Niagara Falls, Ontario

[Ngwira]

we are driving from nj to Niagara Falls in June. We are staying on the Canada side. Any tips for us? We are staying at the Hampton inn and I plan to buy the Niagara Falls adventure pass. On the way up we are spending a night in Sayre pa which is half way. Way back we have one night at great wolf lodge in Poconos. We are also doing a day trip to Toronto. We are renting a vehicle.
Any tips or advice would be appreciated.

 

[afan]

If you do the maid of the mist or the behind the falls thing, bring a ziploc/plastic bag for your phone camera. I put my dslr in a gallon size ziploc with a hole in the corner for the lens so I could take photo's of the falls from the boat without my camera getting soaked. I had to wipe the lens off a few times, but it was great. We also wore rain jackets we already had on the boat rather than the cheap ponchos they hand out. We were able to close the hoods and they were longer, so we were basically dry after. We brought plastic bags to carry our jackets in when we were done.

I love Boston Pizza and try and eat there every time I visit Canada. The harbor tour in Toronto was cool. The Hockey Hall of Fame was good as was the CN Tower. They have a good subway system, though we did a lot of walking. It's a flat city.

 

[hockeygirl14]

Toronto native here -

Niagara falls: super touristy but a lot of fun. You can walk all the way along the falls which is pretty cool. Clifton Hill is where all the "tourist" attractions are - boston pizza has a huge arcade. Food wise you have mostly chains however there is an Italian place on Lundys Lane called Mick and Angelos, it was on diners, drive ins and dives and has really good food & massive portions. I would do maid of the mist - most people consider it a must do. I would skip the skylon tower, especially if you're heading to Toronto and can do the CN tower. If you head to the casino's I prefer fallsview over casino niagara - its newer and nicer. There's a big outlet mall called the Outlet Collection at Niagara Falls just up the QEW - worth checking out if you're going to shop, especially considering the US dollar vs Canadian.

As for Toronto
Since you're going in June I would try to hit a Blue Jays game if you can - great atmosphere and tickets aren't super expensive. I would do the CN tower if you've never been before. There's a Ripleys Aquarium at the base which is pretty cool too. If you want to shop hop on the subway and head up to the Eaton Center - it's massive and right downtown. St Lawrence Market is one of the best food markets in the world and has some unique vendors. If you're looking for museums, the ROM is pretty cool and not massive (compared to other museums). The Distillery District is really unique and has some awesome shops and good restaurants. Nathan Phillips Square is cool, it has our Toronto sign from the Panam Games. You could also take the ferry over the Centre island - it would take up a decent amount of time though. If you're into beer we have some awesome distilleries in the city! In terms of food you can get literally any kind of food you want - if you're looking for any recommendations feel free to shoot me a message, I have lots of favourites . Take the subway as much as possible, the yonge-university-spadina line will take you into the downtown core and most places you need to go - cabs & uber are also readily available. Theres lots of underground parking or "Green P" Lots - they run about $20 for the day. There's no shortage of things to do in the city.

Anyways feel free to send me a PM if you need any help planning!

 

[Ngwira]

If you do the maid of the mist or the behind the falls thing, bring a ziploc/plastic bag for your phone camera. I put my dslr in a gallon size ziploc with a hole in the corner for the lens so I could take photo's of the falls from the boat without my camera getting soaked. I had to wipe the lens off a few times, but it was great. We also wore rain jackets we already had on the boat rather than the cheap ponchos they hand out. We were able to close the hoods and they were longer, so we were basically dry after. We brought plastic bags to carry our jackets in when we were done.

I love Boston Pizza and try and eat there every time I visit Canada. The harbor tour in Toronto was cool. The Hockey Hall of Fame was good as was the CN Tower. They have a good subway system, though we did a lot of walking. It's a flat city.

thanks for all of the advice. i did book the Toronto harbour tour, as well.

 

[Ngwira]

Toronto native here -

Niagara falls: super touristy but a lot of fun. You can walk all the way along the falls which is pretty cool. Clifton Hill is where all the "tourist" attractions are - boston pizza has a huge arcade. Food wise you have mostly chains however there is an Italian place on Lundys Lane called Mick and Angelos, it was on diners, drive ins and dives and has really good food & massive portions. I would do maid of the mist - most people consider it a must do. I would skip the skylon tower, especially if you're heading to Toronto and can do the CN tower. If you head to the casino's I prefer fallsview over casino niagara - its newer and nicer. There's a big outlet mall called the Outlet Collection at Niagara Falls just up the QEW - worth checking out if you're going to shop, especially considering the US dollar vs Canadian.

As for Toronto
Since you're going in June I would try to hit a Blue Jays game if you can - great atmosphere and tickets aren't super expensive. I would do the CN tower if you've never been before. There's a Ripleys Aquarium at the base which is pretty cool too. If you want to shop hop on the subway and head up to the Eaton Center - it's massive and right downtown. St Lawrence Market is one of the best food markets in the world and has some unique vendors. If you're looking for museums, the ROM is pretty cool and not massive (compared to other museums). The Distillery District is really unique and has some awesome shops and good restaurants. Nathan Phillips Square is cool, it has our Toronto sign from the Panam Games. You could also take the ferry over the Centre island - it would take up a decent amount of time though. If you're into beer we have some awesome distilleries in the city! In terms of food you can get literally any kind of food you want - if you're looking for any recommendations feel free to shoot me a message, I have lots of favourites . Take the subway as much as possible, the yonge-university-spadina line will take you into the downtown core and most places you need to go - cabs & uber are also readily available. Theres lots of underground parking or "Green P" Lots - they run about $20 for the day. There's no shortage of things to do in the city.

Anyways feel free to send me a PM if you need any help planning!

Awesome!! Thank you so much for all of this detailed info. I will be PMing you asap.

 

[vacation_junkie]

we are driving from nj to Niagara Falls in June. We are staying on the Canada side. Any tips for us? We are staying at the Hampton inn and I plan to buy the Niagara Falls adventure pass. On the way up we are spending a night in Sayre pa which is half way. Way back we have one night at great wolf lodge in Poconos. We are also doing a day trip to Toronto. We are renting a vehicle.
Any tips or advice would be appreciated.

I am from Niagara Falls...PM me with any questions.

#1 when you go to any attractions tell them you don't want to pay the optional Tourism tax. Most people don't realize you don't HAVE to pay this. Our tax is 13% don't let them tell you otherwise.

Food wise. There are plenty of places to eat out of the "Tourist" Zone that you can eat a descent meal without paying inflated touristy prices.

If you like Wonton Soup ...you must stop at Country Fresh Donuts and get a bowl. Yes, its true... a Donut shop that serves the best Wonton Soup Ever. Google it..you will see their donuts are home made as well. Not frozen.

http://munchies.vice.com/articles/t...-shops-wonton-soup-has-a-ridiculous-following

Mic & Angelo's is awesome. Owned by a friends family!!

Zappi's Pizza is fantastic as well.

 

[Ngwira]

I am from Niagara Falls...PM me with any questions.

#1 when you go to any attractions tell them you don't want to pay the optional Tourism tax. Most people don't realize you don't HAVE to pay this. Our tax is 13% don't let them tell you otherwise.

Food wise. There are plenty of places to eat out of the "Tourist" Zone that you can eat a descent meal without paying inflated touristy prices.

If you like Wonton Soup ...you must stop at Country Fresh Donuts and get a bowl. Yes, its true... a Donut shop that serves the best Wonton Soup Ever. Google it..you will see their donuts are home made as well. Not frozen.

http://munchies.vice.com/articles/t...-shops-wonton-soup-has-a-ridiculous-following

Mic & Angelo's is awesome. Owned by a friends family!!

Zappi's Pizza is fantastic as well.

Are there any discounts on the adventure pass? I was going to go through AAA for a small discount. Is the pass worth it, or should I just do the hornblower cruise? I am talking specifically about the journey behind the falls and the walk behind the falls. What about the wego transportation?

 

[hockeygirl14]

Awesome!! Thank you so much for all of this detailed info. I will be PMing you asap.

awesome! Also the drive through the poconos is pretty - and the location of GWL is pretty cool too. It can get super foggy driving there though, be careful!

 

[Ngwira]

awesome! Also the drive through the poconos is pretty - and the location of GWL is pretty cool too. It can get super foggy driving there though, be careful!

Yes, we went to GWL in the poconos in December and had a great time. Can't wait to see what it's like in June.

 

[Kogo Shuko]

If you're looking for coupons, I highly recommend this website. It has coupons for the Niagara area, as well as the rest of Ontario.

http://www.attractionsontario.ca/Coupons.aspx

 

[clori]

When we went a few years ago we drove from Boston. We did the adventure pass through AAA I believe and stayed at Comfort Inn at the top of Clifton Hill. The adventure pass came with a coupon book that gave us half price at a few other places. It also included two days on the local sightseeing trolley. We parked at the hotel and never used our car again until time to leave. We did everything on the Adventure Pass plus a few extras like the Floral Clock, Spanish Aerocars, and a water power plant tour (forgot name).

I had two girls 8 and 12 so we also did the Clifton Hills Funpass which by purchasing online at the time gave us a bonus ride on the ferris wheel. We did it once during the day and once again at night to see the falls lit up from up high. If there are fireworks find out which nights of your trip and if not its still nice to go see the falls at least once at night when they are lit up. I don't recall where we ate other than breakfast was included at the hotel. After leaving Canada we stopped off on the US side and did the trolley tour and Journey Behind the Falls (camera needs some type of water). Journey Behind the Falls was everyone's favorite activity of the trip. Otherwise we preferred the Canadian side.

 

[unrequited23]

Check prices online before you assume a familiar chain will be cheaper than somewhere that seems fancy. The IHOP cost more than the fallsview casino buffet across the street.

 

[Ngwira]

If you're looking for coupons, I highly recommend this website. It has coupons for the Niagara area, as well as the rest of Ontario.

http://www.attractionsontario.ca/Coupons.aspx

Thank you.

 

[Ngwira]

I just booked our hotel on Hotwire. I paid $125.00 for three nights. Got the travelodge at the falls. Basic, clean and great location.

 

[Ngwira]

When we went a few years ago we drove from Boston. We did the adventure pass through AAA I believe and stayed at Comfort Inn at the top of Clifton Hill. The adventure pass came with a coupon book that gave us half price at a few other places. It also included two days on the local sightseeing trolley. We parked at the hotel and never used our car again until time to leave. We did everything on the Adventure Pass plus a few extras like the Floral Clock, Spanish Aerocars, and a water power plant tour (forgot name).

I had two girls 8 and 12 so we also did the Clifton Hills Funpass which by purchasing online at the time gave us a bonus ride on the ferris wheel. We did it once during the day and once again at night to see the falls lit up from up high. If there are fireworks find out which nights of your trip and if not its still nice to go see the falls at least once at night when they are lit up. I don't recall where we ate other than breakfast was included at the hotel. After leaving Canada we stopped off on the US side and did the trolley tour and Journey Behind the Falls (camera needs some type of water). Journey Behind the Falls was everyone's favorite activity of the trip. Otherwise we preferred the Canadian side.

Thank you for the detailed report. My girls are 6 and 9 so we will likely do what you guys did.

 

[Ngwira]

If you're looking for coupons, I highly recommend this website. It has coupons for the Niagara area, as well as the rest of Ontario.

http://www.attractionsontario.ca/Coupons.aspx

I also found wag jag. So many deals!

 

[shinysparklybubbles]

If you have the time I highly suggest stoping at Lockport, NY I think it's about an hour from the falls, we stopped on our way up from NJ.

http://lockportlocks.com/cruiseexp.php

Marine land was fun (the reviews were all over the place but we found it to be a really nice clean unique park).

And there is a super walmart in Canada not far from all the main tourist stuff. We bought a ton of stuff there because my son has food allergies and Canada's labeling is so much better than the U.S.

 

[shinysparklybubbles]

My son loved Cave of the winds (NY side) we probably spent an hour on the hurricane deck getting soaked. He loved it. We liked it better than Journey behind the falls.

The aero car was also fun (and kind of scary!) and we went to a butterfly house which was probably the best one I have ever gone too.

 

[clori]

Sorry I just realized I said Journey Behind the Falls for the US side. It is Cave of the Winds on the US side which was all of our favorites.

 

[Ngwira]

If you have the time I highly suggest stoping at Lockport, NY I think it's about an hour from the falls, we stopped on our way up from NJ.

http://lockportlocks.com/cruiseexp.php

Marine land was fun (the reviews were all over the place but we found it to be a really nice clean unique park).

And there is a super walmart in Canada not far from all the main tourist stuff. We bought a ton of stuff there because my son has food allergies and Canada's labeling is so much better than the U.S.

Thanks for the info. Is Marineland like Seaworld? After watching the blackfish documentary, I can't do Seaworld . We were also thinking about stopping at the Corning Glass Museum.