Heading to Toronto? Don't forget Niagara Falls! (Niagara Falls)

Member Name: Salstar

Product:	Niagara Falls
Date:	21/08/08 (37 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Stunning waterfalls plus loads of man-made attractions

Disadvantages: Very, very busy in the peak summer months!!

I travelled to Niagara Falls last year whilst visiting Toronto and thoroughly enjoyed my time there. The Falls are around a 2 hour drive from Toronto around Lake Ontario and are located right on the USA border.

My husband had visited the Falls as a teenager, and he told me that from his memory there was really nothing there apart from the Falls themselves. This is completely untrue nowadays though and Niagara has a lot of the feel of a mini 'Vegas' with casinos, luxury hotels, shops and restaurants. It really has all the look and feel of a full-on resort. They even have some original red London double decker buses running around the resort which is weird to see in Canada!

Of course the main attraction is the Falls themselves, and they are truely speactacular. You can see all the pictures in brochures but seeing them in real life is something else. We were lucky to be there on a picture perfect scorching hot day with clear blue skies which added to the effect. The great thing was that the spray from the waterfalls was blowing towards us and it really cooled you down in the 30 degree heat! Once we had finished gazing at the view and taking pictures, we bought tickets for the Maid of the Mist which is the famous boat tour that takes you right up to the waterfalls in the river beneath them. This is great fun but the crew make sure you get totally drenched! It is amazing how loud the falls sound and the immense power of the water. We also walked under the Falls which is where you go down in a lift to underground caverns that take you literally underneighth the waterfalls. This is also pretty good and gives you a different perspective of the falls.

The ticket prices are pretty hefty as I recall but then seeing the falls is usually a once in a lifetime thing and so is worth the money. The food outlets and souvenir shops are also quite highly priced as you would expect at a key tourist destination.

There are lots of other tours you can take if money is no object such as taking a helicopter ride over the falls which must be amazing. Then there are lots of attractions in Niagara resort such as the Bird Kingdom, waterparks and of course the Casino.

The whole place is so busy and buzzing in the summer and packed with tourists of all nationalities. This means that there are often long queues for the tours and a lot of waiting around required, but it is worth it.

The areas around Niagara Falls are also really lovely with lots of wineries and the stunning Niagara on the Lake which is a pretty village/town a few miles from the resort.

I would recommend a visit to Niagara Falls if you get the chance as I don't know how anyone could fail to love it.

Summary: A fabtastic place that lives up to all the hype