Our Road Warrior Trip had one epic goal: to see Niagara Falls.Â
Is Niagara Falls the tallest waterfall in the world? No. Is it the “biggest?” Also, no. But it is definitely one of, if not THE most famous.
Visitors have been flocking to Niagara Falls for honeymoon and “bucket list” trips since the early 1800s. Arguments over bridges, dams, hydroelectric power, and water usage have been ongoing for just as long (maybe even longer). Niagara Falls has captured a spot in society’s imagination.
While not winning any superlatives, Niagara Falls is impressive given its flow. There is so much water that goes over these falls it is hard to conceptualize – 9,000 cubic feet of water barreling down EVERY SECOND (someone compared that to 1 million bathtubsful of water every second). It is a place where nature reminds you of how she wins. Always.
Niagara Falls is comprised of three different waterfalls (American, Bridal Veil, and Horseshoe Falls) and is on the border of the United States (New York) and Canada. Many ask if they need to see the falls from both countries and the answer is definitely ‘yes.’
Many ask, as well, if seeing Niagara Falls is “worth it.” I think it is.
Whether it is worth seeing because it has captured the collective imagination or if it captured the collective imagination because it is worth seeing … is that an argument that matters at this point? The fact remains that Niagara Falls is monstrous, famous, and beautiful. It is full of both natural power and the glaring evidence of man’s heavy-handed attempt at ownership and manipulation. It is worth seeing. It helps us understand America. It helps put things in perspective – and then pulls things out of perspective when we realize how small we are against the backdrop of the cascading water.
The Canadian side has grown into a quintessential tourism town, complete with areas that have already peeked and now sit neglected alongside major tourist wins that are amazing attractions. The U.S. side has been maintained as a New York State Park and capitalizes on nature and the landscape. Each location has a very different vantage point of the falls, and you should take the time to see both if you can.
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What to See and Things to do in Niagara Falls
Table of Contents
Niagara Falls State Park: New York Side
On our very first day in town, we detached a broken and tired Shirley Jean in a parking lot, checked into our last-minute AirBnB, and made our way to the Niagara Falls New York State Park. We were excited for the culmination of the trip: to see the Falls. This was why we had driven over 500 miles pulling a 20-year-old pop-up camper. With dusk falling, we knew they would soon be bathed in colorful lights.Â
Visiting the New York park was an immensely pleasurable experience! We took quite some time to walk around as the sun set and were so glad we did.
We used the paid parking lot at the Visitors’ Center (P1). We had no issues finding a spot, but likely it was due to it being a weekday evening.
We spent a lot of time walking around the area. Trails we enjoyed:
- Over the pedestrian bridge, above Green Island, on to Goat Island
- Down to Terrapin Point, where there is a view of Horseshoe Falls
- To Luna Island, where there is a view of Bridal Veil Falls
- Back over the Pedestrian Bridge, to the American Falls viewing area
- Up the Observation Deck (This was free and open during our visit to the falls. But otherwise, entry to the Observation Tower is around $1.50 per person.)
Visiting Niagara Falls New York State Park was a really lovely adventure and a beautiful first way to experience the falls. While the majestic panoramic views of the falls are on the Canadian side, it is in this state park that you are able to experience up close how huge they are. You can get quite close to the top of the falls, feeling their spray, looking down over the cliff’s edge, and crossing over the river that feeds the falls with swirls of nasty whitewater.
Also, as tourist-centric and built up as the Canadian side of the falls are, the state park was a cultivated ramble through landscaped hedges and flower beds that was delightful.
This was a great first introduction.
- For information about and a map of Niagara Falls State Park, visit www.niagarafallsstatepark.com.
See Niagara Falls at Night (Fireworks and Lights)
We were fairly exhausted after a day of a busted pop-up break camp, frantically trying to find an AirBnB for a family of four (and our large dog and our camper), and the drive from Watkins Glen to Niagara Falls, N.Y. All this to share that we did NOT stick around for the fireworks.
Niagara Falls has a fireworks display every day in the summer at 10:00 p.m. The best places to view them are from Terrapin Point or the Observatory Tower.
We did enjoy the lights on the falls, though. Looking at the colors bouncing off the white foamy water was a very cool effect. From the New York side, it was easy to see the falls bathed in rotating colors from the Observatory Tower and I highly recommend that experience
- For information on the fireworks schedule and calendar, visit www.niagarafallstourism.com/firework.
- For details on the illumination of the falls, visit www.niagarafallstourism.com/illumination.
Visiting the Canada Side of Niagara Falls: How to and What to Know
We had decided well in advance of this trip that we’d be heading to the Canadian side to see the falls from that viewpoint.
While the New York side of Niagara Falls has the beautiful state park, the Canadian side is where you can see the entirety of the falls in one view.
To get into Canada (and back) you will cross the Rainbow Bridge. This bridge was built in 1940, is 1,450 feet long, and 202 feet high. It makes a glorious arch across the gorge carved by the Niagara River.
The Rainbow Bridge can be crossed by foot or auto. We opted to drive into Canada, and left earlier in the day to ensure we would have parking and make it in time to our lunch reservation. We had no problem finding a pay parking lot.
Yes! Everyone will need a passport to cross the border and to get back in.Â
Yes! They check them. (No passport stamps, though.)
The border agents will ask questions, including if you are bringing anything in or out. They will check your car if they feel any reason to (we saw them get out of the booth to look into a car only once – into a van that had tinted windows).
There will be a wait, both to get into Canada and to get back into the United States. But we felt it was worth it! You can check wait times on Google Maps and also at the links below.
The Canadian side of the falls is not a state park – it is a monstrous mess of tourism and business. There are empty buildings and miles of unused pavement. But there are also hanging flowering plants with bursts of lively color, a long walkway to take in the views, and plenty of eateries and activities for any desires and budget. We particularly enjoyed the opportunity to dine soaring in the sky. We were glad we went to the Canadian side (but also didn’t feel the need to stay for longer than a day trip).
- For official entry requirements to cross into Canada, visit www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca.
- For official entry requirements for returning to the United States, visit www.cbp.gov/travel/us-citizens.
- Updates on official wait times to get into Canada are available at www.cbsa-asfc.gc.caÂ
- Updates on official wait times to get into the U.S. are available at bwt.cbp.gov.
Dining with a View of Niagara Falls: Skylon Tower
I was determined to have a meal overlooking the falls. Pre-trip research pointed to two different restaurants : one in New York called Top of the Falls and one in Canada called Skylon Tower. I opted for Skylon Tower and am so glad I did!
This was such a fun experience for us and the boys loved it. The tower is visible from so many places within the area that it is a presence all around. To be able to go up felt like the pinnacle of our time here (physically and mentally).
We made dining room reservations, which included free access to the observation deck of the Tower. Visitors can walk up to the front desk and pay for a ticket to ride the elevators up to the observation deck without making a reservation, but the dining room will likely be full to walk-ups.
But we loved our lunch at Skylon Tower!
The boys thought the rotating restaurant was so much fun (it rotates 360 degrees in one hour). The views really were remarkable. As we rotated, we passed signs explaining the history or other significant notes on what we were seeing.Â
The service was really wonderful. The food wasn’t bad, either. Of course, it wasn’t cheap, but we felt we were paying for the entire experience overall. All in all, dining at Skylon Tower was something I am so glad we did.
We walked by the Top of the Falls restaurant on the New York side, and I guarantee they don’t have the views that Skylon Tower does!
A few practical things to note:
1 Definitely make reservations in advance if you want to dine at Skylon Tower. It was at capacity when we went (fortunately, I booked a table for us over a month prior to our trip and we had a lovely table next to the window).
2 The basement of Skylon Tower houses an arcade that feels misplaced and it is certainly underused.Â
3 There is a parking lot at Skylon Tower that allows for paid parking (lots of spaces available when we parked there) and we were able to walk to everything we wanted to see and do in the area from here without a problem.
Our rotating restaurant experience also gave us silly yet fun panoramas, like these:
- For more on Skylon Tower, and to make reservations, visit www.skylon.com.
Niagara Falls Observation Decks
There are two observation decks in Niagara Falls to consider visiting: The Observation Tower as part of the New York State Park and the Skylon Tower Observation Deck.
The New York State Park Observation Tower sticks out over the gorge and provides an angled view of American and Bridal Veil Falls. Horseshoe Falls is not really visible from this tower. During business hours, there is a small fee to walk out onto the tower, but there weren’t any major steps or elevators to navigate.
The Skylon Tower is more expensive and is on the Canadian side. It is very high and elevator access is provided. We thought the views here were remarkable, although it was quite windy during our visit.
Niagara Falls Boat Tour: Maid of the Mist or the Hornblower/Niagara City Cruise
Visitors to Niagara Falls flock to the boat tours. With just a short 20-minute ride, large ferry boats will take a boatload (legit use of the word here) as close as they can to Horseshoe Falls. Standing on the front of the boat, covered in a cheap poncho handed out by the boat company, we were still dozens of feet from the base of the falls yet felt the spray, power, and fierceness of the falls.
I highly recommend dealing with the crowds and making a boat tour happen. This was a highlight adventure for us.
There are two options that follow the exact same route and offer the same amount of time on the boat: Maid of the Mist on the U.S. side and the Niagara City Cruise (formerly named the Hornblower) on the Canadian side.
I had opted to take our family on the Niagara City Cruise (run by the same company that did our Alcatraz cruise). On the Hornblower website, you can purchase tickets in advance for a specific time. That is not the case for Maid of the Mist. My thought was that I didn’t want to wait in long lines for this experience, so the ability to purchase a time in advance seemed like the smart thing to do.
Alas, while it all worked out in the end, if I had to do it over again, I’d do the Maid of the Mist.
Buying a ticket in advance for the Niagara City/Hornblower cruise at NIagara Falls really just means you can bypass the ticket window or ticket machines. It doesn’t guarantee that you step on the boat at a certain time. In fact, once you pass the person scanning entry tickets, you are put in the same queues and lines as everyone else.
And, as far as we could tell, there were far more people on the Niagara City Cruise than on the Maid of the Mist. The boats going out for the Hornblower were packed – we raced and worked hard to get on the front of the boat. The boats going out for Maid of the Mist looked to have about half the people.
Niagara City Cruise has seats and bathrooms, while Maid of the Mist does not. However, it was so packed in there that it wasn’t as though people were moving around. And it is an incredibly short experience overall so we didn’t need the restroom in the 20 minutes we were on board (and if we had gone to the restroom we would have missed the falls anyhow).
The old Hornblower does offer other packages for boat cruises, including a nighttime dinner cruise. So there the bathroom becomes key!Â
The Niagara City Cruise also has a funicular – an incline railway that will take passengers from the top of the gorge down to the river to board the boat. But, this costs extra money! So the vast majority of folks walk the steps and wait for an elevator.Â
The Maid of the Mist has been around for far much longer than the Hornblower, and maybe its reputation was cemented years ago and it is working out from that? The Maid of the Mist has been in operation since 1846; the Hornblower/Niagara City Cruise since 2013. I had assumed that the Maid of the Mist would be more popular and crowded but it appeared I was wrong.
I’d be interested in experiences from others who have been recently, though. I am wondering if we simply had a strange day?
Regardless of who you go with, Niagara City Cruise/Hornblower vs. Maid of the Mist, it is worth it to take these boat rides.
We got soaked. We laughed hysterically. We couldn’t even take videos or photos due to the heaviness of the water and air around us. It was an adrenaline rush I am so glad we experienced.
The quick boat ride to Horseshoe Falls was filled with anticipation. The boat ride back allowed us to experience the bright summer day and the sounds of fury around us. We felt exhausted afterwards, likely feeling the effects of spending the day in the sun as the adrenaline wore off, but it was a highlight of our trip overall.
- For information on and reservations for Hornblower (Canadian side), visit www.cityexperiences.com.
- For information on Maid of the Mist (U.S. side), visit www.maidofthemist.com.
Walking the Falls: Journey Behind the Falls or Cave of the Winds
We felt like we had seen a lot of the falls – from the bird’s eye view, to the river rushing over the top, to the underneath view looking through spray up at the sky. We were tired and satiated and didn’t feel the need to spend another $100+ to walk near or behind the falls.
But there are two options if you want to do this: Journey Behind the Falls on the Canadian side and Cave of the Winds on the U.S. side.
Cave of the Winds tickets can be bought in tandem with a Maid of the Mist ride. There is usually a wait, but visitors walk on bridges, pathways, and steps in bright blue ponchos to get as close as is humanly safe to the water crashing down at the base of Bridal Veil and American Falls.
Journey Behind the Falls takes visitors into the old power plant that sits at the base of Horseshoe Falls for an experience of walking close to the largest waterfall at Niagara.
Our kids voted for the Journey Behind the Caves if we were to have done one as they were intrigued with the old building as well as Horseshoe Falls. But, again, we just didn’t feel it was an experience necessary to have after everything we had experienced aleady.
- For information on Journey Behind the Falls (Canadian side), visit www.niagaraparks.com.
- For information on Cave of the Winds (U.S. side), visit www.niagarafallsstatepark.com.
Other Options in the Niagara Falls Area
There are plenty of other options for activities in the Niagara Falls area. If we had an extra day we would have visited the Canadian town of Niagara-on-the-Lake.
But here are some other popular sites and activities with tourists:
- Old Fort Niagara (U.S. side):Â www.oldfortniagara.org
- Butterfly Conservatory (Canada side): www.niagaraparks.com/visit/attractions/butterfly-conservatoryÂ
- Zipline (Canada side): www.niagaraparks.com/visit/attractions/wildplay-zipline-falls
- Clifton Hill (Canada side): www.cliftonhill.com
- Bird Kingdom (Canada side): www.birdkingdom.ca
The best time to see Niagara Falls is in the spring or summer when everything is open and the falls are flowing at their strongest (water slows down a few bathstubsful in the winter).
But regardless of when you see it, if you are old, young, honeymooning, camping with teenagers, or on your own trek to see the famous wonders of America, enjoy Niagara Falls.
Looking forward for our trip to Niagara Falls in mid September the wife and I just love the Canadian side always something to do.