OT: Niagara Falls

[vascosg]

Dropping off last kid at college in Pitt (Cargenie Mellon) in late August and thinking of driving up to Niagara Falls afterwards for a few days for an anniversary (don't ask which , can't do math anymore). Anyone have hotel suggestions or things to do other than push wife over the falls and snapchat it?

 

[dvb91]

Slowly I turned.

 

[MrsScrew]

there are a ton of wineries up on the NY side. My daughter was just there last week...hit 5 wineries in one day. there is also a casino. And don't forget the Maid of the Mist boat ride.

I'm sure she didn't stay in a 5 star hotel because she said it was pretty inexpensive. You can also visit on the Canadian side which is supposed to be the more beautiful view of the falls. You need your passport to get out of Canada though.

 

[Upstream]

Slowly I turned.

Damn. I wanted to be the first.

 

[RM60]

Head for Canada.

 

[red sail]

Stay at a hotel on the canadian side. The hotels are nicer and the views of the falls are better. The NY side is kind of a dump.

 

[RC1978]

Stay at a hotel on the canadian side. The hotels are nicer and the views of the falls are better. The NY side is kind of a dump.

This!

 

[David_RU]

My oldest daughter did a unit in school a few years ago that talked about the falls and her obsession led to us spending a few days there.

I seem to fall into the minority for this thread but I felt like the NY side was prettier. The Canadian side has a better view of the falls but the NY side has awesome nature trails and you can walk around little islands on the river leading up to the falls. edit: I agree with what others seem to be saying, the NY hotel options were dumpy compared to the Canadian side

Our hotel was in Canada (Sheraton on the Falls). Our room was on the falls side. I forget if we had a balcony but we definitely had a large window that opened with a great view of the falls. It probably doesn't much matter to you but the hotel was connected to a big indoor water park that the kids enjoyed. Food in the immediate vicinity was very touristy. If I remember right we had a pretty good dinner at a microbrew\tavern called Syndicate. It was a few minute bus ride from the hotel. When we were looking at hotels we considered the Mariott on the Falls as well. That hotel has a spa which may be of interest. Since we had the kids we went with the water park option instead.

As far as things to do: Take the hokey boat ride out to the falls. It really is an amazing site. The journey behind the falls self tour was interesting but I felt it was somewhat a waste of our time with the kids, at 8 and 6 they got a little bit bored. If we didn't have them, I would have enjoyed that piece much more. My advice is pretty straightforward, walk and enjoy the amazing sites. A nice break from the walking around on the NY side is the little tram tour they do inside of the state park. I forget if there as a cost (if any, it was minimal). If you want something a little different, I have friends that did some of the winery tours on the NY side and they enjoyed that.

 

[RUinCANADA]

Embassy Suites on the Canadian side. Sign up for their loyalty mailer as well, as there are often tons of add-ins.

 

[PurpleR]

I second the Embassy Suites on the Canadian side. We went two years ago for a three day get away and had a great time. We booked a room fairly high up with floor to ceiling windows that looked out right over the Horseshoe Falls and American Falls were across the way. There were a lot of open air restaurants/bars on the main drag that would be very nice that time of the year.

 

[RUtrumpet92]

I was in the area for work in October so of course I made time to see the Falls. I recommend the cave of the winds. You take an elevator to the base of the gorge and walk along the steps alongside Bridal Veil Falls. They give you a poncho and cheap sandals to wear and a bag to keep your shoes in. One of the decks gets hit by the water from the falls. You can get 100% soaked if you choose.

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

NY side is very depressing..both sides there are really no places to eat.

 

[gigantor1024]

Make sure you visit Erie when you go. Hidden vacation spot about an hour or so north of Pitt and gives you a stay point if you just want to turn the falls into a day trip

 

[Knight Shift]

Dropping off last kid at college in Pitt (Cargenie Mellon) in late August and thinking of driving up to Niagara Falls afterwards for a few days for an anniversary (don't ask which , can't do math anymore). Anyone have hotel suggestions or things to do other than push wife over the falls and snapchat it?

Congrats on the kid going to Carnegie Mellon. First year? What major? Excellent engineering and computer science school in an outstanding city.

 

[Purple-Ed]

Stay on the Canadian side. The N.Y. side makes Camden look like Shangri-la.

 

[RUforester72]

Slowly I turned.

Step by step.....

 

[rulaw87]

Only a half hour away in Canada is Niagara on the Lake with great wineries and restaurants and a nice little town. We stayed at a bed and breakfast there last year. Definitely worth the quick ride.

 

[Ruthinking]

I will be the third to recommend the Embassey Suites on the Canadian side. Pay the extra for a high room overlooking the falls. I highly recommend lunch at the revolving restaurant (I forget the name) overlooking the falls. It's not in the hotel but you can walk to the revolving tower. (Reservation required and slightly pricy but worth it). We enjoyed walking to the casino and dropping some coin at night. Uber works in Canada but not in Buffalo (only relavant if you don't have a car). Cross the border at off peak times i.e. not rush hour. The wait can be long. Bring your passport. We loved the behind the falls tunnels on the Canadian side. It puts you right next to the horseshoe Canadian falls where you can appreciate the power. 90% of the water from the Niagara river flows over the Canadian falls, only 10% over the US side. The movie attractions inside the visitors center are kind of hokey because they shoot water into the audience and are not worth the expensive admission. An afternoon ride to the town of "Niagara on the Lake" is highly recommended. There are great restaurants in a quaint town on Lake Ontario. (Horse drawn carriages, etc.). It's about a 20 minute ride from the falls but well worth it. There are a few wineries on the way. We got to the whirlpool (downstream from the falls) late so we couldn't ride the cable car over the river but it didn't look worth it anyway. The whirlpool is on the way to "Niagara on the lake" so you can stop and see it on the way.

 

[iReC89]

An Embassy Suites room overlooking the falls goes a long way to making you feel like you've been there long enough and you can do the whole thing in a day. I booked a cheap room but when I got there they offered a falls view at a reasonable adder compared to booking one in advance. Fair warning - parking is a hassle and not free. No free wifi - $10-15 PER DEVICE. Whatever you do - figure out your data rates before you cross the border or Verizon will charge $2.05 per MB. If you call before you go you will only pay $2 per device per day. Maid of the Mist and tunnel tour both worth it.

 

[Randal7]

Niagara on the lake is a phenomenal town. Definitely hit that. Hit up Toronto too. Not too far away and great in the summertime

 

[Ruthinking]

An Embassy Suites room overlooking the falls goes a long way to making you feel like you've been there long enough and you can do the whole thing in a day. I booked a cheap room but when I got there they offered a falls view at a reasonable adder compared to booking one in advance. Fair warning - parking is a hassle and not free. No free wifi - $10-15 PER DEVICE. Whatever you do - figure out your data rates before you cross the border or Verizon will charge $2.05 per MB. If you call before you go you will only pay $2 per device per day. Maid of the Mist and tunnel tour both worth it.

I joined Hilton Honors program and got free wifi at the Embassy Suites. Good advice about the phone however...

 

[RUJohnny99]

You should talk your kid into going to Rutgers.

Serious question: when are they turning off the falls to replace one of the bridges? I gotta make it up there for that

 

[GoodOl'Rutgers]

On the way back consider Letchworth State Park, south of Rochester. And Stony Brook as well if you want to swim in pools cut into the rock or wade in waterfalls...

 

[LSRF]

Went up there a few summers ago. Stayed at the Hilton on the Canadian side - we had a view of the falls. We did some sort of guided tour of all the hot spots, cannot remember what is was called. It was not cheap, but the four of us were taken by a mini bus to each of the tourist spots, skipped all the lines and ended up seeing everything in one morning/afternoon. Highly recommend it.

 

[76Scarlet]

Step by step.....

inch by inch.........

 

[GoodOl'Rutgers]

inch by inch.........

Which is closely related to.. The Susquehana Hat Company...

 

[Ruthinking]

I will be the third to recommend the Embassey Suites on the Canadian side. Pay the extra for a high room overlooking the falls. I highly recommend lunch at the revolving restaurant (I forget the name) overlooking the falls. It's not in the hotel but you can walk to the revolving tower. (Reservation required and slightly pricy but worth it). We enjoyed walking to the casino and dropping some coin at night. Uber works in Canada but not in Buffalo (only relavant if you don't have a car). Cross the border at off peak times i.e. not rush hour. The wait can be long. Bring your passport. We loved the behind the falls tunnels on the Canadian side. It puts you right next to the horseshoe Canadian falls where you can appreciate the power. 90% of the water from the Niagara river flows over the Canadian falls, only 10% over the US side. The movie attractions inside the visitors center are kind of hokey because they shoot water into the audience and are not worth the expensive admission. An afternoon ride to the town of "Niagara on the Lake" is highly recommended. There are great restaurants in a quaint town on Lake Ontario. (Horse drawn carriages, etc.). It's about a 20 minute ride from the falls but well worth it. There are a few wineries on the way. We got to the whirlpool (downstream from the falls) late so we couldn't ride the cable car over the river but it didn't look worth it anyway. The whirlpool is on the way to "Niagara on the lake" so you can stop and see it on the way.

The revolving restaurant is in the Skylon Tower.

Our favorite restaurant in Nigara-on-the-Lake is the Shaw Cafe and Wine Bar...eat or drink upstairs on the balcony or in the upstairs bar.

Have a drink at the Prince of Wales Hotel in Niagara-on-the-Lake

 

[76Scarlet]

View embedded media

Which is closely related to.. The Susquehana Hat Company...

View embedded media

Absolutely loved that skit.........."BAGEL STREET!!!!!........BAGEL STEET!!!!!..........SUSQUEHANNA HAT COMPANY..........SUSQUEHANNA HAT COMPANY!!!!!!!"

 

[bryanjints]

Come visit 810 Meadworks. One of our meads is a nod to the Scarlet Knights. Called Scarlet A. The A is for Apples.

http://810meadworks.com

 

[RUDutch]

OP has 1,737 likes on 1,611 messages. Impressive.

 

[Bagarocks]

810 Meadworks is da bomb!!!
You won't regret it, they make this Liquid Sunshine Mead that leaves the Sun shining well into the night!

 

[vascosg]

Congrats on the kid going to Carnegie Mellon. First year? What major? Excellent engineering and computer science school in an outstanding city.

Thanks, Managament Information Systems, math comes naturally to him but wants to do a mix of business and computer science ...

 

[MrsScrew]

Absolutely loved that skit.........."BAGEL STREET!!!!!........BAGEL STEET!!!!!..........SUSQUEHANNA HAT COMPANY..........SUSQUEHANNA HAT COMPANY!!!!!!!"

Is it weird that I say, out loud, "The Susquehanna Hat Company!" Every time I drive over the Susquehanna river? #dumbthingsido

 

[LC-88]

My Grandfather graduated from Carnegie Tech in the early 30's. Big football school back in the day. Safe travels.

 

[Knight Shift]

Thanks, Managament Information Systems, math comes naturally to him but wants to do a mix of business and computer science ...

Fantastic. You should be very proud.

 

[dvb91]

Is it weird that I say, out loud, "The Susquehanna Hat Company!" Every time I drive over the Susquehanna river? #dumbthingsido

LOL, I do the same.

 

[MrsScrew]

LOL, I do the same.

Oh, good! I'm not the only nut out there!

 

[RUChoppin]

The NY side is a national park, and has all the expected greenery, trails, etc... highlight is the Cave of the Winds tour, where you get to walk down under one of the falls. Outside the park, though, not a great area - I wouldn't stay in a hotel there.

Canada side is a gaudy Vegas/AC style bonanza of kitsch, but it has the best views of the falls and hotels overlooking the falls. It also has some decent restaurant options... but a ton of chains, and everything is fairly expensive, since it's a resort town.

Go just north of there to Niagara-on-the-Lake, and there's some nicer B&Bs and smaller hotels, with great restaurants and a pretty sprawling wine country. Quieter, much more relaxed and laid back.

We did a short trip:
Day 1 - NY side national park, Cave of the Winds, Maid of the Mist... drove across the bridge and stayed in Niagara on the Lake
Day 2 - Wineries and tastings, drove down to Niagara Falls and stayed in the highest floor of Sheraton on the Falls overlooking both major waterfalls
Day 3 - Spent the day in Niagara falls Canada side and then drove home.

 

[ru78]

Dropping off last kid at college in Pitt (Cargenie Mellon) in late August and thinking of driving up to Niagara Falls afterwards for a few days for an anniversary (don't ask which , can't do math anymore). Anyone have hotel suggestions or things to do other than push wife over the falls and snapchat it?

Stayed at Rennaissance (Marriott property) Had view of the falls from room on a high floor and they have a view of the Falls from Concierge floor