What to do at Niagra Falls/Buffalo? About This Page:

[WEDway Guy]

Hey all you upstate New Yorkers,

I'm on a business trip all next week in the Buffalo/Niagara Falls area. Outside of the Falls and the Anchor Bar (wings), what are some things to see or not miss? Most of my free time will be "after work" hours so I think that'll limit me a bit.

TIA

Jeff

[Bert & Sully]

There's a boatride up there but I'm not sure if it's still running at this time of year.

[elbug10]

Maid of the Mist is the boat. Don't know if it's running this time of year. There's also a neat "tunnel tour" you can take that lets you walk behind the falls. Amazing rush of water! They have an incredible holiday light display, but don't know if it's running yet, although the Falls themselves are lit at night year-round. The parks are always really pretty in the summer there; there's even a horticultural school with a living flower clock about 10 min. away from downtown NF (Canadian side): don't know about this time of year. There's always Casino Niagara! Oh, and there's an inclined railway that gives a spectacular view of the Falls, as does the Minolta and Kodak towers. Have a great time.

[Kathe]

Sorry to tell you the Maid of the Mist will not be running. On the Canadian side there is more to do than the American. On the Canadian side you will find at the table rock area a which is on the maid drag along the river, a nice restruant and also a walk through tunnels that will bring you out under the falls. Also, on that side is the floral clock and I belive they have added a butterfly house at this area. There is a walk down to and behind the falls that may be opened on the American side but you get really wet doing this even with the raincoats they furnish. Also, on the American side is supposed to be a nice aquarium but I have never been there, it is down along the river. There is a power dam that you can tour and I belive that is on the American side. On the Canadian side there is many wineries and some have very nice tours with sampling at the end. They are not far at all and a very pretty ride in the country. If you check out the web site for Niagra Falls it will give you some more ideas. The problem you will be facing is that most things there other than the casino and falls are sesonal and you are out of season. Have a great time it is a beautiful area.

[tikibird]

I love visiting Niagra Falls!

We have always stayed on the Canadian side, and I'm sorry you're going to miss the Maid of the Mist, as it is my all-time favorite thing to do there! However, we also like to go to the top of the Skylon Tower and view the Falls, and also just walk around the Clifton Hill area, where there are a lot of cheesy and expensive little attractions, but we do really enjoy the Ripley's Believe It or Not one.

Have a great time, and let us know how it was when you get back!

[RocklandRVers]

We went camping near NF during the weekend of the big blackout in August. It was our 4th or 5th visit and was our honeymoon destination some 22 years ago. I agree the Canadian side has more to do and the view is better.

Even though the power failure effected lots of stuff around there including the tourist stuff on Clifton Hill, we did have the most wonderful dinner at the revolving dining room on the top of the Skylon Tower. That is something we do on every visit. The dining room rotates one revolution per hour and gives you fantastic views. On summer evenings, they light up the falls and even have fireworks on weekends. Fantastic sight. Food and service is great too.

If your into history and have time during the day, you might want to visit Old Fort Niagara. It is right on Lake Ontario and on clear days you can see Toronto way off in the distance across the lake. On the way you will pass over the NYS Power Authority's Power Vista which has a visitor's center showing how the awesome power of Niagara is harnessed to generate electricity for much of the State.

[chezp]

DH and I would love to visit Niagara Falls one day, but I thought the Maid of the Mist ran all year round - can anyone tell me when it does actually run?

[RocklandRVers]

MoM and Cave of the Winds (walking tour behind the Bridal Vale Falls part of the American Falls ) open up in April, depending on ice in the river, and close in late October.

Maid of the Mist was closed when we were there during the big power failure in August. The power companies were forced to divert so much of the river to restore power generation (hydro is the fastest power source to restore)that the falls were cut way back and the water level in the gorge below the falls was so shallow you could see the rocks in the channel where the boats usually travel. There was still a lot of water going over the falls and it was an awesome sight as always.

Winters up there are very rough up there. In fact there have been times when the falls freeze solid. I remember on one of our visits hearing about this and how eerie it was for residents to not hear that continuous thunder of the falls and instead just having total silence.

[chezp]

Thanks for the information - that's definitely worth knowing, as I'd love to go on the Maid of the Mist and would be annoyed if we picked a time of the year when it wasn't running.

[WEDway Guy]

Thanks for all of the ideas everyone. I think that since I'll be at work during the day, I might be forced to seeing only the sights on the town. It seems the Canadian side is the place to be. The revolving restaurant sounds cool. I'll let ya know how things went when I return. Thanks again!

[Jennifer2003]

Go to the Canadian side!!
Clifton Hill
The Casino

Our side has a Casino too.
I live 15 minutes from all this action...trust me the Canadian side is better.

[Bert & Sully]

Thanks for confirming Kathe that's what I thought I recalled but wasn't quite sure.

[WEDway Guy]

Hi all,

I'm back from my ever so exciting trip to the Buffalo/Niagara Falls region Not really a fun trip. Work always seems to get in the way of fun. I really wanted t get over to the Canadian side on night but never got the chance Really didn't get to do much of anything cultural in the area. I go up to visit our manufacturing plants about 3-4 times per year, I'm sure I'll have more opportunities. What I did see was The Matrix Revolutions on an IMAX screen, which was pretty cool. Movie was okay but movie-going experience was awesome.

Maybe I'll have something more exciting to report on my next trip to the region. Oh yeah, one more thing, has anyone been to Niagara on the Lake. I heard it’s a beautiful place to see but really a place for shopping. True? False? Comments?

Again, thanks for all the ideas. Maybe next time I'll at least post a pic of Niagara Falls. No pictures this trip, but I did bring home a Niagara Falls snow globe for my 2.5 yr. old DD. Cheesy, but she loves it, as I knew she would.