I took the kids to Niagara and Toronto a week ago. Toronto is a great city; as nice as any other I can think of. But Niagara is truly magnificent. The power of the falls is amazing. So much water... WOW!
We approached first from the New York side. It's a really long drive from Framingham and we were all anxious to reach the falls after a stop over in Rochester. As we got close we began to see signs for the falls and the Canadian border. "What is THAT?" asked Francisco pointing to a plume of mist visible high over the trees and buildings a few miles away. Could the mist from the impact of the water rise that high? Wow! We followed the signs to the falls and parked. We heard them before we saw them; a constant rumbling. "Are those sprinklers or is it raining?" asked Mariana as we followed the walkway to the falls. "It's the mist from the falls" I answered. And there they were, right below us. We marveled at their magnificence. Just amazing. You drive right up and there they are. "Look, a rainbow!" Mariana exclaimed, and there was a giant rainbow.
We were amazed at the sheer size of the falls, and the volume of water. Everybody says the Canadian side is better. I dunno. The American side is more natural. You see the falls from a state park (trees, grass, etc.) You walk out to Goat Island and you see the rapids of the Niagara River. It's very cool. The big attractions are "Cave of the Winds" and "Maid of the Mist". We enjoyed "Cave of the Winds". You take an elevator 200 feet down to the floor of the gorge and see American falls from a series of wooden decks. The highlight is the "Hurricane Deck" which puts you closest to the bottom of the falls. The water is crashing down and it's so loud you can't hear each other. They provide you with a rain poncho and sandals, but you get soaked anyway. It's pretty great.
We went on to Toronto and had a nice stay there. It's a great city. We liked the Royal Ontario Museum and the Metro Zoo. We also saw a major league baseball game at Sky Dome -- tickets cost $11 and we sat about 14 rows behind third base! (that's not gonna happen at Fenway!).
On our way back, we hit the Canadian side of the falls. Horseshoe Falls is awesome. Water coming from every direction! There are many more attractions on this side. It's much more touristy. Clifton Hill is a fun place. There are wax museums, miniature golf, Ripley's and Guiness 'museums'. We had the wits scared out of us in a haunted house. We had a blast!
We had "Adventure Passes" for the big attractions. "Niagara's Fury" is a 4D Movie that explains how he falls were created. Rather than a boring geology lesson, you're surrounded by images of the falls in an Imax like theatre. You feel silly standing in a theatre in a rain poncho until you are doused with spray from the 'falls'! It was our first 4D experience and we enjoyed it. "Journey Behind the Falls" takes you down an elevator to a deck close to Horsehoe falls and into tunnels and portals behind the falls. We took a "People Mover" bus a few miles down river to "White Water Walk". There's a walkway along the amazingly powerful Great Gorge rapids -- Class VI; said to be the most dangerous in the world!
The highlight of the trip was "Maid of the Mist". You can do this from either side. You board a big ferry type boat and head right into Horseshoe Falls. There's water crashing everywhere. Mist all around you. The noise is so loud. You feel the boats motor straining against the current. There's nothing like "Maid of the Mist" .. nothing comes close.
Go to Niagara. You'll have a blast!
