Niagara Falls
Sep 6th, 2000, 01:34 PM
#1
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Niagara Falls
We are taking a short vacation to Niagara Falls in mid September. Any suggestions on where to stay and eat. We have read that Niagara Falls has really become over-commercialized. We will also be spending some time in the western Pennsylvania and Cleveland areas. Any suggestions there, especially if there are any Civil War battlegrounds in the vicinity. Any suggestions on fishing. It sounds like my husband's especially interested in fishing for Lake Trout on one of the Great Lakes. Thanks!
Sep 6th, 2000, 01:47 PM
#2
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We made the trip to Niagara Falls with our children about 10 years ago. The Canadian side is more scenic. The Falls are just stunning, though all around are (in my opinion)tacky tourist ripoff restaurants and unmemorable hotels. The area around Port Clinton, near Cleveland, has lots of fishing, plus ferries to the Lake Erie islands, etc. There are lots of fishing charters in the area, though I thought my husband was fishing for pike and walleye rather than trout. Not sure...
Sep 6th, 2000, 02:03 PM
#3
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My family and I just got back from a 9 day trip to Niagara Falls and Toronto a week ago and LOVED both places. We researched hotels extensively and stayed at the Comfort Inn Fallsway (there are several Comfort Inns). It was in the middle of the action on Clifton Hill (which was wild) but they positioned the hotel off the street and it felt much more secluded and quiet than it actually was. The hotel didn't look like anything special, but inside it was lovely, had an especially nice indoor pool, a large room with a great spread for the free continental plus breakfast (very nice!) The rooms were nice and the staff was more typical of a 5 star resort (courteous and friendly) The price was very reasonable. Something that added immensely to our visit there was how multi-cultural the visitors are. Some evenings we rarely heard English spoken! I bought a world map and (with my kids) asked a number of people where they were from. We met numerous folks from Korea, Japan, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Poland, Spain, France. To get away from the flashing lights, we headed out to the surrounding country a couple of days and toured a couple of farms.... a nice change of pace and more typical of the majority of Canada! Have fun!
Sep 6th, 2000, 03:26 PM
#4
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Theresa-Niagara Falls direct to Cleveland-via I-90-is about a 4 hr trip-of course, those orange barrels might just slow you down. Downtown offers the Rock-n-Roll Hall of Fame and Museum and the Great Lakes Science Center-they're literally next door to one another. Also on permanent exhibit near both museums is the former Great Lakes cargo ship, the Mather, which is quite interesting to visit. For downtown shopping, there's The Avenue at Tower City (where the Hard Rock cafe is located). We have trolley tours of the area, as well as the Goodtime III-cruise down the Cuyahoga River for an interesting tour of the city. The eastern suburbs contain our museums, like the Art Museum (free admission) and the History Museum. Next to the Art Museum are Cleveland's Botaical Gardens-which are quite nice. Another good one to visit is the Western Reserve Historical Society, which also contains houses the Crawford Auto Museum. The city greenhouse is also located in this area. The Cleveland Zoo is located off I-71, just a few minutes south of downtown. The Flats area in downtown is the nightlife of the city-lots of excellent restaurants to choose from.
As for the Falls, consider staying on the Canadian side, although it's very commercialized. The Clifton Hill area is most definitely the heart of the tourist zone. There's a relatively new Courtyard by Marriott very near Clifton Hill and Casino Niagara (a converted shopping mall). There are lots of restaruants to pick from-we've enjoyed Captain Murphy's in the past (about 5 minutes from the Falls). The revolving restaurant atop the Skylon Tower is also quite good, and the view can't be beat on a clear night. There's both a Hard Rock Cafe and Planet Hollywood on the Canadian side. If you have some extra time, about 1/2 hr from the Canadian Falls is the quaint town of Niagara-on-the-Lake, which has a definite English feel to it-quite different than at the Falls. There's lots of (quality) shopping, plus numerous excellent restaurants (including a pub or two) at NOTL.
The US side is nowhere as developed as the Canadian side, but there's another Hard Rock there (in case you're into the themed restaurants).
If you have any questions about Cleveland, please e-mail directly. Enjoy your trip.
As for the Falls, consider staying on the Canadian side, although it's very commercialized. The Clifton Hill area is most definitely the heart of the tourist zone. There's a relatively new Courtyard by Marriott very near Clifton Hill and Casino Niagara (a converted shopping mall). There are lots of restaruants to pick from-we've enjoyed Captain Murphy's in the past (about 5 minutes from the Falls). The revolving restaurant atop the Skylon Tower is also quite good, and the view can't be beat on a clear night. There's both a Hard Rock Cafe and Planet Hollywood on the Canadian side. If you have some extra time, about 1/2 hr from the Canadian Falls is the quaint town of Niagara-on-the-Lake, which has a definite English feel to it-quite different than at the Falls. There's lots of (quality) shopping, plus numerous excellent restaurants (including a pub or two) at NOTL.
The US side is nowhere as developed as the Canadian side, but there's another Hard Rock there (in case you're into the themed restaurants).
If you have any questions about Cleveland, please e-mail directly. Enjoy your trip.
Sep 6th, 2000, 08:05 PM
#5
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Took a drive over to the Falls today(I live in Buffalo) and had lunch at Queenston Heights Restaurant. Check out this site.....
www.niagaraparks.com
You MUST go on the "Maid of the Mist" boat ride, takes you to the base of the Falls, they give you a rain poncho so you don't get soaked!
I was born and raised in this area, and the Falls never get dull, love to take guests there, gives me an excuse to see them again!
www.niagaraparks.com
You MUST go on the "Maid of the Mist" boat ride, takes you to the base of the Falls, they give you a rain poncho so you don't get soaked!
I was born and raised in this area, and the Falls never get dull, love to take guests there, gives me an excuse to see them again!
Sep 7th, 2000, 04:53 AM
#6
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The American side has a beautiful park,goat island,bridal veil falls,so do not be discouraged about the town itself. The canadian side is much prettier-but it too is busy,but much better planned than NY. I would suggest to include a drive on the canadian side to Niagara on the Lake,a little
Victorian town,with restaurants and shops-not far from the falls. September is a glorious time of the year-you will have a great time.
Victorian town,with restaurants and shops-not far from the falls. September is a glorious time of the year-you will have a great time.
Sep 9th, 2000, 03:46 PM
#7
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Do the Maid of the Mist, but avoid eating in Niagra Falls. I've been there about 10 times in the past 7 years (all my foreign visitors always want to go), and I've NEVER had a decent meal in Niagra. There's not much to do there after you've seen the falls and do the Maid of the Mist, anyway.
In western PA, there are two excellent fishing lakes--Pymatuming Lake (most of which is actually in Ohio) and Conneaut Lake. The latter is a small (about 10 miles in circumference), quiet lake in a small, quiet town. Pymatuming is a man-made lake, much larger, that doesn't permit speed boats, only small-engine craft.
In western PA, there are two excellent fishing lakes--Pymatuming Lake (most of which is actually in Ohio) and Conneaut Lake. The latter is a small (about 10 miles in circumference), quiet lake in a small, quiet town. Pymatuming is a man-made lake, much larger, that doesn't permit speed boats, only small-engine craft.
Sep 9th, 2000, 07:48 PM
#8
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My reading led me to assume that The Falls has become "overcommercialized". Perhaps this is true on the American side (with the outlets and all). But, this was not our impression on the Canadian side at all. The parks commission does a magnificent job of keeping the "touristy" stuff out of view (hidden by trees when they have leaves) and the landscaping is fabulous. I would strongly disagree that you cannot enjoy a good meal. The parks commission restaurants have very, very good food. The "early bird" menu at Victoria Park (those in the know reserve an outdoor table before leaving home) is a terrific value and the food is excellent. I would second the recommendation for Queenston Heights and Skylon Tower (early bird menu here, too, just in time for sunset in September). If you want really good food, Niagara-on-the-Lake is definitely the place to go. For fishing recommendations (and check on whether you need a license!), you may want to call 1-800-ONTARIO.
