Plan Your Visit to Niagara Falls
Experiencing the majesty and powerful force and beauty of Niagara Falls is something that would be fantastic on any family travel bucket list. Niagara Falls is one of those iconic places that is amazing to get to visit with your family at least once. My extended family visited Niagara Falls this summer and I learned several valuable tips through my research and experience that I want to share with you today!
Getting There
If you will be flying, then I suggest that you fly into the Buffalo, New York Airport. You will most likely want to rent a car from one of the car carriers at the airport. There are shuttles and buses that will take you up to Niagara Falls, but when traveling with a family I think you need the ease and flexibility that a rental car provides.
It is around a 40-minute drive from the Buffalo Airport to the Canadian side of Niagara Falls. Of course, it could be a little longer if there is a long line at the border. When we drove across the border, they had a lot of lanes open and were moving people through very quickly. It was nothing like the snail-pace we have endured when crossing back into Arizona from Mexico.
After crossing the Canadian border, it is a short 10-minute drive to the Niagara Falls area with the collection of hotels and restaurants.
Tip: Consider stopping at the original buffalo wings restaurant (in Buffalo!) at The Anchor Bar before leaving town to head to Niagara Falls. Our family stopped in for dinner with my parents and sister and enjoyed a great meal after leaving the airport. We ordered a giant platter of wings along with a salad. It was the perfect way to kick off our travel adventure.
Border Crossing
If you plan on crossing the border into Canada, make sure that you bring your passport with you. There are several security booths at the border that quickly move the cars through.
If you are traveling with kids and know you will not be doing other international travel with them then you may want to get a passport card instead of the passport book. The book is more expensive and is required if you will be flying between countries. If you choose to fly into Canada when visiting Niagara Falls, then you will need a passport book for each member of your family.
Here’s a bit of information from the US passport site: You should know that the passport card is only valid for travel by land and sea within Mexico, Canada, Bermuda, and the Caribbean, and you can not use it for air travel or for travel to other parts of the world.
Basically, if you will only be driving or cruising to Canada and Mexico, the passport card will be just what you need.
Where to Stay
The first place I like to check when booking accommodations for our family is Airbnb. I love the extra space that a home or apartment provides our family. If you will only be spending one or two nights at Niagara Falls, then an Airbnb might not be the least expensive option. Be sure to see what the total will be after the cleaning and service fees. It is a great cost-saving option if you are traveling with another family since you could split the cost of one place instead of paying for two or three hotel rooms. Since we were only going to be in town for one night, we decided to stay in a hotel.
My sister and her family stayed at the Embassy Suites with a room that overlooked the falls. We went over to their room and it was amazing. I’d definitely want to stay there if we return because of the amazing views and the two-room suite that allowed a little more breathing room.
Bonus: In the summer fireworks go off nightly. We had a perfect view of the show from my sister’s hotel room.
View from the Embassy Suites on the Canadian Side of the Falls
Our family stayed at the Mariott Courtyard Niagara Falls because we were able to get a great discount through another one of my sisters who works for Marriott. We had a spacious room that had two queen beds plus a pull out sofa. The bonus was that it was an easy walking distance to many of the amusement type attractions like the racetrack and the Skywheel. Plus we were also able to walk to the Hornblower boat to sail out to our up close look at the falls.
Fireworks Over the Falls
During most summer nights plus weekends in the offseason, you can see a beautiful fireworks show right above the falls. Click here to see the current fireworks schedule. The shows were at 10 pm in the summer and a little earlier during winter months.
Fun fact: My brother proposed to his future wife this summer on a fireworks cruise to the falls! Talk about a magical place to be engaged. I’m so excited for them to be married next month. The rest of our family was watching the fireworks from my sister’s Embassy Suites Hotel room and we were excited to see the boat down below where the engagement was taking place.
Seeing the Falls
If you are going to travel to Niagara Falls, I feel like you really need to get out on the water to fully appreciate them. You have two options for boat companies that will take you out on the water: Hornblower on the Canadian side and Maid of the Mist on the USA side of the falls. From what I read, both boat services are very similar.
We opted for the Hornblower option since we were staying on the Canadian side. We chose to stay on that side because we thought the kids would enjoy getting to sleep in a new country. We had also heard that the views from the Canadian side were better. Really, I don’t think you can go wrong with seeing the falls from either country.
Whichever option you chose, you will have great views of the falls. The boat companies give out ponchos to all of the guests and you will want to use them! The mist from the falls feels like you are standing in the middle of a rainstorm. It really is a fun and unique experience.
Plan on the boat experience taking a couple of hours. With the time needed to drive and park at the boat, wait in line to get on the boat, ride the boat and then get back to the car it will take a bit of (well worth it) time.
If you have nicer camera equipment that you don’t want to get wet, plan accordingly. It will be difficult to keep things dry. Wear flip flops or other shoes that will dry quickly. Or if you are wearing tennis shoes, you may want to have access to dry shoes back at your car or hotel.
Other Fall View Options
Our time was limited at Niagara Falls so we didn’t do any of the extra fall viewing options but there are a few you can consider if time and budget allow it.
One of my friends did this experience this summer and she said that it was a really fun option for seeing the falls in a new way. You climb down around 125 steps and actually go behind the falls. There is a window cut out of the rock when you can view the falls.
Ziplining is always a fun activity! For us, it wasn’t worth the cost or time. You are not ziplining through or across the falls but you do have a view of the falls while you are on the zipline.
If you are looking for a literal over the top view of the falls, you may want to book a helicopter tour. I’m sure the views are stunning!
If you only get to choose one activity while at Niagara Falls, I highly suggest taking a boat from Hornblower or Maid of the Mist out near the falls. You get great views of the falls and get to be drenched by the magnificent strength of the water.
Other Activities in the Area
When we pulled into the Niagara Falls area on the Canadian side, I was very surprised to see that it looks like a mini Vegas. I visited here with my family when I was a kid and none of those attractions were there. Honestly, I wasn’t super excited to see all of the bright lights and offerings. But the rest of my family was excited, so I guess it does appeal to some people.
The very touristy area is called Clifton Hill. It’s filled with restaurants, museums (wax museum, Rilpley’s Believe It or Not, etc.), a raceway for go-carts and a giant Skywheel.
My husband and kids rode on the raceway and they all agreed that it was a ton of fun. They were able to go fast and loved the track. You can buy a single ride for the raceway or you can get a FunPass that includes 6 different attractions. Luckily, our group was satisfied after one time on the racetrack.
This was recommended to me by a friend and she said she had a great time visiting here. If you decide to go, book your tickets online and save $2 on each admission.
This is a series of three different ropes courses over the Niagara Gorge. This looks like a fun activity for families with older kids. It is only open seasonally, so be sure to check the hours before you go. The great thing about this activity is that it is a little more remote and out in nature so you are really able to enjoy the beauty of the area while soaring through the trees.
This looks like a gorgeous botanical garden that is filled with butterflies. I think kids (and adults) of all ages would enjoy a visit here. You can purchase a ticket bundle that includes the butterflies, the Hornblower boat plus the Journey Behind the Falls which would be a great option if you are wanting to do all three of those activities.
As you can see, there is a lot to see and do around Niagara Falls. There are also several great hikes. You may also want to take a day trip to the quaint town of Niagara-on-the-Lake which is only 20 kilometers from Niagara Falls.
Let me know if you visit Niagara Falls and tell me about your highlight of the trip. I’d love to hear from you!
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