Lisa

I have been researching our European trip for 4 months. An opportunity arose (courtesy of USAIR) to spend a weekend in Toronto (over Memorial Day weekend). and I'm frantically changing gears to do research on Toronto and Niagara Falls. <BR> <BR>Help help help please! <BR> <BR> <BR>Our options are to spend Friday night at the Falls and Saturday night in Toronto. We have 2 boys ages 14 and 11. oUr primary interests are "the sights". Not crazy about tacky resorts and we are not into miniature golf. <BR> <BR>Are we better off staying at Niagara on the Lake and driving the 20 mins on Saturday morning to the Falls and then spending Saturday night in Toronto or grinning and bearing Niagara on Friday night to be close ot the Falls on Saturday and spending Sat. night in NOL or Toronto. <BR> <BR>As it is Memorial Day weekend we may have trouble getting desirable accommodation at this late date. <BR> <BR>Any advice on where to stay and what the "must not misses" are will be very appreciated.

Jim Rosenberg

You'll hear plenty of good things about Niagara on the Lake. If you want a good place that will be convenient and your boys will like, I suggest you try the Holiday Inn by the Falls (905-356-1333). This is NOT part of the Holiday Inn franchise chain and I would say it may fall slightly below franchise standards in some respects, however, it is plenty adequate, rates are very reasonable and it is extremely convenient to the falls, the Skylon Tower, IMAX, etc. There's a pool and it's a nice, easy walk to the falls. I wouldn't hesitate to go back, particularly with kids. Give them a call and see what is available to reserve while you continue your research. Happy Trails!

Lee

I would suggest staying in Niagara Falls on Sat night. If you have a full day in Niagara on Sat, you may be too tired to drive back to Toronto. Although Niagara on the Lake is a wonderful town, I would think your boys would rather stay in Niagara Falls....closer to all the attractions. There are plenty of hotels there. Do drive along the Niagara Parkway to Niagara on the Lake. Take a ride on the Maid of the Mist...the boys will love it. There is also the tunnels behind the Falls. Further down the parkway, stop and watch (or go on ) the cable car over the gorge. <BR>If you are spending any time in toronto, the boys may like to go up the CN Tower. There are also tours of the Skydome if they are into baseball. <BR>Enjoy.

Donna

Definitely be in Niagara Falls on Friday night for the fireworks over the Falls at 10PM! For an even more spectacular view, be atop the Minolta Tower (about 45 minutes before for a front and center view). Niagara Falls is not the tacky touristy destination you may think. There is so much to see and do, your boys will not want to leave and go to Toronto. You won't either. All along the Falls, the Canadian Parks Commission does a spectacular job of retaining the natural beauty of the area, and the landscaping is magnificent. But, even the more "touristy" attractions, which are out of sight up Clifton Hill, are very well done. There are many which will appeal to you and your boys. You should have no problem booking accomodations at or near the falls if you book forthwith, but there's a wonderful place midway between the Falls and NOTL called the South Landing Inn (see website) in Queenston. From there, you can walk to the People Mover and ride to the Falls (meaning you won't have to park and walk at the Falls). You'll need People Mover tickets for getting around the Falls anyway. NOTL is just fabulous. On a first trip, you'll probably want to just visit for a few hours (the drive there is lovely along the parkway) and have lunch there. But, with just the weekend, you may want to spend all of your time at the Falls. See www.destinationniagara.com and www.infoniagara.com for a wealth of information on visiting the Falls. Not to be missed are Maid of the Mist, Journey Behind the Falls, and the Butterfly Conservatory. Recommend going to Journey Behind the Falls first for tickets (they're timed, you can do other things in between). If there are lines at Maid of the Mist, etc., don't get discouraged, they move very quickly. The show at the IMAX theatre is positively thrilling. Use your ATM card to withdraw cash as you need it, and use any leftover currency toward your hotel bill, so you won't have to change it back. At one of the websites, you can request "Niagara Seasons", a fabulous and comprehensive brochure with a terrific map of the area. If it doesn't arrive in time, you can pick one up when you arrive. I highly recommend booking a table (the toll free number is located within the Canadian Parks Commission pages) at the restaurant at Victoria Park. The early bird menu is a bargain, the food is very good, and the views of the Falls from your table are eye-popping (ask for a table on the outdoor deck). The views from the restaurant at Table Rock are amazing as well.

Brian Kilgore

Your advice so far is excellent. Pay attention to the instructions to take the Maid of the Mist. This is the best thing in NF. <BR> <BR>The boys will like half an hour at the fort in NotL. Check out maps, etc., and you may find it worth while to spend a while watching ships in the Welland Canal. <BR> <BR>For one day in Toronto; go to the CN Tower; SkyDome tour is intreting, but may take too much time. If in Toronto on Saturday -- Long walk from University Avenue and Queen Street West -- go west to Spadina, north on Spadina to Kensington market area, back south on Spadina to Dundas, east on Dundas past Art Gallery of Ontario (gift shop for sure; decide on whoole AGO depending on kids' interest) and continue walking east to Eaton Centre indoor huge mall. <BR> <BR>The walk will fascinat ethe kids and their parents. <BR> <BR>BAK <BR> <BR>

Judy

Ontario Science Center in Toronto is an interesting place for boys to spend couple hours.There are many exhibitions for kids to "do it yourselves". The kids of my out of town visitors seemed to enjoy it best.

Bonnie

Lisa, <BR>We visited both places last summer with our boys who are about the same ages. We stayed at a Hampton Inn (which was up a hill) so that we could get the comp breakfast and have a pool for the kids). <BR>Depending on what your kids are interested in, if they are like mine, they will LOVE the maid of the mist boat, think the falls are "cool" but everything else was "kind of boring." They are not into the "touristy" (i.e. wax museum, etc.) attractions that are everywhere. <BR> <BR>In Toronto, we passed the CN Tower but they had no interest in going up. They were more interested in the baseball game we were able to get tickets for at the boxoffice. There was also pre-game stuff to do across the street that was sponsored by a radio show. The Hockey Hall of Fame is not far from the railroad station, if they are interested. My kids rated the Ontario Science Center totally awesome! They actually did not want to leave.

Lisa

Thanks everyone. What a lot of great information. You guys really came through. <BR> <BR>I'm going to sit down today and try to get some hotel reservations. <BR> <BR>will let you know how the trip goes

Lisa

Thanks to everyone for your advice and tips. We just got back from our weekend at Niagara and Toronto. <BR> <BR>We decided to stay at the Hilton Fallsview. It was pricey but it was really a great choice. We really enjoyed the extra large family suites, the view, the location and the fabulous pool and slide. It was right near the Holiday Inn and Jim, you are right, that is a good location. <BR> <BR>We loved the Fallsview area and the beautiful parks and gardens along the Falls and river. We stayed away from the Clifton Hill area and enjoyed the Maid of the mist and the tunels behind the falls. We were at the maid of the mist by 9 am and there were no lines or waiting. Thanks, Donna, for the tip about the Fireworks, we were at the restaurant at the Hilton so had a great view. we really lucked out and were there for a free concert in the park featuring Michelle white(have I got the name right) and Hall and Oates.What a treat. They were fabulous. <BR> <BR>We loved the whole drive to NOTL and the parks and gardens are beautifully laid out and maintained. NOTL was a lot of fun and I could have spent longer there but my husband and kids do not like browsing in stores unless they are tool or hobby stores. We ate at the Buttery restaurant and enjoyed that. <BR> <BR>Unfortuntely, we missed the IMAX as we thought we would go on Sunday morning before heading to Toronto. Unfortunately, we did not realise that the first show in English is only at 11 am and we did nt want to lave for Toronto that late. It was a mistake as we preferred Niagara to Toronto. It was raining in Toronto. We did get good views from the CN tower, but boy were the lines long for every elevator at every stage. We were in each line for no less than half an hour. Went for lunch at Eatons at Mr' Greenjeans which someone on another post had recommended. OKay but service was excruciatingly slow. We did not walk around in downtown Toronto as it was pouring. <BR> <BR>We really enjoyed Niagara and thank everyone for their advice and recommendations.Everyone gave such great advice. I have another tip to add for anyone else going there. I would take a waterproof disposable camera for the maid of the mist and the tunnels as I did not want to ruin my camera and so did not get as many photos as I would have liked. I did take lightweight "pool" sandals to change into as your shoes get really wet.

Lisa

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