Heading to Niagara Falls tomorrow! Any advice?

[Minnie_me]

We're staying on the American side. I don't have a passport or an enhanced license, and I'm divorced from my daughters' father, and I don't want the hassle that I've heard that can cause at the border (I had a friend who had her ex write a note giving her permission to take the kids out of the country, and had it notarized, and still they wouldn't let her cross!).

So, we are going to the Aquarium first, and then to the State Park. We will do the Maid of the Mist ride.

What can you tell me about the Cave of the Winds?

What else should we do during our stay? My daughters are 13 and 16.

On our return day, we are going to the outlet mall.

 

[Disney_Fanatic25]

I love Niagra Falls! Definitely do the Maid of the Mist boat and the Cave of the Winds is great but you have to walk down to it which is not bad but the walk back up is a hike! They have an ice cream shop there that has the best ice cream! My favorite time is sunset. It is sooo pretty! Have a great trip! If you want to see more than just the falls driving up river road is beautiful and they have turn offs where you can see different areas of the river. Lewiston is nearby and is a great little town.

 

[JediBonas]

There's also a zoo in buffalo and a few museums. Maid of the mist is a must .

 

[acebatonfan]

Wait... I thought the Maid of the Mist was on the Canada side. I was on it last year and do not recall crossing the border into the US.

Anyways, just be prepared to spend a lot. Even though I was on the Canada side, everything was overpriced to the point where it cost eight dollars for a glass of chocolate milk at one restaurant.

Edit: D'oh. There's one on each side of the falls.

 

[clori]

Last June we visited Niagara Falls. We stayed in Canada and only did the trolley tour and Cave of the Winds on the US side on the way home. Cave of the Winds was the absolute favorite attraction from both sides. We got soaked so you may want to make sure your phone/camera are in a waterproof container/bag. I think the US side has a pass with a few attractions that I would look into.

 

[curlyjbs]

DH and I did Niagra last summer! Stayed on the American side - Comfort Inn at the park! WALKING distance to EVERYTHING! We did Maid of the Mist, Cave of the winds, ate lunch (cheaper than dinner) at the Top of the Falls restaurant on Goat Island. Hiked the trails, took tons of pictures! On the American side you get soooooooooo close to the falls it's truly humbling!!

You are going to have a great time!!!

~C

 

[NYCDiane]

DH and I did Niagra last summer! Stayed on the American side - Comfort Inn at the park! WALKING distance to EVERYTHING! We did Maid of the Mist, Cave of the winds, ate lunch (cheaper than dinner) at the Top of the Falls restaurant on Goat Island. Hiked the trails, took tons of pictures! On the American side you get soooooooooo close to the falls it's truly humbling!!

You are going to have a great time!!!

~C

Can you give me some info? How much was the Comfort Inn? What town is it in so I can find it on their site? Any info you can give me would be great. I've been wanting to take my daughter to the Falls for years and I think we'll do it next Spring.

How far is it from the zoo and museums? How much is entry to zoo/museum? Are there buses? Are there day passes (similar to the NY pass where you pay for the pass and get in the places free)?

 

[LockShockBarrel]

Don't bother with the aquarium. It's really sort of pathetic. The museums are zoo are in the city of Buffalo so a fair distance from the American side of the falls. Definitely not within walking distance and any sort of bus would be the Buffalo city metro where it'd probably take a few transfers to get there if the routes even come near each other.

 

[clori]

http://www.niagarafallsstatepark.com and look at the Discovery Pass.

 

[aprilgail2]

Don't bother with the aquarium. It's really sort of pathetic. The museums are zoo are in the city of Buffalo so a fair distance from the American side of the falls. .

The aquarium was pretty lame. I really didn't care for the American side much at all, really pales to the Canadian side!

 

[JediBonas]

The aquarium was pretty lame. I really didn't care for the American side much at all, really pales to the Canadian side!

Very true. Plus the Canadian side has a better casino

 

[Minnie_me]

Thanks! I just got the Discovery Pass, and printed off a bunch of coupons as well.

I know that the Aquarium is "lame"......I've been there before with a Girl Scout Troop. But my older DD has not been there, and she is interested in becoming a marine biologist, so no matter how lame, I think she'll get something out of it.

We will drive through Buffalo on the way there and back, and just might stop at the zoo on the way home.

 

[JediBonas]

Thanks! I just got the Discovery Pass, and printed off a bunch of coupons as well.

I know that the Aquarium is "lame"......I've been there before with a Girl Scout Troop. But my older DD has not been there, and she is interested in becoming a marine biologist, so no matter how lame, I think she'll get something out of it.

We will drive through Buffalo on the way there and back, and just might stop at the zoo on the way home.

The zoo isn't great, but does have two new polar bear cubs .

 

[LockShockBarrel]

The zoo is still WAY better than the aquarium. That aquarium needs to figure something out. It's so dismal and uninteresting. I've been to a few, like Baltimore and Myrtle Beach, then even at Epcot and the Niagara one is just like "....this is it?"

And I agree, the Canadian side is way better even though its a giant tourist trap. You just have to go in with the mindset of it all being cheesy and ridiculous then you have a blast. I don't think I've ever stayed on the American side. Then again, I'm spoiled because I live so close.

 

[Arielle22]

My brother goes to Niagara Falls American side twice a year. We went every year as children for two weeks so he has seen lots of changes.

He went this past June and said he saw a lot of crime on the American side. Several tourists had their cars broken into and expensive electronics and passports were stolen. He said that a hotel room was broken into as well.

So make sure you lock up and hide your possessions.

 

[JediBonas]

I haven't been to the aquarium in years but went to the zoo last summer and a lot of the animals were gone (we saw several signs about how this animal was old and died, etc). We still plan on going to the zoo in a few weeks when we visit my parents. I keep debating about the aquarium but have heard it's still pretty bad so I guess we'll skip that again this year.

 

[Julie*]

I just took my GS troop there for a week in June and we had a great time.
We stayed at the KOA campground on the american side but did got to the Canadian side on a group tour.

We loved Maid of the Mist but the biggest hit with the girls (ages 13-15) was Cave of the Winds. They loved Hurricane Alley and could have spent the day getting soaked.

We bought the Discovery Pass (i think that is what is was called) and it was the most economical way to see the sites on the American side.

The Canadian side does have a better view of Horseshoe Falls but I hated how built up it was with all of the tacky museums and stuff. I liked the state park feel of the American side better.

 

[curlyjbs]

I just took my GS troop there for a week in June and we had a great time.
We stayed at the KOA campground on the american side but did got to the Canadian side on a group tour.

We loved Maid of the Mist but the biggest hit with the girls (ages 13-15) was Cave of the Winds. They loved Hurricane Alley and could have spent the day getting soaked.

We bought the Discovery Pass (i think that is what is was called) and it was the most economical way to see the sites on the American side.

The Canadian side does have a better view of Horseshoe Falls but I hated how built up it was with all of the tacky museums and stuff. I liked the state park feel of the American side better.

I totally agree! Especially at night - It looks like a giant carnival or something - very "vegas".
~C

 

[happenin2you]

We loved Maid of the Mist but the biggest hit with the girls (ages 13-15) was Cave of the Winds. They loved Hurricane Alley and could have spent the day getting soaked.

The Canadian side does have a better view of Horseshoe Falls but I hated how built up it was with all of the tacky museums and stuff. I liked the state park feel of the American side better.

I totally agree! Especially at night - It looks like a giant carnival or something - very "vegas".
~C

Thank you!!! I know it's silly, but I am originally from Niagara Falls, NY and it drives me crazy when people say how the Canadian side is so much better. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, and mine is probably biased , but I much prefer walking around Goat Island (the state park area where the falls are and where you access Maid of the Mist and Cave of the Winds) and standing right above the waterfalls to the cheap (only in appearance, actually quite pricey) circus that is going on in Ontario. The park is just so beautiful. If you have time, I recommend walking around Goat Island and checking out the Three Sisters Island area. It's my favorite part of the park. Cave of the Winds is my favorite tourist thing to do, and the Mist boats are a great time as well.

Just some unsolicited food tips for you: If you like Italian baked goods, check out DiCamillo's Bakery. They have a great broccoli pizza that is served room temp and I could eat their bread all day. My cousin just came to visit me from there and brought me a loaf of Italian Curly bread. Heaven!

Also, if you notice pizza logs or pizza fingers on a menu somewhere, you should get them. They were invented in Niagara Falls and are hard to acquire outside of the area. They are kind of like an eggroll with pepperoni and cheese inside that you dip in marinara. When we moved to Las Vegas as a child, it took years for me to understand why the pizza logs weren't being delivered with our pizza My cousin also brought me a case of these on her lasy visit.

Obviously wings are a must-eat in the Buffalo area, but chicken finger pizza and greek pizza are two delicious things that I don't see often outside of NY.

And my two favorite Italian restaurants are Fortuna's, which is a little pricey and isn't known for having the best service but is known for having some of the best Italian food, and Michael's, which is very cheap and very delicious. At Michael's they serve DiCamillo's style bread with everything. The Como, which spends a lot in advertising and has a strong presence, in my opinion, does not have very good food, just ok.

I hope that's helpful. If you have any questions, feel free to send me a PM.

 

[JediBonas]

Thank you!!! I know it's silly, but I am originally from Niagara Falls, NY and it drives me crazy when people say how the Canadian side is so much better. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, and mine is probably biased , but I much prefer walking around Goat Island (the state park area where the falls are and where you access Maid of the Mist and Cave of the Winds) and standing right above the waterfalls to the cheap (only in appearance, actually quite pricey) circus that is going on in Ontario. The park is just so beautiful. If you have time, I recommend walking around Goat Island and checking out the Three Sisters Island area. It's my favorite part of the park. Cave of the Winds is my favorite tourist thing to do, and the Mist boats are a great time as well.

Just some unsolicited food tips for you: If you like Italian baked goods, check out DiCamillo's Bakery. They have a great broccoli pizza that is served room temp and I could eat their bread all day. My cousin just came to visit me from there and brought me a loaf of Italian Curly bread. Heaven!

Also, if you notice pizza logs or pizza fingers on a menu somewhere, you should get them. They were invented in Niagara Falls and are hard to acquire outside of the area. They are kind of like an eggroll with pepperoni and cheese inside that you dip in marinara. When we moved to Las Vegas as a child, it took years for me to understand why the pizza logs weren't being delivered with our pizza My cousin also brought me a case of these on her lasy visit.

Obviously wings are a must-eat in the Buffalo area, but chicken finger pizza and greek pizza are two delicious things that I don't see often outside of NY.

And my two favorite Italian restaurants are Fortuna's, which is a little pricey and isn't known for having the best service but is known for having some of the best Italian food, and Michael's, which is very cheap and very delicious. At Michael's they serve DiCamillo's style bread with everything. The Como, which spends a lot in advertising and has a strong presence, in my opinion, does not have very good food, just ok.

I hope that's helpful. If you have any questions, feel free to send me a PM.

You brought back some old memories for me of walking three sisters and goat island! I grew up outside Buffalo and really missed pizza logs when I moved, but now there is one place that serves them here (not as good as at JPs in Hamburg, though).