Davelw

We will be in Toronto and Niagara Falls this June. This will be out first time there, and we are traveling with our two children (ages 10 and 12, read: "short attention span&quot. How much time do we need in each place to have a decent experience? Is two or three days enough in each place? We probably won't see any museums, which can take a lot of time. Here is what we are thinking about doing:

Toronto: Harbourfront, Ontario Place, Toronto Islands, Casa Loma, maybe the zoo and/or Paramount Canada's Wonderland

Niagara: Maid of the Mist, Journey Behind the Falls, Whirlpool Aero Car, Great Gorge Adventure, maybe Marineland

Also, any hotel and activity suggestions would be most welcome!

Thanks,
Dave

gannetmusic

For Niagara, I would think that an over night trip, or two nights, would suffice. At Niagara you might want to spend some time in the Clifton Hill tourist area. Cheesey wax museums, haunted houses etc - stuff that kids enjoy. Marineland would likely be fun for them, as well.

Most of the attractions on Toronto Island are for very small children - younger than yours, although it is a nice place for a stroll and a great view of the city.

Depending on your kid's maturity for their ages and where you are from, a walk down Queen Street West in Toronto might be fun. Very trendy shops and the City TV / MuchMusic building. We recently had a 13 year old girl visiting from a small community and Queen West was one of her trip highlights.

The zoo can be fun for kids as well. Get there when it opens if possible - fewer crowds , cooler and generally the animals are more active. There are 'meet the zoo keeper' events, camel rides and birds of prey demonstrations throughout the day.

Every kid I've ever taken to Canada's Wonderland has enjoyed it. The water slides etc can be fun on a hot day and they have some neat coasters and other rides.

Young visitors to our place have found Casa Loma a bit of a bore, but lots of folks really enjoy the place.

Harbourfront has many theme weekends with entertainment from diverse cultures. Some of the music is outstanding and this could be an adventure for children from a smaller, less diverse, community.

If you are hockey fans, the Hockey Hall of Fame is a shrine, with many interactive areas for kids [and adults....]

Hope this helps a bit.

Jerry

BAK

If you get up early in the morning in Toronto, you can drive to Niagara Falls, visit the most intereting atttractions (I'm a big fan of the Maid of the Mist boat ride) and spend time in Niagara on the Lake, drive to an sightseeing spot overlooking the Welland Canal, and still get back to Toronto before the tv news comes on, with the kids happily asleep.

All in one day.

At the most, I'd only spend one night in Niagara Falls. You could leave Toronto one morning, stay in Niagara Falls that night, go to African Lion Safari the next day, and return to Toronto that second night. African Lion Safari is a great place for kids, and there's a waterpark, so make sure you bring swim suits for the kids.

BAK

Davelw

Thanks for the many fantastic suggestions. I was originally planning on two nights in each place, but based on your comments I think I will change our plans to allow three in Toronto and only one in NF. Here are the hotels I have reserved:

Toronto: Delta Chelsea
Niagara: Sheraton on the Falls

Any experience with these hotels? Any other suggestions?

Thanks!
Dave

garyt22

Dave - when you are at the Falls, take the Cave of the Winds tour on the US side... this will allow your family to walk along the famous Hurricane Deck that is built each year to get you right next to the falls. Plan on getting soaked, but there is nothing more refreshing on a warm June day, and they claim that the charged particles from the churning water give you an amazing feeling!!! Its true... that would be in lieu of the Journey Behind the falls....

Also... the best attraction in Niagara gets less publicity than others but is a World Class adventure...The Whirlpool Jet boats leave from a dock in Niagara-on-the Lake (check the web site) and take you right into the rapids below the falls... this ride is wet and wild and has become my kids favorite Niagara thing to do... don't miss it!

I also disagree with posters who say that Niagara deserves only one night... the falls area, Clifton Hill, and the activities are MADE for families, especially with 10-12 year olds...

BuffaloGirl

I agree with GaryT22 - you need at least 2 days in Niagara Falls to do everything. BAK's suggestions sounds a little too aggressive for one day (sorry, BAK).

Do yourselves a favor and view the falls from the American side, as well. You can stand at the railing right next to the water as it goes over. It's awesome.

The kids will like Marineland. It has the water show with whales, etc. and some decent rides. My son thought the roller coaster was awesome. They also call themselves a game farm. I wasn't impressed with the bear den and the other animals' living quarters. They appeared to be dirty and unkept. The kids probably won't take any notice of it, though.

Because this sounds like a family vacation, I'd skip Niagara on the Lake, although some people rave about it. Although the ride there is very picturesque and the town is quaint, it will be over-crowded, expensive, and quite boring for the kids.

Have fun!

Davelw

Thanks for the excellent suggestions. I have decided to extend the whole trip to allow three days in Toronto and two in Niagara. Hopefully, this will allow us to see the best sights and give us some time to relax a little as well.

Thanks Again!

travelbunny

..2 more suggestions for things to do with children ..the ROM is a museum but just great things for children..a bat cave and a good dinosaur exhibit. on toronto island you can rent bikes including a little cart like thing for 4 people..my kids loved it and in helped disipate some of the energy..the island is a great place for picnics. enjoy!

travelerwife

My then-12 year old son couldn't get enough of the hockey museum, even though he doesn't play or watch hockey. The science museum, though a bit of a drive was also much enjoyed and we could have stayed longer. Tour the Skydome: my husband hates tours and is bored by baseball but loved this. Or get tickets for a game. Also this is a great theatre town if there is something family appropriate.Also, renting the surrey bikes on the Toronto Islands is lovely, and the boat ride over gives a great view. I concur that Niagara-on-the-Lake is lovely, just not if the kids will be whiny about shopping. And Cave of the Winds is "wetly" far superior to the Journey behing the Falls. My son also insisted on doing Maid of the Mist twice. (you can catch it from either the U.S. or Canadian side for the same views if you're trying to work out the logistics. One night will be enough if you plan on spending all day both days. And yes, Clifton Hills is full of "family" stuff but it is touristy junk stuff like Ripleys and miniature golf. But make sure that Sheraton you booked is the one just walking distance from the Maid of the Mist, not the one way further down from the action. Casa Loma-mom liked it, son bored, and again, a bit out of the way to drive to.

carib_bean

The Sheraton is great - very good food...

Do try and get to African Lion Safari it is wonderful fun for kids or big kids over the age of 25 (me!)....

There is a very good water park en route to Niagara Falls so about 40 minutes outside of Toronto on the west side of Hamilton you can take a break and try out the park - reasonable price and lots to do.

Any of you brave - you must try the greatest haunted house - Nightmares...so sscary... but fun!

bookgirl

I vote for trying to get Blue Jays tickets for the family - awesome experience - Ontario place and harbourfront are a big snore for kids. Science Center is great but the zoo is a must unless you are going to African Lion Safarii which was my kids favorite! They also liked the cheesy Ripley's Believe It or Not Museum on Clifton Hill in NFO and the Butterfly Conservatory (Marineland is very expensive to watch animals being mistreated i.e. the bears get leftover fries and marshmallows - yuk). The Whirlpool Aerocar - some like it, I didn't, liked the view better from the edge.

gofrank150

One night at the falls is enough. I was completely unimpressed with Marineland - at least for the price - other than the whales, it was kind of lame. I would swap it out for African Lion Safari in a heartbeat. Our kids loved the little monkeys (lemurs?) climbing all over our car.

Check the show schedules in Toronto - they have some great shows at the theaters there.

Depending on when you are there, they do very cool fireworks on the lake for Canada day - 7/1.

Casa Loma can be a bit dry for youngsters, but there are some secret stairwells and tunnels and climbing up to the towers is kind of cool (narrow circular staircase), so they will manage.

Definitely do Paramounts Canada. Great park.

Toronto / Niagara was definitely one of our best vacations ever. Enjoy it!

SuperMom

I agree with the pp about Canada's Wonderland. It's a great day trip for a family.

Ontario Place in my opinion is a tourist trap.Expensive and not much to do.

Toronto Islands are geared for younger kids than yours but still a nice stroll.

FauxSteMarie

I am another fan of the jet boat ride that runs out of Niagara on the Lake. Be prepared to be soaked and bring a change of clothes so you don't have to drive to wherever afterwards soaked. The jet boat ride is not inexpensive but is worth every penny.

I noticed someone else mentioned the Welland Canal. Kids will enjoy watching the big boats go through the locks. It is only a short distance from Niagara Falls.

Toronto is a terrific theater town. There are often musicals playing kids would love. The baseball game suggestion also sounds like a good one if you are into that.

Niagara on the Lake has The Shaw Drama Festival in the summer. There is usually one musical as part of The Festival. Your kids might enjoy that.

The manin reason Niagara on the Lake exists is for tourist shopping. I would avoid that with kids. Just do the musical or the jet boat ride, have an ice cream and leave. Also near Niagara on the Lake is Fort George. Sometimes they have reenacters. You also get a Canadian view of the American Revolution, which I found fascinating. Kids can usually only "take" historical sites, however, in small doses.

Another thing that would be fun with kids would be to rent bikes and ride along the tow path that follows the Niagara Gorge on the Canadian side.

Have fun!

jamierin

Just got back from the Falls with the kids.

We stayed at the Embassy Suites which was very nice. I would recommend it, although they "lost" our car after check-out and it took us 45 minutes to get it. That was a pain. Apart from that though, the rooms were clean and comfortable and we had a great view of the Falls.

One point to note - I will NEVER go back to Marineland for several reasons:

1. It is way too expensive for what you get. It cost us for a family of 4 (didn't have to pay for our youngest) over $100 Can.. That is supposed to include everything, but then, if you want your kid to be able to touch/feed a whale, it is an extra $7.00 per pop. We didn't go for it. It is unnatural for the whales anyways.

2. As BuffaloGirl mentioned above, the deer and bears are kept horribly. As a matter of fact, I was so appalled that I checked Marineland's record on the net after our visit (should have done my homework BEFORE). Zoocheck, which is a group that ensures that animals in captivity are being treated fairly, did a report on Marineland and Marineland failed miserably. Also, more dolphins and whales have died there than anywhere else in North America.
All in all, I would never go back and would advise anyone else against going.

The Toronto Zoo is a great place and the animals there are in good condition and treated well.

Also, Wonderland is highly rated for their rides. Save the costs of Marineland and enjoy these places instead IMHO.