Niagara Falls - Great Wolf Lodge

[NinaBella]

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[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

We absolutely LOVE Great Wolf Lodge. We generally go at least once a year (though we won't get there in 2015.....three trips to Orlando instead ) but we were there most recently last December.

I think you will be glad that you chose GWL versus Sheraton. While Sheraton has a nicer proximity to the Falls, that waterpark (Fallsview) services the Sheraton, the Crown Plaza, the Skyline Inn and the Clifton Victoria Inn (as well as is open to day guests). GWL's waterpark only serves those staying at the Lodge. If your party includes younger guests, there's no better place to be than Great Wolf Lodge with their nightly story time, character meets at breakfast (Wiley and Violet), Wolf Walk in the morning, Cub Club, Magiquest, and more.

We have stayed anywhere from two nights to five nights at one time. I personally would stay three if the budget can afford it. I also highly recommend their meal plan (we have always found the food really good, and reasonably priced compared to the super inflated cost of dining near the Falls). Their quick service options are mediocre, but the buffet breakfast and dinner at the Antler Shanty is excellent.

I am not sure which season you will be visiting in (some attractions are closed from late fall to early spring), but some of our family favourite activities have been:

- Niagara Jet Boats
- Bird Kingdom
- Butterfly Conservatory
- Hornblower Cruises (formerly Maid of the Mist)
- Journey Behind the Falls
- Greg Frewin's magic show
- The Niagara Skywheel
- mini golf (Dinosaur Golf & Wizard Golf being our favourites)
- the Cave of the Winds (on the US side)

Skip Marineland. Seriously . It's just sad, sad, sad.

 

[nkereina]

I live in Niagara Falls on the American side and can confirm that the Canadian side is indeed nicer! The falls themselves are located in a tourist area called Clifton Hill. Great Wolf Lodge is a nice resort, but would definitely be driving distance from the falls and the Clifton Hill area, with not much to do in the immediate vicinity of Great Wolf Lodge. It is close to the gorge for hiking and the whirlpool where they have a cable car that crosses that gorge if you're adventurous, but not much outside of that.

The Sheraton is in Clifton Hill, and their water park is pretty nice. In that area, you're walking distance to the falls, the park, the ferris wheel which has great views of the falls, mini golf, all the fun campy wax museums and haunted houses, Boston Pizza which is a fun hang out for all ages (arcade, bowling, etc). It's also walking distance to Casino Niagara, which is open to anyone 19 or older. In addition, there's a WWE restaurant and Rainforest Café (just like the one at Disney!) among other good dining choices. Mamma Mia's is a classic Italian restaurant that has been there since the 50's. Nightmares haunted house is next door to Mamma Mia's and is famous for the photos they take of the people walking through (pics are often on Buzzfeed and Tumblr). Just a few blocks up towards the Fallsview Casino are more dining options and some entertainment, including a Margaritaville. Walkable on a nice day, but a decent hike. Also recommend Maid of the Mist!

As someone who often spends an overnighter in the area, I would definitely think a few nights in Clifton Hill would be more fun. Parking will add up fast if you commute from the Great Wolf Lodge. Sheraton is a great option with kids. We often stay at the Comfort Inn which has convenient parking and a complimentary breakfast, but no other real amenities.

Enjoy your stay!

 

[sk8jdgca]

There is so much for the kids to do at Great Wolf lodge that we rarely leave the resort. It is truly beautiful and reminds me of a Disney resort. Clifton Hill while fun is a a huge drain on the wallet, lots of tacky tourist stuff. The Ferris wheele however is very nice. We purchased the Clifton Hill pass and did one night there. Parking isn't bad if you are willing to walk a bit. There are lots at the top of the hill that have reasonable rates. You could do one trip to the hill and the falls and save on parking. We actually got we go bus passes and just took the bus instead of driving.

 

[Northernlites]

Great free tour is the New York Power Station in Lewiston New York just north of Niagara Falls NY. Very cool, with great views, last time I went there we were allowed to walk out on the deck overlooking the Niagara Gorge. Avoid the tour at the Sir Adam Beck on the Canadian side at their power plant, very dull, an nothing real to look at. A waste of funds.

Bird kingdom is worth the money, the butterfly conservatory is okay, but you need to go early. If you go on to the web site Attractions Ontario you can down load coupons for lots of the NFalls attractions. I have heard mixed reviews about Marineland and personally would not go.

Also the tour behind the falls is worth the time and money.

A tip regarding parking. At the Bird Kindgom there is municipal parking meters, I think it was less than $2 a hour to park. We went to the Kingdom and then walked to the falls with a 4 year old in a stroller and back in less than 2 hours. Much cheaper than the $15 in front of the falls.

If you are coming from more than a days drive then I would stay 3 nights 4 days, if you are closer than 2 nights 3 days is fine.

PS Even though Toronto looks only one hour away by highway that is only if you are commuting at 2:30 in the morning on the QEW. You are looking at least 2.5 hours to downtown to Toronto from Niagara Falls.

 

[NinaBella]

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[sk8jdgca]

There is an amazing farm to table restaurant called the Syndicate in Niagara Falls. They have a bar menu or if your kids are good eaters like mine, there is a 3 course meal that starts at $22. The food is amazing, just google it and check out the menus.

Near great wolf lodge, there is an independent burrito place called Frijolis . Every time we go there it is lined up but the line goes quickly.

 

[sk8jdgca]

June is great, the outdoor pool at GWL will be open and there is an amazing mini golf course there too.....well it is like a Florida one, amazing for Ontario.

 

[yeahdisney]

Check around for rates, discounts. Two summers ago found a discount site and it was over $200 cheaper to stay three nights than two. Sorry do not have the site.

 

[NinaBella]

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[nkereina]

Great free tour is the New York Power Station in Lewiston New York just north of Niagara Falls NY. Very cool, with great views, last time I went there we were allowed to walk out on the deck overlooking the Niagara Gorge. Avoid the tour at the Sir Adam Beck on the Canadian side at their power plant, very dull, an nothing real to look at. A waste of funds.

If you're on the America side at all, especially if you visit the power vista, I highly recommend dining in the village of Lewiston as well. Beautiful views, lots of history. The Silo was on Man Vs Food (known of the haystack), but my favorite is the Brickyard BBQ. Lots of other options, as well as the Whirlpool Jet Boat tours which are tons of fun. Just across the border via the Lewiston Queenston Bridge but beware of bridge crossing times.

Also, the gondola cable car that goes across the whirlpool/gorge is right by Great Wolf Lodge on the Canadian side and always looks so cool to us. Haven't had a chance to try it yet!

 

[NinaBella]

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[Shea&Van]

This thread is so timely! We going to Great Wolf Niagara this weekend! Woot!

Quick question...as far as parking. I appreciate the PP suggestion of Bird Kingdom parking meters. Is there anywhere else where there is reasonable public parking? We are mainly interested in visiting Queen Victoria Park and taking a ride on the Hornblower. My baby is a whiner about walking, but I really don't want to lug a stroller. Is there any place nearby you can recommend to leave our rental vehicle?

Any suggestions on the best route from the BUF airport to GWL? We are renting a car, but feeling nervous about crossing the border and then finding our way around all the tourist places. I should have ordered a map from AAA! Anywho, we are going to try and avoid Clifton Hill. I can just see my pocketbook getting torn to shreds in that vicinity!

Thanks so much OP...great topic!

Happy planning y'all!

 

[nkereina]

Any suggestions on the best route from the BUF airport to GWL? We are renting a car, but feeling nervous about crossing the border and then finding our way around all the tourist places. I should have ordered a map from AAA! Anywho, we are going to try and avoid Clifton Hill. I can just see my pocketbook getting torn to shreds in that vicinity!

There's a couple routes you can take. What day of the week and what time of day? It would be tough to avoid the I-90 which is the NY Thruway and susceptible to lots of traffic during certain times of day. If traffic isn't a concern, from the airport, I would take 33 West to 90 West to 190 North. You can take 190 North all the way to the Queenston Lewiston bridge, which would probably be the closest bridge to cross at going to GWL and you'll avoid Clifton Hill entirely. The Rainbow Bridge is in the heart of the American side of the falls, and is the main crossing point for those going to Clifton Hill. That being said, the Queenston Lewiston bridge is the main bridge for tractor trailer crossing and tends to have longer wait times than Rainbow Bridge. Again, time of day and day of the week definitely matters for wait times. Even if you decide to cross at the Rainbow Bridge, you'd still take 190 North most of the way, you'd just exit earlier.

Also be aware that you'll encounter two toll booths on the 190 - $1.00 just before you go across a bridge onto the town of Grand Island, and then I believe it's around $2.50 when you cross into Canada. You can use EZ Pass at both if you have it.

There's a couple of apps you can download that will allow you to download maps straight to your smart phone so you don't have to use data. We've found these very helpful when driving in Canada, since data roaming charges will quickly add up if you try to use data while on their network!

 

[Shea&Van]

Awesome @nkereina! Thanks so much! We will be arriving in BUF at about 9:45 a.m. on Saturday morning and returning to the airport at about 2:30 p.m. on Monday afternoon. Super quick visit.

I will check into the apps and thank you thank you thank you for the suggested routes!

 

[nkereina]

Awesome @nkereina! Thanks so much! We will be arriving in BUF at about 9:45 a.m. on Saturday morning and returning to the airport at about 2:30 p.m. on Monday afternoon. Super quick visit.

I will check into the apps and thank you thank you thank you for the suggested routes!

Sure thing! The 90 (NYS Thruway) should be clear both coming and going, so traffic wouldn't be a concern for that. For bridge crossing, honestly, it may be faster to take the Rainbow Bridge on a Saturday morning. You could always check bridge crossing times through your phone as you're driving and decide. They aren't that far from each other. Clifton Hill is more lively at night so in the morning, you shouldn't run into much traffic at all.

 

[NinaBella]

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[Mickfarland4]

We also LOVE GWL! We have one about an hour from home, but, we choose to drive 4 hours to go to one in Southern Ohio that is 3x the size of ours. We stayed for 5 nights last time. I'd do it again in a heartbeat! We had other attractions to see in the area so 5 days was great! We have Kalahari by our GWL and while it is bigger, we prefer Great Wolf. There is a different atmosphere there and less lines since they only allow guests of the hotel to use the water park. I recommend the pup/wolf/paw passes for the kids. They are a great value!

 

[LemonNeko]

We usually go once or twice a year. We going next in December. I second the recommendation of the meal plan. Niagara Falls restaurants are mostly overpriced and the food is meh. If you want a nice dinner Peller Estates in Niagara on the Lake is great but it's not really a family friendly restaurant. Niagara on the Lake has tons of lovely restaurants and you can take a horse drawn carriage through the town. Coupons are almost always available for Bird Kingdom so you should be able to get a discount. They also have a combo ticket for Niagara Parks and Recreation that includes a bunch of stuff.

 

[Shea&Van]

Hi everyone,

We had a fantastic trip to the Falls. It really was amazing. GWL was OUTSTANDING! My kids did not want to leave. We purchased the meal plan (per advice here) and the exchange rate into dollars made the trip very reasonable. We had a room with a Kids Log Cabin inside that had three single beds. It also had a queen bed and sleeper sofa with a fireplace. Very nice lodging.

The resort was clean, the staff was friendly and the food was pretty good. The waterpark was awesome and we truly had a blast. I highly recommend this place and my children loved doing all the free stuff at the falls. Hiking around, seeing the visitor center, walking along the main street that looks over the falls. Everything was perfect.

If you have any specific questions, feel free to PM me or ask here.

Hope everyone has a happy day!!!