OT: Canada here we come

[goofy370]

Hi, My family is traveling to Niagara Falls this summer. I am looking for ideas of thing to do and see while we are there. We will be there 3 nights and 4 days. We are staying on the Canadian side at the courtyard Marriott. What should we do?? Anywhere special to eat?? Thanks so much!!

 

[Valjean13]

Obviously touring the falls themselves - you can do the Maid of the Mist boat ride to get really close. There is a Ripley's museum that your children may like, and Marine Land. Great Wolf Lodge has a water park, but I am not sure if you can buy separate tickets to it, or if it's only for guests staying at the hotel.

I enjoyed eating at Wolfgang Puck's Cafe. There are a ton of chain restaurants in Niagara - The Keg, Hard Rock Cafe, Planet Hollywood, etc. There is one at the top of a tower - can't remember the name, but it would have a great view. It is expensive though.

If you have time, taking a side trip to Niagara-on-the-Lake is nice. It's 20-30 min drive, depending on traffic. Lots of nice restaurants, wineries, shops, and the Shaw Festival Theatre goes all summer. Not as much stuff to do for children, but I highly recommend checking it out.

 

[Kurby]

http://www.infoniagara.com/

this site has tons of in and around the area things to do.

depending on how busy you want to be and your interests are you can do the "typical tourist" stuff ie. maid of the mist, dinner or lunch at the skylon tower, fireworks on specific days and times, but then drive further and check out the aero car (really cool if you don't have a height problem) butterfly conservatory, wineries, casino's etc...

here's a list of things from their site.

Attractions
American Falls
Battle Ground Hotel Museum
Bird Kingdom
Botanical Delights
Butterfly Conservatory
Canadian Falls
Casino Niagara
Falls Night Fireworks
Floral Clock
Greg Frewin Theatre
Hydro Power
IMAX Theatre
Journey Behind the Falls
Kurtz Orchards Gourmet Marketplace
Lundys Lane Historical Museum
Minolta Tower
Murals of Welland
National Helicopters
Niagara Glen
Niagara Grand Dinner Theatre
Niagara Greenhouse
Niagara Helicopters
Niagara in Winter
Niagara on the Lake
Niagara River
Nightly Illumination
Nightmares Fear Factory
Oakes Garden
Oh Canada Eh? Dinner Show
Pen Centre
Queen Victoria Park
Reg's Candy Kitchen
Ripleys Believe it or Not
Skylon Tower
Souvenir City
The Buttery Restaurant & The Henry VIII Feast
The Old Scow
The Welland Canal
The Whirlpool Aero Car
Whirlpool Jet Boat Tours
White Water Walk
Willoughby Historical Museum
Winter Festival of Lights
Zooz

 

[sean-1966]

Attractions
American Falls
Battle Ground Hotel Museum -Kind of neat but small
Bird Kingdom - Very cool
Botanical Delights -Don't know this one
Butterfly Conservatory - Very cool
Canadian Falls -Obvious
Casino Niagara - Neat even to people watch
Falls Night Fireworks - Go up to the Hiltons Watermark restaurant to watch.
Floral Clock - Neat but takes about 5 minutes
Greg Frewin Theatre - Haven't heard good things
Hydro Power - They have a tour but I've never taken it
IMAX Theatre - Good
Journey Behind the Falls - Excellent
Kurtz Orchards Gourmet Marketplace - Farmers market. Nothing else to say
Lundys Lane Historical Museum - Kinda neat but small
Minolta Tower - Don't bother
Murals of Welland - Forget this
National Helicopters - Do Niagara Helicopters.
Niagara Glen- A good walk but the walk back out is tough.
Niagara Grand Dinner Theatre - Don't know this one
Niagara Greenhouse - Kinda cool if you're into plants and flowers
Niagara Helicopters - Definetly very cool.
Niagara in Winter - BRRRRRRR, but my favourite time of year to be at the falls
Niagara on the Lake - Cool but very touristy
Niagara River - Beautiful drive.
Nightly Illumination - PM me for the secret here.
Nightmares Fear Factory - Skip it
Oakes Garden - Just a park
Oh Canada Eh? Dinner Show - Neat dinner show. Very Canadian
Pen Centre - Big mall, that's about it.
Queen Victoria Park - Park says it all
Reg's Candy Kitchen - Don't know this one
Ripleys Believe it or Not - Kinda cool
Skylon Tower - Great view. Go to dinner here. Also good for fireworks viewing.
Souvenir City - Souvenier shopping. That's about it
The Buttery Restaurant & The Henry VIII Feast - Very cool.
The Old Scow - Just a old boat in the river
The Welland Canal - Might be neat to see the ships at Lock 3
The Whirlpool Aero Car - Very cool
Whirlpool Jet Boat Tours - Very cool on a warm day
White Water Walk - Nice walk by the river
Willoughby Historical Museum - Don't know this one
Winter Festival of Lights - Very cool but BRRRRR
Zooz - Skip this. Sad to see the animals in small cages
[/QUOTE]


Might also try Fort George and Fort Erie. Knda neat. Dufferin Islands for a picnic. I'm sure I'll think of more that isn't on the list. This is the locals take on these attractions.

 

[mombrontrent]

You can usually buy some kind of tourist attaction package. It includes addmition to 4-5 different popular attractions and a discounted price. We have bought it before and found it's a great value.

 

[goofy370]

You can usually buy some kind of tourist attaction package. It includes addmition to 4-5 different popular attractions and a discounted price. We have bought it before and found it's a great value.

Is this something we can buy in advance or at our hotel? Thanks

 

[mombrontrent]

Is this something we can buy in advance or at our hotel? Thanks

You can buy it at any of the participating attactions. When yo go to the first attraction you buy the package. You get a little ticket book and you cna use them in whatever order you want. I have bought it twice and each time the attrctions varied slightly. They have included The Maid of the Mist, The Buttefly Conservatory, The Bird Aviory, The tunnels beneath the falls, The Imax theater, can't remember what else. There is also an abundance of coupon books for all the museums and restaurants you cna pick up at your hotel. We really enjoyed the Ripley's museum. I think we have gone there like 3 times times now. Have a fun trip and be prepared for sky high prices on food and souveniers and such.