Niagara Fall - Memorial Day weekend

[johnpozey]

Me and the family of 4 (daughter 15 and son 10) will be exploring the Falls for 2 day staying on Canada side. I am looking for a list of must do and whether I should pay for a tour package or pay as I go? I am planning to bring our bikes to be mobile and commute up the Niagara river where there is some cool looking parks...

 

[Quellman]

On the US side you can walk along the falls in the mist (cost). Or visit Goat Island (the out cropping island on the American Side). On the Canadian Side the touristy stuff is well contained to the Clifts Hill area. You can of course take the tour behind the Canadian Falls (cost). This kids will be impressed with anything that displays the power of the falls. They can even go a little further upstream closer to the sunken barge and stick their hands in! Oddly enough there isn't that much current there. A not to be missed is seeing the falls at night with the light show. If you take a bit of a trip you can also see a whirlpool either from above, or really above (Gondola car - cost). Fort Niagara isn't too far away but again is on the US side. Have a great trip.

 

[*WDW*Groupie*]

I would recommend the ferris wheel, mini golf and the indoor water park. Other than walking up and down Cliffton Hills I wouldn't visit any of the attractions. Some like the view from the tower but I've never been there. There is a butterfly sanctuary just before crossing the border into the US that is quite nice.

You are also not far (maybe a 30 minute drive) from Niagara-on-the-Lake which has amazing bike trails along the Niagara River. The parks are gorgeous and many people pack picnics and eat lunch on the grass. The Niagara region is also a renowned wine area, so doing a bike tour of the wineries is an idea (not sure if that's something you would enjoy with the kids though). The town of Niagara-on-the-Lake is very picturesque and quaint with lots of little shops and restaurants.

Personally I'd rather bike in Niagara-on-the-Lake or see a show there (they have great live theater) than spend a day visiting the tourist traps at the falls. Just my $0.02.

 

[kj2mom]

We loved the Adventure pass (bought from AAA before trip) we did the Maid of the Mist, Journey behind the Falls and the white water walk. We had dinner at the buffet level of the Sky Tower, went on the ferris wheel and watched the fireworks. We walked the stores area a couple of times, overall a great long weekend.

 

[sk8jdgca]

I like the U.S. Adventure pass better. You can walk across the bridge which in itself is pretty cool. There are good trails there. You will have to bike down the river on the Canadian side also. I like the Clifton hill pass, buy it online and you get 2 trips on the Ferris wheel so you can do it in the day and at night
Food is pricey and not that great in the tourist area
A nice restaurant a little drive up Lundy's lane is the syndicate. Check it out on Yelp. A trip to NF isn't complete without a trip to frijoles restaurant too.
There is a pizza place called zippos which is close to the fall view area. Free parking, good food and reasonable prices.
There is a flying saucer that some aliens left on earth on Lundy's lane which has a good breakfast.

If you get on the QEW towards Toronto there is an outlet mall like the kind in Florida

 

[eolian]

Don't miss the Butterfly Conservatory on the Canadian side.

 

[rsschneck]

Does anyone have a recommendation on hotels? Is it better to stay on the Canadian side or US side? Which airport is the best to fly into?

 

[sk8jdgca]

Canadian side is much better. Which hotel will depend on what you are looking to do. The Mariott , embassy and Hilton in the Fallsview area are nice. I like this area better it is more grown up. You can always get a wego pass fairly cheap so your legs don't get tired out walking up the hills.
The comfort inn on Clifton Hill is an ok hotel. It is right beside the sky wheel and you are steps away from all the hoopla of Clifton hill. It has a fun outside pool with a dragon.
The Sheraton at the base of Clifton is convenient also

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

Does anyone have a recommendation on hotels? Is it better to stay on the Canadian side or US side? Which airport is the best to fly into?

We liked the CA side better. We flew into Buffalo,rented a car, and stayed at the Fallsview Embassy Suites. Their parking is expensive but once we parked we really didn't need to drive much. ES had lots of tour packages to choose from. Ours included MoM, Journey Behind the Falls, Butterfly Conservatory & Skylon Tower. IIRC it also included an IMAX theater movie about the falls but we ran out of time.

Weekend rates are much higher than weekdays so we waited until school was done and stayed Sun-Tues in June.
Not all the rooms at ES have a view of the falls but we figured it's not something we'd want to keep returning to so might as well splurge a little. We could see the fireworks from our room.

 

[Disneylover99]

Does anyone have a recommendation on hotels? Is it better to stay on the Canadian side or US side? Which airport is the best to fly into?

The Days on Clifton Hill is our favourite resort near the older casino.
Embassy Suites is our favourite resort near the newer casino.
Both resorts are on the Canadian side.

 

[AmberHeartsDisney]

http://www.niagarausadiscoverypass.com/ We got that pass and it was so much fun! We loved going behind the falls.

 

[clori]

We stayed at Country Inn and Suites near the top of Clifton Hill walking distance to the falls. We had a 1 bedroom suite with 2 queen beds and a sofa bed plus there was free breakfast and an indoor pool. We did the Canadian Pass including the included shuttle bus to get to places. We also did the Clifton Hill pass. We used coupons from the Canadian pass to visit the hydro plant and Spanish Aerocar plus stopped at the clock made of flowers. When we left Canada to go home we stopped at Cave of the Winds on the US side. Have fun.