking for a hotel using a satellite view to see who might actually have a good view. I can vouch for the Marriott Fallsview having a good view. They light up Horseshoe Falls at night with purty colors! Also they mostly turn the falls off at night.
posted by GCU Sweet and Full of Grace at 7:52 PM on August 3, 2024 [2 favorites]
If your trip is in the fall, be aware that Maid of the Mist very rightly shuts down for the season when it gets cold. Last year it was November but it depends on the weather. Also, I dunno what you mean by arriving in the afternoon. If you mean you're planning to get there at 1230 this doesn't apply, but if you figure you're going to arrive at like 3pm then trying to cram in a good walking gawk at the falls and MotM is gonna be pretty cramped.
Given what you've said of your schedule, there's no reason you can't walk around the afternoon you get there and do MotM (or the Ontario-side equivalent whose name escapes me) the next morning.
If you want to fall in love with the falls, I'd:
Drive straight to the state park parking lot by the Rainbow Bridge. You're gonna be right by Maid of the Mist. No! Not yet! You want to see the falls from the top first. Anyhoo, there's a nice walk down to American Falls and then over... Luna Island? to Goat Island, the island that separates Horseshoe Falls from American Falls.
Walk over to Terrapin Point, gawk at the falls. They're big! Do the cave of the winds if ya want; I haven't done this myself.
Walk back to the car. If it's not too late, you can do the MotM now. It's really quite nice and the perspective you get from down there is kinda surprising if you've seen them from the top first. If it's too late for it to make sense to do the MotM, again, just do it the next morning.
A falls view hotel really is nice, and that means staying in Ontario, full stop. Absolutely start looking for a hotel using a satellite view to see who might actually have a good view. I can vouch for the Marriott Fallsview having a good view. They light up Horseshoe Falls at night with purty colors! Also they mostly turn the falls off at night.
posted by GCU Sweet and Full of Grace at 7:52 PM on August 3, 2024 [2 favorites]
The parks on the American side are fantastic, but you'll find better hotels with better views on the Canadian side.
Goat Island is where to go to see the Bridal Veil falls and also do the Cave of the Winds tour. The island is all paved and flat. Very easy to get around. The Cave of the Winds tour will give you rubber sandals to wear (much better than the worn leather moccasins they lent out in the 70s and 80s). The Cave of the Winds is fantastic. Despite the poncho they give you, you will get wet.
If you like Indian food, there are lots of choices within walking distance.
If you like unintentionally funny things, you would be cheating yourself if you don't spend seven dollars and go to the Niagara Falls History and Wax Museum. It's near Goat Island, a few doors down from the Hard Rock Cafe.
posted by jonathanhughes at 8:20 PM on August 3, 2024 [4 favorites]
Goat Island is where to go to see the Bridal Veil falls and also do the Cave of the Winds tour. The island is all paved and flat. Very easy to get around. The Cave of the Winds tour will give you rubber sandals to wear (much better than the worn leather moccasins they lent out in the 70s and 80s). The Cave of the Winds is fantastic. Despite the poncho they give you, you will get wet.
If you like Indian food, there are lots of choices within walking distance.
If you like unintentionally funny things, you would be cheating yourself if you don't spend seven dollars and go to the Niagara Falls History and Wax Museum. It's near Goat Island, a few doors down from the Hard Rock Cafe.
posted by jonathanhughes at 8:20 PM on August 3, 2024 [4 favorites]
Best answer: You should definitely stay on the Canadian side.
A brief history: In the early 20th century, as people realized that Niagara falls would become a major tourist destination, the United States built a big park on the New York side of the border, setting it off limits to nasty commercial development forever.
Meanwhile, Canada went whole-hog on commercializing it, building bigger and bigger hotels, all of which overlook the falls. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of hotel rooms on the Canadian side that overlook the falls, with a big commercial district to match.
Two years ago, I stayed on the top floor of The Tower Hotel. It is objectively one of the lowest-quality hotel rooms I've ever stayed in. Small, with an elevator that only went up to the second-highest floor, forcing us to carry our suitcases up to the top on a weird back staircase. Outdated, with old carpet and paint. That said, the pictures on the website imply that they've done some remodeling since then, so maybe it's better now.
But the view was amazing and more than worth it, and it was in fact one of the most awesome hotels I've stayed in. I just checked a random night in October, and a fallsview King room was $250 / night. If I were staying in the area, I'd absolutely book it again.
Every hotel in that area has either city view or fallsview (it's all one word despite what my spellchecker thinks) rooms; make sure you reserve a fallsview room.
The ability to move Google Maps around in 3d makes it possible to get an idea of what the view is like from any particular hotel.
posted by Hatashran at 2:00 AM on August 4, 2024
A brief history: In the early 20th century, as people realized that Niagara falls would become a major tourist destination, the United States built a big park on the New York side of the border, setting it off limits to nasty commercial development forever.
Meanwhile, Canada went whole-hog on commercializing it, building bigger and bigger hotels, all of which overlook the falls. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of hotel rooms on the Canadian side that overlook the falls, with a big commercial district to match.
Two years ago, I stayed on the top floor of The Tower Hotel. It is objectively one of the lowest-quality hotel rooms I've ever stayed in. Small, with an elevator that only went up to the second-highest floor, forcing us to carry our suitcases up to the top on a weird back staircase. Outdated, with old carpet and paint. That said, the pictures on the website imply that they've done some remodeling since then, so maybe it's better now.
But the view was amazing and more than worth it, and it was in fact one of the most awesome hotels I've stayed in. I just checked a random night in October, and a fallsview King room was $250 / night. If I were staying in the area, I'd absolutely book it again.
Every hotel in that area has either city view or fallsview (it's all one word despite what my spellchecker thinks) rooms; make sure you reserve a fallsview room.
The ability to move Google Maps around in 3d makes it possible to get an idea of what the view is like from any particular hotel.
posted by Hatashran at 2:00 AM on August 4, 2024
Consider the account of time to cross the border. The last time I went from Ontario to New York, it took about 90 minutes but can vary greatly.
posted by RoadScholar at 2:10 AM on August 4, 2024 [2 favorites]
posted by RoadScholar at 2:10 AM on August 4, 2024 [2 favorites]
The goal is to see the falls as much as possible with as little of the over-developed, carnaval-like surroundings. It's been years since I've been there so I can't give specific advice.
I ditto staying in Niagara-on-the Lake and eating there if you can. About 20 miles from the falls. Absolutely charming. And if you're there while the Shaw Festival is producing, the theater is where to spend your nights. I see alot of professional theater and I've never been disappointed by the Shaw Festival. That's rare.
Bring home some Greaves jelly/jam from NotL. The best ever. The lake effect on climate makes the area conducive to growing fruits including wine grapes.
I got married in Niagara Falls. Strangely. Oscar Wilde said that Niagara Falls was the second biggest disappointment of American marriage.
posted by tmdonahue at 6:02 AM on August 4, 2024 [1 favorite]
I ditto staying in Niagara-on-the Lake and eating there if you can. About 20 miles from the falls. Absolutely charming. And if you're there while the Shaw Festival is producing, the theater is where to spend your nights. I see alot of professional theater and I've never been disappointed by the Shaw Festival. That's rare.
Bring home some Greaves jelly/jam from NotL. The best ever. The lake effect on climate makes the area conducive to growing fruits including wine grapes.
I got married in Niagara Falls. Strangely. Oscar Wilde said that Niagara Falls was the second biggest disappointment of American marriage.
posted by tmdonahue at 6:02 AM on August 4, 2024 [1 favorite]
An apparently new attraction on the Canadian side is a decommissioned hydro plant that is a cool looking museum but that has a tunnel that gets you to the base of the falls. A friend posted about it on Mastodon recently and it made me go from Meh about wanting to visit Niagara Falls to kind of quite interested in it.
You could also pre-game by watching Wonderfalls, which is about a woman who works in a gift shop on the US side and it has the very beautiful Caroline Dhavernas, Lee Pace, and Tracie Thoms in it. Hottest lead cast ever? Possibly.
posted by urbanlenny at 8:22 AM on August 4, 2024 [1 favorite]
You could also pre-game by watching Wonderfalls, which is about a woman who works in a gift shop on the US side and it has the very beautiful Caroline Dhavernas, Lee Pace, and Tracie Thoms in it. Hottest lead cast ever? Possibly.
posted by urbanlenny at 8:22 AM on August 4, 2024 [1 favorite]
Definitely do the maid of the mist and the walk behind the falls. I, pouty teenager (early 20s?) found the falls underwhelming, hearing and seeing just like a high quality TV, but actually getting up into it and feeling it, then I appreciated it more.
posted by freethefeet at 5:46 PM on August 4, 2024
posted by freethefeet at 5:46 PM on August 4, 2024
Also if you are looking for a very VERY different experience for dinner, try the Skylon Tower. It's very cool - the restaurant revolves 360 degrees and has a spectacular view of the falls and the gorge. I can speak for the food quality but every kid in the family was taken there for their 13th birthday - I have fond memories :).
posted by bluesky43 at 9:47 AM on August 5, 2024
posted by bluesky43 at 9:47 AM on August 5, 2024
I've only ever been to the Canadian side but I think we have it best because you can see both the American falls as well as the Canadian ones. Although the American side has the walkway where you can go right up to them.
The Sheraton has good views of the falls and their buffet restaurant has floor to ceiling windows so you get a great look at them. The food isn't all that great though so I'd say it's best for the breakfast buffet if anything.
Food will be disappointing in general but I will second the recommendation for Antica.
Definitely do a boat ride to take you close to the falls. It's good to do that early in the day because the lineups get really long.
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 6:04 AM on August 6, 2024
The Sheraton has good views of the falls and their buffet restaurant has floor to ceiling windows so you get a great look at them. The food isn't all that great though so I'd say it's best for the breakfast buffet if anything.
Food will be disappointing in general but I will second the recommendation for Antica.
Definitely do a boat ride to take you close to the falls. It's good to do that early in the day because the lineups get really long.
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 6:04 AM on August 6, 2024
Response by poster: We stayed at the Tower Hotel on the Canadian side - it's been refurbished and it's pretty fancy now. The view absolutely could not be beat. There's an IHOP in the hotel; we had breakfast there which was insanely expensive, but again, that view! Worth it for sure.
We ended up doing the boat from the Canadian side because it fit into our schedule better. No regrets whatsoever. It was touristy but also amazing.
posted by BlahLaLa at 4:40 PM on September 26, 2024 [1 favorite]
We ended up doing the boat from the Canadian side because it fit into our schedule better. No regrets whatsoever. It was touristy but also amazing.
posted by BlahLaLa at 4:40 PM on September 26, 2024 [1 favorite]
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