Last fall, I was housesitting in Vermont. During that sit, I spent some time in upstate New York and when I left Vermont, I drove across New York to spend a couple of nights at Niagara Falls on my way to my next sit in Ohio. I had never been before, so why not?
I stayed on the Canadian side, which has a much better view of both the Horseshoe Falls and the American Falls. There are more attractions on the Canadian side, too – including the super touristy Clifton Hill. There is plenty to do on the American side, but not as much – or as nice, from the looks of things.
Let’s take a look at what I was able to do with one full day at Niagara Falls, plus a little extra the next morning.
Niagara Falls
The Niagara River (the connection between Lake Erie and Lake Ontario) constitutes the border of the United States and Canada in this area. Most traffic from New York crosses the Rainbow International Bridge. which puts you right in the middle of downtown Niagara Falls, Ontario.
It’s a super touristy area, but the land right around the river and the Falls is beautifully landscaped parkland. There’s a main avenue that runs right along the river, but other than that, there’s a wide observation walkway the whole length, and lots of grass, trees, and paved walkways throughout. There’s plenty of parking along here, and while you have to pay quite a bit to park, it’s free and easy to see the Falls. Plenty of bus stops dot the main road as well.
Table Rock Welcome Center
Niagara Falls has two sets of waterfalls – the huge Horseshoe Falls and the smaller American Falls. Right at Horseshoe Falls is the large Table Rock Welcome Center. Inside are bathrooms, a huge cafeteria (with really decent food), a smaller coffee shop, lots of gift shops, and even a few attractions. Most notably, there’s an elevator down to a tunnel that takes you on a “Journey Behind the Falls” and a lower observation deck. It’s available for $25 CAD or as a combined ticket with other attractions.
Behind the Table Rock Welcome Center is a large parking lot (lot A) that is probably the closest lot to the actual Falls. I think it’s around $40 CAD to park there. There’s also a cute little funicular railway up the steep hill to the “Fallsview” area hotels. I stayed in a cheap Fallsview hotel and, #1 – you definitely can’t see the Falls from there. And #2, unless you take the incline, it’s a 1 mile, 20-30 minute walk down to Murray Street and back over to where the Falls are. The incline cuts all that walking out and it’s only $3.50 CAD a pop or $8 for an all-day pass (~$2.50 & >$6 USD.)
Oakes Garden & Theater
While the entire length of the most scenic part of Niagara Falls (from about the Power Station to the Rainbow Bridge) is very park-like, I was most surprised by Oakes Garden, a beautifully manicured European-style garden close to the Rainbow Bridge. It’s right in the thick of all the most touristy offerings, yet if you step inside the walled garden, it feels like you’re worlds away from all the hubbub.
The largest part of it is an outdoor theater with a stage and a wide, sloping lawn. But a terrace facing the American Falls features rows of benches and square-trimmed trees. It’s not the best view of the Falls, but it’s a lovely place to sit for a while. On the street side, there’s an even quieter area with a small pond and a little bridge. Tucked in that corner is even a restaurant called the Secret Garden Restaurant! And all this is right across from a huge Sheraton hotel with a Starbucks and a Hard Rock Cafe.
Niagara Falls at Night
At night, they light up both Falls with strong, colored spotlights. The color scheme shifts every 15 minutes, so stick around to see how it changes.
Niagara Parks Power Station
After viewing the Falls, the Niagara Parks Power Station was my first paid attraction. You can buy tickets onsite, but you can also get them at the Table Rock Welcome Center, which may save you some time in line. The Power Station was built from 1901-1905 to harness the power of the river and the Falls. This includes the construction of a bay and tunnel to channel water under massive power generators in the station on top of the bedrock.
The power plant was decommissioned in 2005, acquired by the park system, and reopened as a tourist attraction in 2021. Walking around the Power Station now, you can revel in how much power ran through here, both from the water far below and the current created by the huge turbines topside. Information boards and hands-on demonstrations make it quite interesting. And the large gift shop offers a good view of the former inlet/forebay that fed water through the station.
The Tunnel
But far more exciting is The Tunnel, an underground attraction that opened in 2022. A trip down 180 feet in a glass elevator gives you a view of the underground workings of the Station. At the bottom is the restored “tailrace” tunnel, where all the water flowing through the plant would exit back to the river. Now, it’s a 2200-foot smooth tunnel out to a new viewing platform, where you can get a close-up view of Horseshoe Falls from below. (Ponchos are provided.)
The Tunnel is included in the Niagara Parks Power Station regular admission. Tickets cost $29 CAD for adults 13 and older, $19 for kids 3-12. You can bundle this with other attractions, parking, and even other transportation, like the bus system and the incline.
Floral Showhouse
A little farther down from the Power Station is the Floral Showhouse. The Floral Showhouse has its origins as far back as 1894, when two greenhouses were built to propagate plants for the nearby Queen Victoria Park. The current buildings were opened in 1946 as a showplace for seasonal floral displays, as well as a small gift shop.
It’s not very big – only three small greenhouses, plus the entrance building and an outside path to some cute miniature buildings. I can’t say I recommend walking down this far for it. However, it’s not very expensive – only $8 CAD for adults 13 and over, and $5 for kids 3-12.
Clifton Hill
The trashy, touristy part of Niagara Falls is called Clifton Hill. Along one street are all the fudge, ice cream, arcades, haunted houses, putt-putt, go-karts, funnel cakes, fast food, and tourist shops you could ever want. It’s like every other tourist street you’ve ever seen. But, it does give your family something to do, especially in the evenings.
Besides a general walk-around, I did two attractions in Clifton Hill. The biggest is the Niagara SkyWheel, which I’ll talk about below. The other was a small roller coaster on the top of a Frankenstein-themed haunted house. And my friends, it was terrible. Don’t do it.
Not part of Clifton Hill but nearby and very visible on the Niagara Falls skyline is the Skylon Tower. Skylon is an observation tower with a separate rotating restaurant, plus a Niagara Falls 4D movie, if you want to add that to your ticket. Tickets for just the observation deck cost $15-21 CAD for adults, depending on the package.
Niagara SkyWheel
I’m a fan of riding these huge observational Ferris wheels during sunset, which I managed to do on the Niagara SkyWheel. It’s a pleasant, climate-controlled, 15-minute ride in a closed gondola. You get a decent view of both waterfalls, but it’s not as close as you might think. And the sun sets behind the city, casting the falls in shadow pretty early in the evening. Still, I recommend it. Tickets are $15, with a $1 off coupon available online. A good parking lot is right behind the SkyWheel.
You can bundle your SkyWheel ticket with other Clifton Hill attractions. A $40 CAD Fun Pass includes 6 attractions, including several laser-shooter dark rides, golf courses, and a wax museum. You can get tickets online or at each attraction. There’s a ticket booth at the base of the Niagara SkyWheel, but there’s also a booth closer to the street that might have a shorter line.
Whirlpool Aero Car
The next morning, as I was leaving, I drove downriver to the Whirlpool Aero Car. This is a spot in the Niagara River where it makes a hard right turn, but the power of the river has carved out a little round bay. The action of the water causes this whole area to churn with one huge whirlpool. Some enterprising Frenchman in 1916 decided to string up a cable car over the whirlpool and it’s been a tourist attraction ever since. (Though it was fully refurbished in 2023.)
The whole ride only takes about 10-15 minutes. Both sides are attached on Canadian land, though you technically cut through a corner of the United States on your way there and back. There’s no landing on the far side. Instead, it jolts to a stop to allow passengers to switch sides on the way back, so everyone gets the same view.
At the loading station, there are bathrooms and a gift shop with ice cream (natch.) You can include the Aero Car in a package deal with other Niagara Parks attractions. On its own, it costs $19 CAD per adult, $12.50 per kid 3-12.
Conclusion
There is certainly much more to do in Niagara Falls than I cover here. Just from the Niagara Parks site, you can get a $104 CAD pass that includes a film at the Table Rock Welcome Center, the Journey Behind The Falls experience, the Power Station and The Tunnel, the Floral Showcase, a White Water Walk, the Whirlpool Aero Car, a Butterfly Conservatory, 3 days on the WEGO bus system, 3 days on the Incline Railway, a shuttle to nearby Niagara-On-The-Lake, plus 4 heritage sites: Old Fort Erie, Laura Secord Homestead, McFarland House/Tea Room, and Mackenzie Printery. That’s not bad for about $75 USD.
Then there’s the Maid of the Mist (and other boat tours), the Skylon Tower, and everything to do in Clifton Hill. You won’t lack for attractions here, both natural and man-made. I wish I had more time, and maybe someone to do it with. A Maid of the Mist boat tour seemed silly without someone to share it with.
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