Thoughts on Niagara Falls on a budget?

[purplegirl247]

We just there the last week of July. We stayed at one of the MANY B&Bs (which worked for us because we left our car there and didn't have to pay for parking and got a hearty breakfast the mornings we were there), but not sure if that would work for a family.

We walked through Clifton Hills, but found it to be over-the-top touristy. Too much like I-Drive here in Orlando, in my opinion. We were excited about Niagara-on-the-Lake but it was very very crowded on the day we went, so we didn't get a chance to experience it much. We loved walking around (including over to the NY side) though, and also bought one of those passes mentioned above (I agree that the Niagara Fury movie wasn't worth it).

We were able to do pretty much everything we wanted in the 2 full days we were there, if that helps. Enjoy!

 

[nilseks]

Wow, thank you so much for all the great input! Embassy Suites was actually the one I was leaning toward. It is good to read nice comments about the views and such--on the web site the hotel looks totally superimposed over the falls lol and I wasn't sure if the view was indeed good. I think we will probably only stay for one night, so I don't mind too much if it's a little bit more $ to stay there. All in all the rates aren't too bad.

I think what we are going to do is go from the wedding to Niagara Falls, then down around the lake to Canton (football hall of fame) then work our way back toward home and hit Cedar Point. So it will probably just be one day of sightseeing at the Falls. I'm not too interested in hitting the tourist trap towns--thought maybe just do the Maid of the Mist and Cave of the Winds. Would love to hear thoughts on those two attractions, and whether or not there are any other MUST do's. By the way, for purposes of suggesting attractions--my boys are 8 and 10.

Thanks so much!!!

 

[nikkistevej]

Wow, thank you so much for all the great input! Embassy Suites was actually the one I was leaning toward. It is good to read nice comments about the views and such--on the web site the hotel looks totally superimposed over the falls lol and I wasn't sure if the view was indeed good. I think we will probably only stay for one night, so I don't mind too much if it's a little bit more $ to stay there. All in all the rates aren't too bad.

I think what we are going to do is go from the wedding to Niagara Falls, then down around the lake to Canton (football hall of fame) then work our way back toward home and hit Cedar Point. So it will probably just be one day of sightseeing at the Falls. I'm not too interested in hitting the tourist trap towns--thought maybe just do the Maid of the Mist and Cave of the Winds. Would love to hear thoughts on those two attractions, and whether or not there are any other MUST do's. By the way, for purposes of suggesting attractions--my boys are 8 and 10.

Thanks so much!!!

I definitely think you should do the Maid of the Mist- I think the kids would love this. I haven't been there since 2002, but it something we will remember. We are also going to Niagara Falls next summer with the inlaws and my DD for their first trip- that will be one of our excursions. It's alot of fun!

 

[lizabu]

I've been many times and there is much more to do on the Canadian side than the US side. I've stayed at a couple B&Bs and found them very charming but the area where most of the B&Bs are is quite the hike from the "action". If you're going to stay there you may as well stay in the super frugal Lundys Lane area. I've stayed at the Sheraton, the Four Points and the Best Western and liked them all but especially the Sheraton. Its really important to find something with parking and to understand what they charge because parking anywhere close to the attractions is very expensive. Something fun and cheap is to pack a picnic, buy a pizza or KFC and have a picnic in the park close to the falls. I would also highly recommend the Adventure pass. It gets you into the 4 most interesting attractions and includes a 2 day people mover pass. I like to take the kids to walk around clifton hill and people watch, buy an ice cream and play a few arcade games. We don't go into any of the wax museums etc. I've done most of them as a kid/teen and they are really not worth it. You can see everything of interest easily in 2 days. They have a rainforest cafe my kids really like. Stay away from the ihop. Most expensive breakfast of my life. I'd skip Marineland too. I hate that place.

 

[nilseks]

Thanks for the great ideas. I will look into pricing for the Adventure Pass. I like the KFC picnic idea--my kids' favorite restaurant!

 

[MichelleinMaine]

Make sure to check into getting the Niagara Falls USA Discovery Pass. If you get them in advance and print them at home they are even cheaper than they are at the falls. We saved about $15 per person doing this.
If you want to do some really neat stuff this is your best bet. You can do 5 different attractions pretty inexpensively this way.
The attractions are Cave of the Winds (very neat), Maid of the Mist boat ride (must do), the Niagara movie (okay, learned a lot I didn't know), The Aquarium (small, but still nice, don't miss the seals), and the Discovery Center (it was closed when we were there, but we still saved a lot of money, even missing this attraction).
The site for the pass is http://niagarafallsstatepark.com/PassToTheFalls.aspx

The Canadian side has something similar that includes Maid of the Mist (must do!), Journey Behind the Falls (which isn't as cool as Cave of the Winds to be sure, but neat), plus a movie (ok) and admission to the walk along the rapids further up the river. It also gets you 2 days (I think it was) use of the shuttlebus that runs along for all the attractions (WELL worth it). You also get 1/2 off a bunch of other attractions with it- whirlpool aerocar and butterfly conservatory were a couple.

I'd stay on the Canadian side, do things all there (we skipped alot of the Clifton HIll carnival sort of stuff, but if that's your cup of tea, more power to you.) But do stop at Cave of the Winds on the US side and do that on your way in/out. (it is a big of a wait to get through customs, so just do on the way.) You get to walk around a boardwalk right at the bottom of the falls- I loved it! (I wanted to pay to do it again; DD thought I was nuts

 

[Anne34]

We also stayed on the Canadian side and did all the tourist things mentioned. We got the pass that included 5 things.....we also went over to the American side and went to the fort. It was interesting and the kids had room to run & look. It was a nice 1/2 day thing....we stayed for 3 nights (arrived evening the first night).

We are from Chicago, so we also stopped at Cedar Point for the night. Got there around 4, did the evening pass and then all day the next day. Soooo much fun! Have a great trip.

 

[MichelleinMaine]

If you're just doing one day on the American side- yes- you must do Maid of the Mist and Cave of the Winds.

 

[beansmom]

oh, absolutely do Maid of the Mist! That's a one of a kind thing and it's AWESOME!

 

[MsLeFever]

I grew up in western NY and I've always preferred the American side. The Canadian side has more "stuff", but on the American side you can walk by the river, explore three sisters and goat islands and get right on-top of the American falls.

I suppose it is because I prefer the nature attraction of the falls to the more developed side.

My advice would be to park on the American side and walk between the American falls and the islands upriver - really beautiful.

 

[clori]

How many full days are recommended for a typical touristy trip to the Canadian side of Niagra Falls with kids 6 and 12. We are thinking about it for this summer but haven't really looked into it yet.

 

[lizabu]

How many full days are recommended for a typical touristy trip to the Canadian side of Niagra Falls with kids 6 and 12. We are thinking about it for this summer but haven't really looked into it yet.

I would say you could do everything on an adventure pass easily in 2 days. This is even on a hot day with going back to the hotel to nap in the afternoon to get out of the sun. I would do 3 days if you want to spend a day at one of the indoor waterparks, marineland or safari niagara.

 

[strmtroopr96]

The kids don't need passports.

http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1082.html#entry_requirements

Just wanted to say hello to another local DISer!! I don't usually see too many on here. We're in Ilion.

 

[Styx Fan]

I grew up in western NY and I've always preferred the American side. The Canadian side has more "stuff", but on the American side you can walk by the river, explore three sisters and goat islands and get right on-top of the American falls.

I suppose it is because I prefer the nature attraction of the falls to the more developed side.

My advice would be to park on the American side and walk between the American falls and the islands upriver - really beautiful.

We also love the natural part of the American side. It is part of a park along the falls. So much fun to play around the edge of the river on the little islands. Very relaxing after the bustle of the Canadian side. We also enjoyed driving up to the butterfly house on the Canadian side.

 

[nikkistevej]

We have only done the Maid of the Mist on the Canadian side- is there a difference between the New York or Canadian side?

 

[lizabu]

We have only done the Maid of the Mist on the Canadian side- is there a difference between the New York or Canadian side?

Its pretty much the same thing

 

[nikkistevej]

Its pretty much the same thing

Ok- that makes things a little easier for me to decide.