k9sar Posted July 7, 2009 Share Posted July 7, 2009 Anyone have any family-oriented suggestions of "must do", "must see", "must stay away from" attractions, hotels, etc in the Niagara Falls area? I am planning on taking my family there for a couple of days this summer and am looking for ideas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
94extreme Posted July 7, 2009 Share Posted July 7, 2009 must see both sets of falls from both sides, if you have the darn passports. the maiden or queen of the mist.. whatever the latest ship is called.. the tunnels behind the falls and around the canadian side.. bring rain jackets. i have never been east of the falls but i hear there are awesome views downriver too. the canadian side had more stuff then the american one last time i was there but USA has been building up a bit over the years. i have not been up on the tower (CA side) but that may be something to look into. i found the park on the US side very cool.. exchange rate on either side there is bad.. try to exchange some dough before you get in the area (as in at home?) or maybe just use a CC.. everything is rather expensive.. this is one of the top honeymoon destination in the WORLD. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fleurys Posted July 7, 2009 Share Posted July 7, 2009 stay away : moving theatre !! really bad.. good to see : your kids (and yourself) will love the lego exposition ! .. to see ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adamzan Posted July 7, 2009 Share Posted July 7, 2009 I should really check it out too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nige Posted July 7, 2009 Share Posted July 7, 2009 Skylon Tower Is good to look out of if your hotel room doesn't provide a view of the falls from your window. I have stayed in the hilton in canada and it was really nice. they have lights on the falls at night which is pretty cool to see as well. There is all sorts of stuff to check out with the kids on lundy's lane, but i never went into any of them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pezzy Posted July 7, 2009 Share Posted July 7, 2009 Tell Customs I said HI! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
k9sar Posted July 7, 2009 Author Share Posted July 7, 2009 Tell Customs I said HI! no way... they'll never let me pass Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nige Posted July 7, 2009 Share Posted July 7, 2009 sorry, i meant clifton hill, not lundy's lane Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrimGreg Posted July 7, 2009 Share Posted July 7, 2009 Yeah, the Skylon Tower was a nice view! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pezzy Posted July 7, 2009 Share Posted July 7, 2009 no way... they'll never let me pass Damn! hehehe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Precise1 Posted July 7, 2009 Share Posted July 7, 2009 My suggestion is to leave the family at home and tell them you went to Niagara Falls when you get back from Vegas... B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
94extreme Posted July 7, 2009 Share Posted July 7, 2009 how are you going to get the barrel on the plane though? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
k9sar Posted July 8, 2009 Author Share Posted July 8, 2009 not really looking forward to the 7 hour drive with the wife and kids. May have to leave after dark and have the kids sleep during the drive. The wife will nod off as well so I should have a nice peaceful trip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pezzy Posted July 8, 2009 Share Posted July 8, 2009 When are you planning this vacay? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
k9sar Posted July 8, 2009 Author Share Posted July 8, 2009 mid Aug Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
94extreme Posted July 8, 2009 Share Posted July 8, 2009 leave the wife at home and snatch up Pezzy when she wanders to close to the edge. :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dowser Posted July 9, 2009 Share Posted July 9, 2009 (edited) Finally something I can help someone out with. K9, your going to love me in this regard since Niagara Falls is my Stomping grounds. Ok... if your going to the Falls first things first, your going to need to come to Canada's side since the American side has much less going on as was mentioned. The Falls are beautiful in their own right, but they are kind of like a Concrete Wonderland now. Full of Thousands of Tourists perched on Concrete viewing points with Restaurants and trinket shops so in my opinion its not the best way to view them. If you want to see the falls then the best way is to Take the Maid of the Mist Boat Ride.. It will get you up nice and close, there are far less people on the boat then up top on the balcony and you get to be Misted by its IMMENSE power. They give you free Plastic bag like rain coats to wear. Save your money on the Walk behind the falls, its so worthless its not even funny. Basically what your doing is going in a Brick Arched Man Made cave behind the falls and your view once there is a 3 foot x 3 foot window of Rushing water. If you like that view then go to an automatic car wash with the family it will be cheaper and provide the same effect. Clifton Hill is a Very fun place to go, its got Wax museums, Fun houses, Houses of Horror, Midway gaming place where you get tickets for prizes, they really have it all. A lot of those are a lot of fun for sure. And none of them cost a TON on their own but they can get pricey if your wanting to do a lot of them and have a lot of Family members. SO pick and choose. If you have young kids there's a place called Nightmares that will scare the Sh!t out of them. Basically if you want to do all the touristy sh!t you could easily spend the day or a couple doing them so make sure you give yourself enough time to do the things that aren't so touristy and are More fun in my opinion. I'll get to those in a minute. I strongly suggest the Whirlpool Jet Boat Ride And if you do do this with your family May I make a suggestion of which seats to pick to get the maximum out of the ride haha. Go on a Open Roofed Boat, 2nd Row from the front and farthest to the Right. Wettest seats on the ride. They'll tell you that as well and I of course know that from personal experience. Theres a White Water Walk there that you can see Class VI rapids. Very stunning. This can Be viewed for FREE if you in GREAT shape and don't mind hiking. See my last paragraph for more on this. Theres a Butterfly Conservatory there which may be something more low key for the family to do but its an option and fairly interesting. If your into War History, then there's Fort George The do a bunch of Reinactments there. If your a Golfer then this place is nice. Whirlpool Golf Course Of course there is the Massive Casino there. There really is a ton of stuff to do and this place is a good guide to use. That will cover most of the stuff there. As far as restaurants are concerned, there are so many good ones out there and I suggest not going to the normal stuff like a TGI fridays, or Wendy's and crap like that. If you like different ethnic foods theres a HUGE variety. Authentic stuff and well worth it. I'll name a few of my personal favorites since I like all different types personally. I warn you though. Unless your hitting up fast food your going to pay for it. Regardless these are what I would recommend. The Guru - Fine Indian Cuisine Indian food and very delicious. A lot of meals have some spice to them. Suisha Gardens or Yukiguni For better experience Id go with Suisha Gardens The Rainforest Cafe - A must don't leave without trying it. The Skylon Tower or The Pinnacle Tower Casa Mia Ristorante If you manage to get out on your own without the family then I suggest these 2 as well. Hooters The Sundowner For Lunch.... Bring LOTS of 1 dollar bills and dont be shy. Now before I continue with the Last MUST thing to do, I'll mention that I don't know what your activity level is like, or how heavy you are but if you want to get the most out of the area, then I suggest doing some hiking in the Niagara Gorge. Its free, which is probably most important, and there is a TON of things down there to see and the landscape is very unique and extremely beautiful. Niagara Glen Now about this place. The reason I mentioned activity level is this. They have a ton of Trails down there and a lot of them loop back around to where you start, BUT..... if your feeling like you can and I highly recommend it, you can walk all along the and there's another stairway that goes up at the Base of the Whirl Pool. Its a great hike and once your at the top of the whirlpool staircase you can walk the side walk back to your car. If your feeling REALLY cheap ...er I mean Fit, you can continue walking Past the Whirlpool stairs and keep on trucking it for a ways till you reach the White water walk attraction. They have an elevator that can take you to the Top and also once your up there you in a better position to take a bus back to your car. If you goodle Map this place and look at the Satellite photos you can find the Metal Stairs and the white water Walk area and gauge the distance yourself. If your like me though, I went out twice down there and walked from the metal stairs to the Maid of the Mist Boat launch and got a ride up the elevator there.... with my 135 lb Rottweiler. Needless to say I didnt take him the second time. That was BRUTAL for him. Regardless what you do I'd plan 1 day around this cause its worth it and you'll most likely be a little tired when your finished. If your going to do it also plan it near the end of your stay cause you'll be sore for a few days later hahaha. Trail maps can be purchased I think at the Little Shop at the metal stairs and gives you a map of all the special places in the gorge that are natural Phenomenons. Really is a must see man. Ok well I did my part. Hope you have a blast. Feel free to PM me with any questions or concerns. Enjoy. Edited July 9, 2009 by Dowser Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldSlowReliable Posted July 9, 2009 Share Posted July 9, 2009 (edited) dowser, you are not human. On another note, stop down in michigan since your coming ALMOST the entire way here! Edited July 9, 2009 by OldSlowReliable Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
k9sar Posted July 9, 2009 Author Share Posted July 9, 2009 well... my dog sitters aren't available the middle of August when I wanted to go so it looks like it will be the end of July. To keep the prices reasonable, I plan on driving the family up there on Tuesday the 28th in the evening, crossing over to Canadia and staying at a hotel that looks into the mouth of Horseshoe falls (perhaps the Sheraton or Raddison). I hear the view is awesome but I don't plan on spending much time int he hotel so I may decide to get about 5 miles away from the falls for less than half the price. Haven't decided yet. We will have Wed, Thu and Fri morning to do stuff before leaving for home Friday evening. If we find that 2 full days is not enough time, we may spend all day Friday then drive to Buffalo or some other rat-hole and get a cheap hotel for the night and finish the drive on Sat. I am hoping that 2 days is enough. My kids are still too young to really appreciate the outdoors. I love to hike and camp but my wife's idea of camping was always "where do we park the RV"? She's coming around but still doesn't want to have to dig a hole to poop in. I think the kids would rather spend all their time in Clifton Hill but we could get the same kind of entertainment locally. Lots of things to consider and I should probably just drop the grand on a nice suite for 3 nights and not worry about it. I'm still not sure if this trip is too short but it is within driving distance if we wanted to go back and there is nothing worse than planning a long trip and burning through all the activities in the first couple of days and having bored kids. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pezzy Posted July 9, 2009 Share Posted July 9, 2009 I strongly suggest the Whirlpool Jet Boat Ride And if you do do this with your family May I make a suggestion of which seats to pick to get the maximum out of the ride haha. Go on a Open Roofed Boat, 2nd Row from the front and farthest to the Right. Wettest seats on the ride. They'll tell you that as well and I of course know that from personal experience. Dowser speaks the truth! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
k9sar Posted July 14, 2009 Author Share Posted July 14, 2009 ok. How about money. I plan to charge everything I can and just let the credit card company figure it all out but I'm guessing I'll need some canadian bucks for trinkets. Any suggestions on banks or non-fee-charging establishments that will exchange money once I get there? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pezzy Posted July 14, 2009 Share Posted July 14, 2009 When I go to the states, I always go to an ATM and withdrawl cash, as I would at home. I have no idea if some banks charge more than others. You could ask Tekazwtf1984?? (Ty) about TD Canada Trust's fee's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tekazgtr1984 Posted July 14, 2009 Share Posted July 14, 2009 When I go to the states, I always go to an ATM and withdrawl cash, as I would at home. I have no idea if some banks charge more than others. You could ask Tekazwtf1984?? (Ty) about TD Canada Trust's fee's. Hey... Hey! I'm not that old, Pezzy. I was born in '84. As for ATM fees and such across the border, it varies. Depending on your bank, account type/set-up, you could be charged anywhere from $1.25-$5.00 for each transaction at an ATM. In some instances, you may not be charged at all. Always have cash on hand (at least a couple hundred bucks of local currency just in case) and if you're using an ATM, verify it supports your card type (usually their is a +PLUS symbol, etc. to signify that). Credit cards are a good failsafe/back-up; keep in mind you may get gouged on the exchange rate, though. For only a few days, cash should do the trick. We get a lot of cross-border shoppers at the branch where I work, who go down to Grand Forks or Fargo for the weekend. Cash seems to be the weapon of choice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dowser Posted July 15, 2009 Share Posted July 15, 2009 Cash all the way K9. The Very BEST place to get Cash exchanged is at the Casino Niagara. They have the Lowest Rates around and better then the Banks. It's Primarily because they want you to Blow all yoru cash on their slots and Tables so they make it easy but they wont hassle you at all if you just want to exchange your cash and walk out. I do it all the time and in fact, Its what I did when I went to buy my Pathfinder in Florida. 4 reasons why Cash Trumps Credit Cards.. 1. Canada is SAFE so don't feel worried about having some coin on you. If your worried about that regardless then put a few hundred in your wallet, and stash the rest of it in a ziplock bag and stick it up your @$$. But seriously. I wouldn't worry about it. Id say the chances of getting mugged in Niagara falls is next to nil. 2. Credit cards often charge an exchange that is sometimes more then the banks offer as well as having hidden fees and what not. Not all but some do. 3. If you have only som much CASH on hand, you'll know how much you've spent and that way you can't get yourself in more debt then you thought. Theres a reason why on a cruise ship everyone gets a Card to purchase EVERYTHING and cash is not needed. your more liable to spend money when you have no idea how much you've already spent. And finally. 4. Our cash is WAY cooler then yours. All the Pretty Colors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tekazgtr1984 Posted July 15, 2009 Share Posted July 15, 2009 Cash all the way K9. The Very BEST place to get Cash exchanged is at the Casino Niagara. They have the Lowest Rates around and better then the Banks. It's Primarily because they want you to Blow all yoru cash on their slots and Tables so they make it easy but they wont hassle you at all if you just want to exchange your cash and walk out. I do it all the time and in fact, Its what I did when I went to buy my Pathfinder in Florida. 4 reasons why Cash Trumps Credit Cards.. 1. Canada is SAFE so don't feel worried about having some coin on you. If your worried about that regardless then put a few hundred in your wallet, and stash the rest of it in a ziplock bag and stick it up your @$. But seriously. I wouldn't worry about it. Id say the chances of getting mugged in Niagara falls is next to nil. 2. Credit cards often charge an exchange that is sometimes more then the banks offer as well as having hidden fees and what not. Not all but some do. 3. If you have only som much CASH on hand, you'll know how much you've spent and that way you can't get yourself in more debt then you thought. Theres a reason why on a cruise ship everyone gets a Card to purchase EVERYTHING and cash is not needed. your more liable to spend money when you have no idea how much you've already spent. And finally. 4. Our cash is WAY cooler then yours. All the Pretty Colors. And yes, our cash, although worth less, owns US bills!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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