USA Side
Niagara Falls is in the Niagara Frontier region of New York state.
The Niagara Falls consist of three sections. The large Canadian falls – with their distinctive curved shape – are also known as the Horseshoe Falls. They are separated by Goat Island from the American Falls, which are separated by a small island at their south end, from the narrow Bridal Veil falls.
Each side of the falls offers a different perspective, and it is always best to visit both sides to maximize your experience. The American side gives a side-on view of the American Falls, and an observation point only 20yds from the top of the falls. It has a more distant and partially obscured view of the Canadian Horseshoe Falls, as the closest side of the Horseshoe is obscured by the curve of the falls. There are also views of the hotel skyline on the Canadian side. The Canadian side directly faces the American Falls and offers full views of both the American and Horseshoe Falls. The Canadian side also has a greater number of attractions and hotels.
Waterfalls
Views of Niagara Falls are free and accessible. Access to the riverside walks and parks offer great views. You can walk across to Goat Island on the pedestrian bridge.There are a number of attractions designed to give different experiences of the falls.
* Maid of the Mist is a boat that takes you right down to the bottom of both falls, with just a little bit of narration. A thin plastic poncho is provided. Take a rain-jacket and souvenir the poncho. You will get wet. You may get soaked. You can choose which by selecting your position on the boat. The boat runs frequently from both the American and Canadian side. If you check today's exchange rate you can find out which side is cheaper.
* Cave of the Winds is an elevator ride followed by a guided walkway down to the bottom of the American Falls. You will get wet. Wet weather gear is provided.
* Niagara Adventure Theater
* The Niagara Gorge Discovery Center
* Aquarium of Niagara
* Niagara Scenic Trolley
You can combine all these attractions with a Niagara USA Discovery pass for $35, which you can purchase at the attractions.
* Whirpool Tours in nearby Lewiston is a jet boat ride that will take you to the falls.
* Helicopter Rides Howard Johnson's on Rainbow Blvd.
Must stay a night and see the night view of the Niagara Falls. It is equally beautiful.
Museums
* Carousel Museum.
* Daredevil's of Niagara Museum, Kinda cheesy museum/store, but it is free. A couple minutes from the falls.
* Niagara Aerospace Museum.
Canadian Side
Niagara Falls, Ontario, along with with its sister city Niagara Falls, New York, is the self-proclaimed "Honeymoon Capital of the World." For hundreds of years the grandeur of the Falls of the Niagara River have attracted many to this destination.
Niagara Falls was incorporated on June 12, 1903. Its population is 83,184 as of 2008.
Mainly a tourist destination, the main attraction has always been Niagara Falls, which brings hundreds of thousands of tourists to the city. Now tourism plays a major part in the economy of the region.
Visitor Welcome Centers open daily at 9AM, June through August. They offer advice and maps of the area, and sell People Mover bus tickets and the Great Gorge Adventure Pass. They are located at:
* Table Rock Center (inside the mall near the brink of the Horseshoe Falls)
* Maid of the Mist (outside the Maid of the Mist ticket booths)
* Clifton Hill (at the intersection of Clifton Hill and Falls Avenue)
* Murray Street (near Queen Victoria Place, below the Fallsview Tourist Area and Fallsview Casino Resort)
Seeing
Most visitors' first view of the Falls, from the Canadian side of the river, is at Queen Victoria Park, along the Niagara Falls Parkway. This grand, royal garden provides the perfect vantage point for experiencing both the nightly illumination of the Falls and the summer fireworks displays. The Falls are illuminated every evening until approximately midnight (see website for exact times) and there are Fireworks over the Falls, Friday and Sunday nights in the summer months.Niagara Parks offers a Great Gorge Adventure Pass, that includes access to the Maid of the Mist, Journey Behind the Falls, White Water Walk, and the Butterfly Conservatory, a one-day People Mover pass and discounts for other attractions. Pass components do not have to be used on the same day. In general, it takes about 6 hours to complete the main attactions on the pass. One way to use the pass is to do the Maid of the Mist and Journey Behind the Falls on one day, and use the one-day People Mover pass to do the White Water Walk, Butterfly Conservatory/Botanical Gardens, and Aero Car (all of which are near each other, but farther from the Falls) on the second day.
* Maid of the Mist, 5920 Niagara Parkway (near the foot of Clifton Hill). A boat that takes tourists to the foot of the falls, where you can better appreciate their thunder and spray. Runs April-October. Boats depart every 15 minutes and the ride is 30 minutes. See website for hours, they vary. Line-ups for this attraction can be quite long, try later in the day (1 hour or so before the last boat leaves) for a shorter wait. Many people use their digital cameras to take pictures, but they will get wet. Waterproof disposable cameras are offered for sale before boarding. Adults (13+ years): $14.50 (March 2008), children (6 to 12 years): $8.60, children 5 and under: free.
* Journey Behind the Falls, 6650 Niagara Parkway (Table Rock Center, beside the Falls). Open year-round except December 25. Adults (13+ years): $12, children (6 to 12 years): $7.20, children 5 and under: free.
* White Water Walk, 4330 Niagara Parkway. A 1,000 foot (305 m) boardwalk beside the rapids. Open seasonally. Adults (13+ years): $8.50, children (6 to 12 years): $5, children 5 and under: free.* Whirlpool Aero Car, 3850 Niagara River Parkway (3 miles/4.5 km north of the Falls). Cable car ride over the Niagara Whirlpool. Open March - November. Adults (13+ years): $11, children (6 to 12 years): $6.50, children 5 and under: free.
* Marineland Theme Park, 7657 Portage Road (about 1 mile from the Falls). Shows with killer whales, beluga whales, and dolphins, and a variety of amusement park rides. General admission (age 10+): $39.95, child (5-9): $32.95, child (age 4 and under): free.
* Skylon Tower, 5200 Robinson Street, +1 905 356-2651, skyinfo@skylon.com. 520-foot (160 m) tower that has an observation deck and revolving restaurant with a great view of the falls. There are arcade games in the base. Summer hours: 8AM to midnight, winter hours: 11AM to 9PM. Adult $12.95, child: $7.55, some online discounts.
* Niagara Skywheel, 4946 Clifton Hill, +1 905 358-4793. Ferris-wheel-like, with air-conditioned/heated pods and views of the Falls and surrounding skyline. 10-minute ride. Year round. Adult $9.99, child $5.99.
* Clifton Hill Amusement Area. A hill, and a street, full of exciting and fun tourist attractions such as wax museums, Ripley's Believe it or Not, haunted houses, and gift shops.
* Niagara Parks Botanical Gardens, 2565 Niagara Parkway (6 miles/9 km north of the Falls). Open daily year-round, dawn until dusk. 100 acres of 20th century themed gardens, a magnificent arboretum, as well as North America's largest butterfly conservatory. At their best in the summer. Free admission.
* Bird Kingdom, 5651 River Road, 1-866.994.0090, info@birdkingdom.ca. Open daily. September-June: 10AM-5PM, July-August: 9:30AM-7:00PM.
* Brick City, 4943 Clifton Hill Niagara Falls, ON. Tremendous Lego city built entirely by one man.
* Floral clock, 14004 Niagara Parkway (near the Lewiston-Queenston International Bridge). A clock made entirely of flowers.
* Queenston Heights Park, 14184 Niagara Parkway (near the Lewiston-Queenston International Bridge). This park includes the Brock and Laura Secord Monuments. It is also an end point of the Bruce Trail, which winds it way northward over 800km to Tobermory (Ontario).
* Imax theatre, 6170 Fallsview Boulevard, +1 905 358-3611 or 1-866-405-4629, info@imaxniagara.com. Has an older 45 minute movie about the history of the Falls that's not quite worth the price of admission. Theater houses original barrels used by falls and whirlpool daredevils on display at no cost. General admission: $13.92, some online discounts.
Activities
Niagara Falls is awesome! The list is never ending: world class casinos, rides, wax museums, haunted houses, a huge midway with more skeeball and games than you can shake a stick at, restaurants, clubs, bars, and so on. Go to Niagara Falls, get a hotel near the falls and then walk down towards Clifton Hill. The air is buzzing and there are people from all over the world there.* Winter Festival of Lights, area around the Falls. A 5km route along the Niagara Parkway featuring over three million sparkling tree and ground lights and over 120 lighting displays. Illuminations November 8, 2008 to January 5, 2009. Fireworks over the Falls on Saturday, November 8, 2008 at 6:15PM & 8:30PM, Friday night at 9PM from November 14, 2008 to January 2, 2009, and Wednesday, December 31, 2008 at 9PM & midnight (as part of the NYE Party in the Park. No admission, $10 donation per car suggested.
* Whirlpool Jet Boat Tours, Niagara Glen departure point (approx. 8 km from the Falls, People Mover Stop #9, very little parking). The tours operating from Niagara Glen use the JetDome boat, which is enclosed and keeps you dry as the boat navigates the whitewater rapids. For the more traditional 'gets-you-soaking-wet' jet boat tour, you will need to use the Niagara-on-the-Lake departure point. April - October.
* Helicopter tours over the Falls and surrounding area are available from a number of operators. Niagara Helicopters Limited, 3731 Victoria Avenue, (905) 357-5672, weflyyou@niagarahelicopters.com, is one option.
* Niagara Fallsview Casino Resort, 6380 Fallsview Boulevard, 1 888 FALLSVU (toll-free). A splendid new (June 2004) Vegas-style Casino.
* Casino Niagara, 5705 Falls Avenue (near Clifton Hill), +1 905 374-3598 or 1 888 946-3255 (toll-free). The old but nice casino.
* Greg Frewin Dinner Theatre, 1-866-779-8778, tickets@gregfrewintheatre.com. Illusionist Greg Frewin presents his Las Vegas style magic show.
* Get married: The City of Niagara Falls issues marriage licences at the City Clerk's Office, 4310 Queen St, +1 905 356-7521 ext. 4283. The fee is $100. There is no waiting period. No ceremonies are performed at City Hall. Niagara Parks has information about weddings, receptions, and wedding photography near the Falls.
* If you're on your honeymoon, you can get an Official City of Niagara Falls Honeymoon Certificate from the Niagara Falls Tourism Office, 5400 Robinson Street.
* Fallsview Indoor Waterpark, 5685 Falls Avenue, +1 905 374-4444 or 1 888 234-8410. This is Niagara's newest and largest indoor waterpark at 125,000 square feet. The water park features 16 slides, up to six stories high, full-size wavepool and outdoor year-round pool. The Fallview Indoor Waterpark is directly connected to the Sheraton on the Falls Hotel[50], Crowne Plaza Niagara Falls - Fallsview Hotel and the Skyline Inn Niagara Falls.
* Queen Street Arts & Culture District, Queen Street, ☎ 905 353-9555. Queen Street has been revitalized into the latest Niagara Arts & Culture District. Art galleries, boutiques, cafes, bistros, live theatre and festivals.
* Attractions on Clifton Hill[54], 4943 Clifton Hill, +1 905 357-2200,. Check out the vast array of flashing lights, Haunted Houses, Mazes, a Fun House, Arcade[55]. Tons of fun attractions and restaurants. Located right near the falls between the Niagara Parkway and Victoria Ave.,
Also, don't forget the wine tours. Niagara Falls has recently boomed with vineyards due to the increasing popularity of ice wines. If you've never tasted these, they alone are worth the time. They are thick and sweet much like the muscats and ports, but without the afterbite. They are processed in freezing temperatures in very early morning hours and only with "approved" grapes.
* Mystery on the Lake Productions (The Last Illusionist), 4630 Queen Street, ☎ 1-866-386-2921. A unique interactive theatre format casts you as the star of the show with a supporting cast of improvisational actors in this entertaining adventure through the Arts & Entertainment District of Niagara Falls.
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