Hello,
Never been to Niagara Falls (it's on my 'bucket list').
We'll be driving from St Clair Shores, MI to the Canadian side and staying at Embassy Suites w/Falls view room min-October this year.
Will 2 nights be enough time to do the usual touristy things such as Maid of the Mist, etc? Are there other nearby places to visit?
We're interested on Nat'l Parks, scenery, phototography, light hiking/walks, and since it will be Fall, some leaf-peeking.

Any & all suggestions welcomed.

2 days is more than enough. You could NF in one day.
Mid Oct is Canadian Thanksgiving: Oct 11, 2010 so the weekend of Oct 8-11 will be busy in NF.
Maid of the Mist is a seasonal tourist attraction & closes around Oct 24 so you shd check to make sure it will be open when you plan to be there.

"You could do NF in one day" is what I meant to say above...

Thanks, actually our dates are: arrive Oct 11, depart on Oct 13 or 14. Maybe I should re-think the dates?

You can still go then but given that it will be a holiday weekend it will be very busy on Oct 11. Oct 12, 13 & 14 will just be "normal" days.

Well, that would be OK, because we'll be arriving late afternoon on the 11th. Everyone else will be leaving by then.

The Niagara Parkway between Niagara Falls and Niagara-on-the-Lake was described by Winston Churchill as "The world's most beautiful Sunday drive." The parkway follows along the Niagara Gorge and the drive ends in the Village in the heart of Niagara Wine Country... after you gawk at the wonders of Niagara, consider a drive up with several stops and attractions... there are over 75 Wineries, from mom and pop to quaint to lavish mansions.... you can tour on your own with a wine route map, or take a bus,limo, or Bike tour...

The Shaw Festival also runs its theatre season through October and there are several plays to choose from... along the way there are roadside stands and the Village has dozens of boutiques...

The best dining in the region is in Niagara-on-the-Lake with several 4 diamond restaurants as well as bistros and pubs...

TAW, the border crossing will be v/ busy on Oct 11. Maybe you want to arrive on Oct 12 instead....the day after our Thanksgiving.

Ocean... I dont think its worth changing plans for a possible border delay... the least busy bridge on that weekend is the Rainbow... also dont you stay home and eat turkey and moose on that day?

gary, well it would be worth it to me!!! I have been at the border on Canadian Thanksgiving & it is very busy. But, hey, TAW may not care.

You must have me confused w/ the "Canadians" referred to in the current Tim Horton's "Roll Up The Rim" commercial, eh??? Do you put on your toque, leave your igloo, hop on a moose & head on over to Tim's?????

We're crossing the border at Blue Water Bridge, near Sarnia, if that makes any difference? It would probably be before noon that we'd be crossing.

Hi - I agree with garyt22 about the Niagara Parkway and Niagara-on-the-Lake. You mentioned light hiking - the Niagara Glen is very scenic - a treed and cliffed area at the base of the escarpment (accessed by stairs) along the river with 2.5 miles of trails (http://www.niagaraparks.com/nature-t...whirlpool.html ). Also there is a walking/biking path bordering the Parkway. The whole Niagara region could be very nice in mid October with the leaf colour. The wineries are excellent - there's lots of info online including self-guided driving tours. Several wineries have very good dining, a few with views. Niagara-on-the-Lake is a charming Victorian Town with several high-end Inns, many B&B's, specialty shops and restaurants as well as the aforementioned Shaw Festival Theatre. You might want to consider spending 1 night at the Falls doing touristy things there that afternoon/evening and the following morning, then touring the Niagara Parkway and some of the Wineries ending up in Niagara-on-the-Lake for your second night.

I really like Mat54's idea of 1 night in NF & 1 in NOTL.