Niagra Falls?

[Laurabearz]

We are thinking about heading to the Falls next summer. I figure the kids will be good ages to remember it (13,11,9)...

Great info Thanks!!

 

[SeaSpray]

I was married there in early June 2010. We stayed at the Hilton Fallsview on the Canadian side and it was very nice but next time I would try the Sheraton. Seeing the falls from the hotel room was so cool. Canadian side is a must. There is so much to do and its so much fun! The weather was perfect in early June and the crowds were not bad at all.

We stayed there too and LOVED it, especially the restaurant at the top of the hotel. The best breakfast that I've ever had in my life was at the breakfast buffet at this hotel.

We went during the week of 4th of July and I planned our dinner reservation on the 4th to be during the same time that the US and Canada were going to be simultaneously shooting their fireworks over the top of the falls. The restaurant is higher than that, so it was quite cool to be looking down at everything.

We went 10 years ago and loved it. Would definitely recommend going in nice/warm weather. Early July was really nice - warm but not too hot.

We did Maid of the Mist, the behind the waterfalls inside the caves thing (can't remember the name), Skylon Tower, IMAX Theater, and also a bus tour that stopped at many other sites and gave us a really nice overview of the entire area.

The downtown area was a lot of fun; DSs wanted to go inside the Ripley's Believe it or Not place, so we did that; we ate at a lot of touristy places including the Hard Rock Cafe, Planet Hollywood, etc. We really had a blast.

Here's a link to my web page with a few pictures from that trip (before we had a good digital camera. lol) http://www.brownfamilyvacations.com/html/niagara.htm

 

[OhMari]

We loved the Canadian side. Stayed at the Sheraton. Ate at the really, really high restaurant (it rotates too, can't recall the name). Loved the fireworks over the falls at night, and the falls lit up. We stayed for a fews days, and really enjoyed every minute. Did all the touristy things. Kids loved it too! I highly recommend it! (too bad NY doesn't make the American side nicer... wonder why they don't?)

It is a state park, and I don't think they will sell any land soon. Seems once you get past the park, you wouldn't even know the Falls are there. I know that have that big indoor shopping mall, but that is about it.

 

[tinkerbell2181]

After many, many visits I would have agreed with you about the food until our visit last year. Olives on Clifton Hill was pretty good. The Four Brothers up in an area of town we never visit was fabulous Italian -- think old school w/ lots of dark wood & red leather. If you're heading toward Niagara on the Lake, which I agree is wonderful, the Pie Plate in Virgil (5 min from NOTL) is the kind of place that can make your mouth water just thinking about it.

Dining has always been a downside to Niagara visits, but when we go back these three are at the top of our list.

Definitely stay on Canadian side, but do make sure to visit the NY State Park & take advantage of the viewing there. It is lovely & much, much better than I ever would have dreamed. You can even walk across the bridge & catch the park shuttle right in the parking lot. Very fun, very well worth it.

This is awesome to hear about the restaurants!! Thanks for posting, I will mark these down for the next time we go back up. Never ate at any of these places, thanks for your info

 

[cornflake]

Canadian side, as noted, you want the canadian side!

 

[tigercat]

I live about an hour away from the Falls. Everytime we have a visitor from somewhere they all want to visit it. We have been to it many times but only once on the US side. There wasn't much to see on that side but it was different.
tigercat

 

[LuvCuteBoys]

The TOWN of Niagara Falls may not be great, but the American side is so much more natural than the Canadian side. So it all depends on what you want.

I would hate it if the American side became more like the Canadian side.

 

[Lorelei Lee]

We were looking to save money so we stayed on the American side. Not much to do on the American side except visit the park and view the falls, so we spent a lot of time in Canada visiting the restaurants etc. the views from both sides of the falls are amazing.

 

[ols386]

Someone else mentioned driving up to Niagara-On-The-Lake while you are there, and I agree with this. It very much has a European feel to it. There are also on-stage, live, plays there in NOTL too, if you are interested in that type of thing. Lots of nice Inns and B&Bs in NOTL too.

I love seeing Niagara Falls (Canadian side is the best view). I think it's an absolutely amazing sight to see. I'd probably try to visit sometime after Labor Day weekend, on a weekday, if possible.

 

[MickeysMommy]

Thank you all so much for your replies. Great info here.

 

[FireDancer]

I found the food much better up in Niagara-on-the-Lake than Niagara Falls. The one place I would highly recommend is Suisha Gardens. We had sushi and it was great but they also had a Teppan Yaki section and full non-sushi menu.

Up in Niagara-on-the-Lake I would recommend The Old Winery Restaurant.

 

[jenny105]

Definitely stay on the Canadian side. There's a lot more to do! You can stay at one of the Fallsview hotels (Shertaon, Embassy Suites, Marriott) or there are a bunch of hotels in the Clifton Hill area, which is still within walking distance of the falls. Clifton Hill has restaurants, wax museums, fun houses, etc. Plus, there's a theme park not too far away called Marineland. Very similar to Sea World The one cool thing on the American side is that there's a tour where you put on a poncho and walk on steps very close to the falls. Great photo ops!