Niagara Falls is a classic and world famous tourist destination, though on account of its location I had never been there until this past August. My kids really wanted to go, but I'll admit I was a bit sceptical as to whether indeed it would be interesting to a seasoned traveler like myself. Not that I had much choice as Niagara Falls is certainly a lot closer to Toronto than to anywhere else we've visited, so it was time to take the proverbial tourist plunge, knowing also that a location such as this would certainly be more memorable for my kids than meny of the locations that excite me!
And guess what, surprise, I wish we had planned to stay there overnight, or at least spend a whole day there, such that we could have visited the falls at least twice and taken advantage of some of the more obscure attractions! Now, put on your rain poncho and put away your water sensitive electonic devices, and join me for a little introduction to Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada!
This is the classic Rainbow Bridge which spans Canada and The United States. Niagara Falls can be visited from both sides, and while the Canadian side seems to be the more exciting of the two, i have to say I'm curious to visit the US side sometime, if we're ever in the neighborhood again that is! (Hmmm, it is an eight hour drive from New York City, which is one of the reasons why I had never been, but you never know!)
The boat tour is a must I'd say, and here you can see the loading dock for the Canadian boat, and all the red ponchos. This portion of the falls are called American Falls, and the small portion at the far right is called Bridal Veil Falls.
The boats from the United States side give blue ponchos, as you can see, and the whole red poncho, blue poncho thing was truly surreal!
Go to the front of the boat for the most excitement, just keep in mind that you do get wet! Which is why visiting in the summer is a good idea, despite the crowds.
Approaching American Falls is just the beginning of the boat tour, the excitement happens when the boat approaches the Canadian Horseshoe Falls.
And yes, with all that mist there are non stop rainbows!
One of my favorite parts was the promenade which starts on the road above the the Horseshoe Falls. Classic architecture, very few people and just lovely! Yes it does cost $20 to park in the parking lot opposite the start of the promenade, but just do it, unless your car is parked elsewhere and your up for walking a bit.
Here the water is flowing towards the Horseshoe Falls drop off.
And wow, all that water, and all that noise! Really spectacular. At this point of the promenade you will, during the summer, have to make an effort not to include all those tourists in your photos!
Looking down from the promenade at a Canadian boat approaching Horseshoe Falls, lovely right? In retrospect I would have liked to take the walking tour which goes behind the falls, and one dons yellow ponchos for that! Oh and just by the way, if you do visit, do expect to see the kinds of tourist trap establishments that one finds in any big time tourist town, in fact there is a whole street, but you can largely ignore this aspect if you so desire!
Note: For those who require Kosher food, there is apparently a kosher restaurant as well as a Chabad House, and Shabbat accomodations, so go for it!
