Niagara Falls – Trip report
Aug 15th, 2006, 05:54 PM
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Niagara Falls – Trip report
We set out on Friday morning (August 11) from NJ at 6 AM figuring our 21 month old daughter would sleep a good portion of the trip.
OK so we were wrong on the first assumption of the day. She was a good girl, enjoyed the ride and since we bought a portable DVD player she watched a movie between stops.
After about 7 hours we arrived at Buffalo, NY on our first stop to eat lunch at the famous Anchor Bar where they invented Buffalo wings. It was easy to get to and after a short wait we got a corner table. The place is kids friendly, clean and busy. The menu was OK and we were hungry. My wife and I ordered 10 Buffalo wings each, she ordered the chef’s salad and I ordered the pulled pork.
Turned out we weren’t as hungry as we thought, sure enough the wings were delicious, some of the best, if not the best we have ever had. The “Chef’s Salad” was a disappointment, a soup CUP filled with lettuce, two cherry tomatoes and one hot cherry pepper. The pulled pork was OK but we didn’t finish it.
We got back on the road to Youngstown, NY which is where our inn was (The Fyfe & Drum). Youngstown is a very picturesque town next to Fort Niagara, on the lower Niagara River. There are several inns and B&Bs in the town as well as Lewisville (a town over). The town is very quite, very kids friendly (parks and grass all over) and on the water (the river was across the street from the inn). We found out the town has a position for an employee that all they do is make sure that the kids have fun at the parks, get chalks, crayons, games etc. A night’s stay cost us $90, as compared with $350 at anyplace around the falls. I don’t know about you but for $1,000 savings on hotel stay I’d drive 15 minutes a day.
We got to the inn, put our stuff in our room and went to the falls (after a nap). We paid $10 for parking at the Niagara Falls visitors center on Main Street (they take US or Canadian money) and went to check what tours are being offered. We figured we’d pay for a tour for several reasons, it would be easier with our daughter not standing in lines, we’d see more in less time and less aggravation for us. We found out there are three tours, U.S. side (they said around 4.5 hours), Canadian side (around 4.5 hours) and both (around 9 hours) in which you do everything there is to do around the falls. We signed up for the 10:30 AM US tour figuring it will end just in time for our daughter’s nap ($60 a person, young kids that don’t take up a seat are free, we didn’t ask about AAA discount). Later we went on the balloon ride which brings you up 300 feet for a magnificent view ($20 per person, young kids are free, $18 with AAA discount).
The park on the US side is fabulous, great for kids and adults. We took a walk all around, the bridge to Goat Island and back, looked at the US falls and the Canadian falls, took pictures, and by that time our daughter was exhausted so we went back tired but happy.
Saturday we ate breakfast at the local diner, around $20 - $25 for three people. The diner was about ½ blocks down from our inn. We set out to get to the 10:30 AM US tour. We parked at the visitor’s center between Main & Fourth Street so it was free. Even though the minibus was full, they had no problems accommodating us with our folding cart (the cheap kind, not the heavy duty bulky ones), the guide, Tiffany, was very knowledgeable, nice and accommodating. We started out by driving to the Niagara Power Plant, viewing the class 6 rapids at Whirlpool State Park and walking around Goat Island (the best view of the falls from the US side). We went to the Daredevil museum, or as I call it “The Proof for Human Stupidity” museum, where they have on display 3 barrels that went over the falls, and one jet-ski (that’s right, a jet-ski). They have lots of pictures and of course gifts. The admission is free. Later we went on the Cave of the Winds tour which we highly recommend. You get very, very close to the falls, so close in fact that the water hit you from underneath and everything flies around you from the wind (I’d say about 5-10 feet away). You get a plastic poncho to cover up and sandals because you do get soaked. Afterwards we did the Maid of the Mist boat ride which was definitely the highlight for us, even though they give you another plastic poncho to cover up with, it’s really not that wet.
The tour ended about 6 hours after it started, our daughter was stretched to her “napless” limit, even though she did enjoy the tour, got to run around, play, ride the bus, and get semi-wet (we didn’t take her to the aggressive portion of the Cave of the Winds since it’s slippery and very wet, the rest was just misty).
We went back to the inn; our daughter fell asleep at the car and didn’t even wake up when we took her out and up to our room. We got takeout from the Brennan's Irish Pub across the street from the fore mentioned diner. We enjoyed two great chicken salads for less then $20. In the afternoon we went to play in the park and dinner at the Brennan's again.
Sunday, again breakfast at the diner, and we went to the yearly arts & crafts fair at Lewiston, which happened to be there that weekend. We got back, put our daughter for a nap and headed out to Canada, eh.
Again we parked at the Niagara Falls Visitor’s center on Main Street ($10), which is walking distance from the Rainbow Bridge to Canada. Getting in was very easy for us, cordials and helpful Canadian agents. We walked around for a bit and ate lunch at Pilgrim’s restaurant in Toronto. The meal was OK, about $40 or so for the three of us. Feeling better we took a cab to the Floral clock (out of the way, but nice), asked the cab driver to wait for us while we took some photos, appreciated the clock and went back. We asked him to drop us off at the far end of the boardwalk (closer to the falls), the whole trip cost about $60 or so, expensive but we did get wrong directions, and he was very cordial in finding the clock, so we gave him a large tip.
We walked back to the US, you do have to pay fifty cents to get back, US customs was also very quick and accommodating. We got back at around 6 PM or so, there were no lines like we saw earlier to get back in. Don’t forget your passports and birth certificates for the young ones.
Monday we drove back.
Nice long weekend trip, but I wouldn’t recommend it for more then three or four days. We did like the American side better, granted the view from the Canadian side is better but it’s overly touristy and expensive. You can plan on picnics and stuff for the kids, there is a lot to do for everyone including Casinos.
Pictures at http://www.zoharlaor.com/falls
OK so we were wrong on the first assumption of the day. She was a good girl, enjoyed the ride and since we bought a portable DVD player she watched a movie between stops.
After about 7 hours we arrived at Buffalo, NY on our first stop to eat lunch at the famous Anchor Bar where they invented Buffalo wings. It was easy to get to and after a short wait we got a corner table. The place is kids friendly, clean and busy. The menu was OK and we were hungry. My wife and I ordered 10 Buffalo wings each, she ordered the chef’s salad and I ordered the pulled pork.
Turned out we weren’t as hungry as we thought, sure enough the wings were delicious, some of the best, if not the best we have ever had. The “Chef’s Salad” was a disappointment, a soup CUP filled with lettuce, two cherry tomatoes and one hot cherry pepper. The pulled pork was OK but we didn’t finish it.
We got back on the road to Youngstown, NY which is where our inn was (The Fyfe & Drum). Youngstown is a very picturesque town next to Fort Niagara, on the lower Niagara River. There are several inns and B&Bs in the town as well as Lewisville (a town over). The town is very quite, very kids friendly (parks and grass all over) and on the water (the river was across the street from the inn). We found out the town has a position for an employee that all they do is make sure that the kids have fun at the parks, get chalks, crayons, games etc. A night’s stay cost us $90, as compared with $350 at anyplace around the falls. I don’t know about you but for $1,000 savings on hotel stay I’d drive 15 minutes a day.
We got to the inn, put our stuff in our room and went to the falls (after a nap). We paid $10 for parking at the Niagara Falls visitors center on Main Street (they take US or Canadian money) and went to check what tours are being offered. We figured we’d pay for a tour for several reasons, it would be easier with our daughter not standing in lines, we’d see more in less time and less aggravation for us. We found out there are three tours, U.S. side (they said around 4.5 hours), Canadian side (around 4.5 hours) and both (around 9 hours) in which you do everything there is to do around the falls. We signed up for the 10:30 AM US tour figuring it will end just in time for our daughter’s nap ($60 a person, young kids that don’t take up a seat are free, we didn’t ask about AAA discount). Later we went on the balloon ride which brings you up 300 feet for a magnificent view ($20 per person, young kids are free, $18 with AAA discount).
The park on the US side is fabulous, great for kids and adults. We took a walk all around, the bridge to Goat Island and back, looked at the US falls and the Canadian falls, took pictures, and by that time our daughter was exhausted so we went back tired but happy.
Saturday we ate breakfast at the local diner, around $20 - $25 for three people. The diner was about ½ blocks down from our inn. We set out to get to the 10:30 AM US tour. We parked at the visitor’s center between Main & Fourth Street so it was free. Even though the minibus was full, they had no problems accommodating us with our folding cart (the cheap kind, not the heavy duty bulky ones), the guide, Tiffany, was very knowledgeable, nice and accommodating. We started out by driving to the Niagara Power Plant, viewing the class 6 rapids at Whirlpool State Park and walking around Goat Island (the best view of the falls from the US side). We went to the Daredevil museum, or as I call it “The Proof for Human Stupidity” museum, where they have on display 3 barrels that went over the falls, and one jet-ski (that’s right, a jet-ski). They have lots of pictures and of course gifts. The admission is free. Later we went on the Cave of the Winds tour which we highly recommend. You get very, very close to the falls, so close in fact that the water hit you from underneath and everything flies around you from the wind (I’d say about 5-10 feet away). You get a plastic poncho to cover up and sandals because you do get soaked. Afterwards we did the Maid of the Mist boat ride which was definitely the highlight for us, even though they give you another plastic poncho to cover up with, it’s really not that wet.
The tour ended about 6 hours after it started, our daughter was stretched to her “napless” limit, even though she did enjoy the tour, got to run around, play, ride the bus, and get semi-wet (we didn’t take her to the aggressive portion of the Cave of the Winds since it’s slippery and very wet, the rest was just misty).
We went back to the inn; our daughter fell asleep at the car and didn’t even wake up when we took her out and up to our room. We got takeout from the Brennan's Irish Pub across the street from the fore mentioned diner. We enjoyed two great chicken salads for less then $20. In the afternoon we went to play in the park and dinner at the Brennan's again.
Sunday, again breakfast at the diner, and we went to the yearly arts & crafts fair at Lewiston, which happened to be there that weekend. We got back, put our daughter for a nap and headed out to Canada, eh.
Again we parked at the Niagara Falls Visitor’s center on Main Street ($10), which is walking distance from the Rainbow Bridge to Canada. Getting in was very easy for us, cordials and helpful Canadian agents. We walked around for a bit and ate lunch at Pilgrim’s restaurant in Toronto. The meal was OK, about $40 or so for the three of us. Feeling better we took a cab to the Floral clock (out of the way, but nice), asked the cab driver to wait for us while we took some photos, appreciated the clock and went back. We asked him to drop us off at the far end of the boardwalk (closer to the falls), the whole trip cost about $60 or so, expensive but we did get wrong directions, and he was very cordial in finding the clock, so we gave him a large tip.
We walked back to the US, you do have to pay fifty cents to get back, US customs was also very quick and accommodating. We got back at around 6 PM or so, there were no lines like we saw earlier to get back in. Don’t forget your passports and birth certificates for the young ones.
Monday we drove back.
Nice long weekend trip, but I wouldn’t recommend it for more then three or four days. We did like the American side better, granted the view from the Canadian side is better but it’s overly touristy and expensive. You can plan on picnics and stuff for the kids, there is a lot to do for everyone including Casinos.
Pictures at http://www.zoharlaor.com/falls
Aug 15th, 2006, 07:12 PM
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Enjoyed your trip report. Next time you visit...perhaps when your daughter is older and will have a better recollectiion!, drive up the Canadanian side past the floral clock to Niagara On The Lake, a quaint Canadian town with a English flare. When you were in Youngstown, Near Fort Niagara, you could liok across the river and see Niagara on the Lake and also Fort George The English Fort which was a counterbalance to Fort Niagara, both of which guarded the mouth of Lake Ontario...
uhhh that was Niagara Falls Ontario on the other side of the Falls...Toronto is about 60 miles north!
uhhh that was Niagara Falls Ontario on the other side of the Falls...Toronto is about 60 miles north!
Aug 15th, 2006, 07:25 PM
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Hi Zlaor!
First of all, what an adorable little girl! It sounds like you had a great trip-and thanks for sharing your pictures! What a great deal on that hotel, huh!!? And I bet the view from the balloon was just breathtaking! Thanks for sharing!!
First of all, what an adorable little girl! It sounds like you had a great trip-and thanks for sharing your pictures! What a great deal on that hotel, huh!!? And I bet the view from the balloon was just breathtaking! Thanks for sharing!!
Aug 15th, 2006, 07:29 PM
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The Anchor Bar has THE best wings, but for some reason, all their other food is just plain bad! Yes, they even screw up the chef's salad (and garlic bread, too). I don't know what's up with that....people from all the world visit the Anchor Bar.
Youngstown and Lewiston are often overlooked, as most visitors stay on the Canadian side and Niagara On the Lake. I too prefer the American side of the falls and even Lewiston over NOTL. As a matter of fact, I was at the Lewiston art show on Sunday.
I'm glad you enjoyed your trip.
Youngstown and Lewiston are often overlooked, as most visitors stay on the Canadian side and Niagara On the Lake. I too prefer the American side of the falls and even Lewiston over NOTL. As a matter of fact, I was at the Lewiston art show on Sunday.
I'm glad you enjoyed your trip.
Apr 10th, 2007, 06:57 AM
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Enjoyed your report on Niagara Falls also. We, two ladies, are planning a trip to NF in July. Do you remember the hotel where you stayed? AND...also do you have your itinerary in a document that you could send to me? I always like to have something to go by when planning, of course this is not usually possible. I want to tour Philadelphia also...would this be two places to do on the same trip? Thanks much.
Apr 10th, 2007, 09:38 AM
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Mycuppajava:
The inn we stayed at was "The Fyfe & Drum" in Youngstown, NY.
We really didn't have a formal "itinerary", it's all in the report.
We just came back from Philly, and yes they certainly are doable on the same trip(about 10 hour drive each way).
Take a look at: http://www.travelpod.com/memebers/laorfamily
The inn we stayed at was "The Fyfe & Drum" in Youngstown, NY.
We really didn't have a formal "itinerary", it's all in the report.
We just came back from Philly, and yes they certainly are doable on the same trip(about 10 hour drive each way).
Take a look at: http://www.travelpod.com/memebers/laorfamily
Apr 10th, 2007, 10:50 AM
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