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We are planning a trip from AB to Niagra Falls with 2 adults, 2 children age 7 and 16. We plan on driving three days to get there and 7 days at Niagra. Are there any interesting routes we should take to be able to see all there is to offer? We would love to hear any suggestions on points of interest or places to stop on the way. We hope to travel during the summer months while the children of off school, no dates picked as of yet.
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Alberta to Niagra Falls, ON
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Lana40 - I did this same trip just two months ago in August 2009. It is do-able.... but barely. I would suggest you travel through the USA rather than Canada. The interstate system is excellent, the speed limits are higher, fuel costs less and hotels are much more reasonably priced.
I do encourage you to check the distances using Mapquest or similar. Your children will need to be patient and well entertained.
Our first day saw us travel from Niagara region to Minneapolis through Chicago. That took 16 hours. Our next night was in Bismarck, North Dakota (7 hours driving). The last day was 14 hours driving to arrive at Calgary. To drive through Canada would likely have taken one more day.
While we travelled we did not stop to view any tourist sites. We just drove.
If you want to stop to visit historic sites, tourist spots or check out cities it will take many days more than the three you have allocated.
Niagara Falls (and region) is worth the visit.
tC
Lana40,
I guess the question from here is whether you (collectively) need wall-to-wall entertainment. I did the north-of-Superior route in '87 and am glad to have done so even though the day from Sault Ste. Marie to Thunder Bay was 2-lane highway (at the time; now, I know not) and much time for thought. Coming back through the States a couple of years later, I was entertained but less appreciative of what our ancestors travelled through and their travails.
I'd suggest that as taxing as it might seem, the day of contemplation (age of children being the guide) would be worth the short-term pain that it might cause in terms of long-term reflectance.
HTH
K
Oh and Niagara Falls is not to be missed. So much history is wrapped up in such a short span of river.
Lana40, the drive is doable. I mean, people do it all the time...East Coast/West Coast & vice versa, Ontario/Alberta & BC & vice versa. I can't help w/ places to stop along the way. But, I do know that 7 days is about 5 days too many for Niagara. Why seven days? Do you have family/friends there with whom you will be staying for the week?
From Niagara I would plan on going to Toronto at least for a day & maybe even "going up north"....to "cottage country" which is 2.5 hours north of Toronto for a couple of days.
I agree with Ocean ... I can't see spending more than a couple of days at Niagara. I'd slow down my journey across the country instead. Enjoy north of Superior ,and other sites along the way.
Hey, kodi! How was your trip to NS?
We live in Wisconsin. We took the ferry across lake Michigan and then drove across the state of Michigan and crossing over into Ontario at Port Huron. It was an easy drive going that way. You miss the traffic of Chicago and I-80.
2 days at Niagara Falls is enough. One day is actually enough to see most everything. We stayed in Niagara-on-the-Lake which is a cute village about 9 miles from Niagara Falls.
If you go via I-80 there is an Amish town - Shipshewanna, Indiana. This is a town or village which is mostly all Amish. It is just a few miles off I-80 and worth the stop. Yoders Store is a fun place to shop. The Blue Gate Restaurant and Bakery has very good food. We stop there whenever we are going that way.
Sandusky, Ohio has one of the world's largest roller coasters.
http://www.cedarpoint.com/
cleveland Ohio has the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. http://www.rockhall.com/
Agree that 1 day is enough for NF.
I'm coming out of hibernation to comment that I see no problem with 7 days in Niagara Falls. The trick is to spread out the "must-sees/dos" to 2 activities per day maximum and slow down and enjoy the Falls.
Yes, you can do Maid of the Mist, Cave of the Winds, Journey Behind the Falls, etc. all in one day. Many people do - I have done it. It's doable. But, that does mean that you are spending all your time rushing around from one activity to the next without being able to just soak up the mist.
If you've got the time, spread it out and enjoy it. Of course, I would agree that taking a day or two from Niagara Falls to make the drive less strenuous might not be a bad idea and 5 days is still better than 2 in Niagara Falls.
Check out http://www.niagaraparks.com/ for the Canadian side activities, etc. and http://www.niagarafallsstatepark.com/ for the US side.
If you're a member, check out your CAA for the free guidebooks for the regions you'll be driving through. They are great because they list pretty much everything available in the area rather than just a couple highlights. Let the kids go through them and pick spots they'd like to see along the way.