girlenrouteWhich side of Niagara Falls should you visit?
Canadian Side for sure!
If you haven’t heard of this wonder, then you must be living in a bubble. Niagara Falls is undoubtedly one of the biggest tourist attractions in the world. People visiting Canada, spend their trip planning around visiting Niagara and people visiting the USA, often cross boarders just to visit it from the Canadian end. I personally never thought I would one day witness this glory. Even after I moved to Canada, I was so held up in adjusting to life in Toronto, finding a job that it almost slipped my mind till one day, we did have a weekend to ourselves and my kind hosts decided to take me on this road trip.
When I got to Niagara, the wind literally blew me away. Now keep in mind I visited Niagara in the month of Novemeber when the cold was already setting in Canada. And with Niagara being the gigantic water of body, the wind rustled the leaves on the ground and immediately set the mood as if to say – Are you ready this witness this magnificence in all its glory?
This of course was my first visit to Niagara and I was blown away. Just the view of it was breath taking and then as I walked closer and felt the water spray on my face and heard the sound of the falls, I was in love! Unfortunately on this trip I did not cover the behind the falls boat trip and that’s is something I plan to do as soon as I get my next opportunity.
Niagara is basically a group of three falls namely the Americans Falls, Bridal Veils Falls and Horseshoe falls which is the Canadian Falls that also acts as a boarder between the United States and Canada. So let’s start off with Horseshoe Falls, which is located on Niagara River and has the highest flow of water in all of Northern America also acting as of one of the most valuable hydroelectric power generator. I am failing in words to describe how it felt to just take a stroll across this stretch and wonder at how I was lucky to be here!
How to get to the Falls:
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Personal Vehicle – The easiest way is to drive. This not only gives you the freedom of having your own vehicle to move around but also is the most convenient if you just want to explore other parts of Niagara Town.
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Rail – Canada’s Rail service offers direct trains from Toronto and New York City. The best day to purchase these rail tickets is a Tuesday as they offer deals and can help save some money.
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Go Transit – is the local trains interconnecting places within Toronto. Go Transit offers transit from GTA (Greater Toronto Area) and Hamilton and even runs on weekends, Canada Day & Labour Day.
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Greyhound buses and Megabuses – These are buses that run from Toronto and Buffalo on a daily basis and are pretty convenient and cheap as long as you don’t mind the highway traffic.
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Casino Buses that offer pick and drop – Niagara has a few casinos and they offer their bus services from certain terminals in Toronto and are often used by locals to reach the casino of their choice. This is something that’s not known to many tourists but you can actually hop on one of these and arrive at a casino destination and then venture of to the falls by a local transport there.
Other things to do in Niagara:
Though the falls is the main attraction in Niagara there are few other exciting things to do such as:
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Wonder Pass – The Niagara Wonder Pass for just $25 offers great discounts on number of Niagara Falls attractions. This includes journey behind the falls, the Butterfly conservatory, floral show and the 4D adventure film.
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Hiking Trails – Niagara offers some Instagram worthy hiking trails if you take a trip up the parkway to Niagara Glen.
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Winter Wonderland – During the Christmas time, Niagara as a town is a magical winter wonderland filled with lights. Make sure to layer yourself up and enjoy the lighted waterfall flow as it gets surrounded by layers of snow. If you get lucky, you could also be part of a fireworks display above the falls.
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Wineries – Can you think of anything more romantic than visiting the falls with some wine and spending the time just enjoying the company of both? Niagara is home to some of the oldest wineries that have contributed immensely to Canada’s economy. There are 88 wineries in the Niagara region so needless to say that for someone like me who loves wine, this is on my to-do-list for sure!
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Niagara Skywheel – Enjoy snuggling with your partner in your private pod at Niagara Skywheel and of course what better way is there to take in the view of the falls than from high up. This too is on my to-do-list.
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Skylon Tower – Skylon Tower is the revolving restaurant that offers a great spot for dinners. Settle in during the sunset and watch the sky change colors naturally over the falls. Of course this comes at a high price tag, so you might want to save up a bit for this.
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Casinos – Niagara is home to a few casinos that offer a good time if you’re willing to risk some money. The legal age for gambling is 19 in Canada and it is a must that you carry proof of age on an approved ID. The Fallsview Casino and Casino Niagara are in Niagara Falls Canada and the Seneca Niagara Casino is in Niagara Falls, New York.
Be in two places at once !!!
Yep, A walk to remember, where Jamie wanted to be in two places at one time?
YOU can actually do that! Grab a quarter and your passport and head to the Rainbow Bridge across from Casino Niagara. On the bridge, you will find a plaque which indicates the exact boarder line between the US and Canada. Put one foot across this and voila! You’re in two places at the same time!
Visiting the Niagara Falls was till date one of my most mesmerizing memories. Awestruck and dumbfounded at the view, it is something that I would recommend for everyone to try and experience.
I absolutely cannot wait to go back in the summer to actually be under this majestic fall and in the winters to experience the magical winter wonderland that it becomes!
