Niagra Falls here we come!!!!!

[crazyme5kids]

Well it is official, we're going to Niagra Falls for 5 nights over Memorial Day weekend! I can't wait! We are staying at the Marriott Fallsview. Has anyone stayed there, and is it as nice as it sounds? We will have a suite that has a view of the falls, and I hope the fireworks! For those of you who live nearby or have been there,is there anything that we should not miss, and what restaurants should we eat at?

 

[grinningghost]

Do not miss the Maid of the Mist. It's the boat ride that takes you right to the base of the Horseshoe Falls. It's truly awesome. I've done it a gazillion times and still enjoy it. It is an absolute must do. (And it doesn't cost much either).

 

[Fire14]

I love eating at beef baron. Great steaks. I also love visting Hard rock Cafe but thats more related to my need to get City tee than the food. I also liked crimal wax museum. and ripleys believe or not museum.

 

[sammi]

I think you'll be very pleased with the Marriott Fallsview. I haven't stayed there but from the outside and what I've heard it's really a great place and if you've got a suite overlooking the falls then you'll really enjoy it! Also the flowers in all the gardens will be in full bloom by then and will be so gorgeous!

The fireworks are on usually at 9pm on a Friday night and yes you'll have one of the best views from your hotel!

A restaurant that we have tried and really enjoyed is Mama Mia's (Italian),which is right on Lundy's Lane and I'm sure you'll find lots of coupon books around to get a little bit of a discount. Also there is The Rainforest Cafe too.

Hope you enjoy your stay!

 

[POLLY ANN]

crazyme, we are going at the end of April with our 3 kids and another family. We are also staying at the Marriott Fallsview in a suite overlooking the falls! It's a 2br suite, 1K and 2Q for 3 nights. (Gee, maybe we will have had the same room, I'll let you know! lol)

I had originally planned on going Memorial Day weekend because there will be so much more going on at that time. But, naturally, the rates for rooms skyrocketed so we chose the end of April.

Two suggestions are (we will miss them because they won't be open): Maid of the Mist and Marineland. Also, go to the Butterfly Conservatory, and definitely go to Mama Mia's for a meal! Yum! Much better than Hard Rock, Rainforest, or Planet Hollywood, IMO.

Of course, I can share more ideas with you after our trip!

 

[paras4ri]

Here's another vote for Mama Mia's!!!!!!

 

[Nutsy]

Wow!! Lucky you Margie............

Hope you have a ball

 

[nativetxn]

Mama Mia's has awesome food. You are going to really enjoy Niagara Falls.

 

[rae519]

One of our favorite stops when we travelled the IN to NY roads!
Get some fudge at the Canadian store at the Falls - best in the world!! (DH recommends maple walnut, oldest DS recommends Rocky Road, youngest DS and I just like it all) - that is one dessert I will eat!!!!

A lot to see and do on both sides of the Falls - just enjoy it and try to get a ride on the Maid of the Mist!!!

Rae

 

[Fire14]

the fudge is a must I love the stuff from the hershey store also. My fav. would be strawberry cheesecake YUM YUM!!!. For person going end of April, My dh and I usually go than and all but last year were able to ride maid of the mist, so there's a chance. i guess I'm gonna have to try mama mias myself, Dh and I always talk about going there and end up at beef baron! Which is owned by same people. So since everyone is so full of suggestions I'm open to them DH and I will be traveling up there for our first annv. in Oct. We will be making a day trip to Toronto but other than that are open to ideas.

 

[Mishetta]

We stayed at the Marriott Fallsview & it is very nice. My husband booked 2 suites, one for us & one for my mom & my aunt (who was visiting from France) as a Mother's Day present for all of us & we let our DS (then 6) stay with my mom in the adjoining suite.

As nice as it was, we had a very bad experience (but it wasn't the hotel's fault). At about 230am, the fire alarm went off. They are SO LOUD!!! We were all just kinda looking at one another, not knowing what to do. Suddenly, a voice came over an intercom & it said for everyone to evacuate the building, a fire has been detected. Once we got out into the hallway, we could smell smoke.

My DS freaked out to put it mildly! We threw some clothes over our P.J.'s & I grabbed my purse, & my DS & we took off. I told my DH that I had to leave immediately since my DS was really hysterical. My wonderful DH stayed behind until my mom (age 76) & aunt (age 81) had some clothes on & then they evacuated too. Did I mention we were on the 21st floor? So that means since the stairwell is set up 10 steps, a landing & 10 more steps to go down ONE floor, we had to run down 42 flights of stairs! Did I also mention I was 7 months pregnant at the time?

That D#@m'ed fire alarm which kept blarring & all the people rushing past us to get down the stairs as fast as possible, was really a nightmare. My DS pulling me down the stairs, I thought he would make me fall. Anyway, an angel came & she took my son by the hand & told my DS to let Mommie go down the steps carefully (as she could see my swollen belly). For some reason, he calmed down once she took his hand....(I truly believe she was an angel). Anway, we got down but I kept turning back & looking for my DH, DM & DA & they were not anywhere in sight. It was quite a while later that they finally came through those doors. Boy was I relieved! My DH did not leave them. Anyway, it turned out that the fire was in a room on the 22nd floor (above us) & the firemen were able to contain it but at the time when we were running down the stairwell, we didn't know where it was, or how big or if we'd even be able to finish descending. Tons of people in the lobby in their PJ's & hugging & crying. (My DS still jumps through the roof if he just hears a car alarm go off!) It was very scary.

We had to demand it, but the hotel did credit us that one night's stay & we checked out one day earlier than planned since I started having contractions!

The first night we were able to enjoy the view of the fireworks show, but be sure you are ready to see it at the exact time it starts, since it's only about 5 minutes long.

IF we should return (it's been nearly 2 years but still so fresh in my mind), I will not stay past the 2nd or 3rd floor (of any hotel!)

I know...I gave you too much information, didn't I? Sorry! Hope you have a great time! The Falls are truly AWESOME!

 

[Lucky4me]

The lasagna at Mama Mias is to DIE for. That and the bread. Mmmmm. We go there as much as possible just for that meal...

Don't forget the IMAX theater. They have a show on the history of the falls that's pretty interesting. Have fun!!

Also if you're going to be there that long, take a ride down the road to Niagara On The Lake, a quaint lake side town full of historic homes and wonderful gift shops. Take a walk in the park and wade in the fountain if it's warm enough. There is a playground for the kids and lots of benches for Mom and Dad. The landscaping is beautiful.

 

[rae519]

Mishetta - thank God you didn't go into premature labor with all that excitement!

I tend to agree with you - I like being near the exits and on the ground floor. Your poor DS - how awful for him to be scared awake by something that loud and serious.

We've seen the lightshow at the Falls also - very lovely. And sometimes when it's frozen over, it's just spectacular. I have heard of but never seen it when there was a drought and it dries up. Always something new and interesting there though.

I had a friend who was there for the filming of the original Superman (Christopher Reeves) - you can barely see her in the crowd but she makes sure we all know it was her!!!

Rae

 

[shep]

There is a really neat butterfly museum up there if you are into that kind of stuff...
We hope to go back in May...to Niagara Falls that is..

 

[crazyme5kids]

Keep the ideas coming! We are definatly going to the Butterfly Conservatory and do some strolling through the gardens. I changed the date of our trip from April to May just so we could take the Maid of the Mist boat! Marineland is the combination Aqarium/theme park right? How much time should we plan there?
Also, can we take a boat or something to see some of the sights on the American side, or should we plan a day over there with the car? Any suggestions what to see on the US side? Restaurants?
What about the Spanish Cable Cars (I think that is the name) that go over the falls? Has anyone done that? I am thinking about The Minolta Tower and the Skylon(is that the name) tower, has anyone eaten at either of these places, or gone up in them?
What about the Casino? I thought my husband and I would sneak off for an evening. I will use a babysitting service, but only to have an adult there in case of an emergency (Mishetta sorry you went through that!), my two older kids 17 and 14 will keep an eye on the sitter LOL!
Does anybody know where to have a really good breakfast?
Is 5 days to much to spend there, should we plan to go to Toronto for a day? Sorry about all the questions, but I have one more. Will I be able to bring tons of Fudge back into the US????!!!!!

 

[glo]

We will be there in July...please let me know how it went. I got Mama Mia's and the butterfly museum on my list...We are staying at the Four Points Sheraton Suites, which I got for $40 on Priceline. Can't wait too

 

[NancyK]

Check out www.niagaraparks.com for lots of great info. There is a "People Mover" bus that takes you to many of the attractions. You can buy a pass that includes all day transportation as well as admission to several of the attractions. You get on and off the bus at your own leisure, so you can spend as much time as you want at each place. Definitely the way to go, even if you have your car.

 

[CJK]

If Niagara-on-the-lake is on your agenda (I hope it is!!), be sure to go to the Rainbow chocolate store. It's on hwy 55 heading towards the QEW (coming from NOTL). It's very close to the QEW. The store doesn't look like much, but there are TONS of free samples and the chocolate is unbelievable! Have a wonderful time!

 

[crazyme5kids]

Glo that's a fantastic price!!!! I would love to try to bid for hotels but am a bit intimidated by the whole thing. Plus with my size family I'm afraid I wouldn't get the right amount of rooms or beds LOL!
NancyK great site, Thank you!

 

[Dan Murphy]

Don't forget to take in some of the American side also, many nice things there too. A visit to Goat Island, between the two falls, is breathtaking, as Cave of the Winds.

It is a most beautiful place to visit, awe-inspiring. Enjoy.