Niagara Falls Weekend Trip

NIAGARA VACATION TRIP

This most recent trip to the famous water falls and tourist attraction was a welcome get away. The weather was good and everything went smoothly.

• FRIDAY,
We road up Friday June fourth 1999 and took the Niagara parkway to the falls along the river. As we approached we were greeted by a magnificent rainbow arching across the length of the mist created by the Horseshoe Falls. It was a pleasant sunny afternoon. After settling in at the Holiday Inn we had dinner and took a short walk down to see the natural wonder. As evening approached colored lights illuminated the dense white water thundering over the edge of both the American and Horseshoe Falls. Every Friday during the tourist season Canada offers a small fireworks display at ten o’clock. Both the vivid rainbows and fireworks show got things off to a great start.


• SATURDAY
After a good breakfast at the Inn we walked down to the area where the “Maid of the Mist” is located and took a trip on the famous boat into the heart of the thundering mist of the falls. The spray showers everyone as if in a rainstorm. The seagulls fly around playfully diving into the churning waters for food. On returning, we proceed to the tour that takes one behind the falls by way of a man made tunnel through the rock then you can view the waterfalls through a small porthole in the rock from behind. We also walk out on a platform built directly at the edge of the falls. This offers a spectacular close up view. One can really feel the power of the falls from these vantagepoints. It’s best to have a good pair of sunglasses to help bring out the details and the colors. We then had lunch at the Victoria Park Restaurant. This restaurant has a very nice lunch buffet every day during the peak tourist season. It offers a great view and elegant surroundings. Following lunch we took the people mover to the Green House exhibit. This wonderful little green house has a variety of plants along with quite an array of tropical songbirds adorned with the whole spectrum of colors. We then took the small bus back to the falls and went back to the Inn to prepare for dinner at the top of Skylone Tower’s revolving dinning room. The dinner was good and the lofty view of the spectacle below is out of this world. We then went into town to Clifton Hill to enjoy some entertainment at the wax museum and fun house attractions there.

• SUNDAY
At Queenston Park we enjoyed a splendid brunch while appreciating the grand view of the river below. We then spent a greater part of the day at the Botanical Gardens and at a new attraction called the Butterfly Conservancy. This glass enclosure filled with water falls and tropical plants along with several hundred tropical butterflies is amazing. The butterflies are so numerous that they will fly right towards you and land on your shoulder. It’s worth the trip just to be witness to this marvel of cultivated nature. It got a little hot due to a heat wave so we returned to the Inn to escape the heat. In the evening we had a pizza cooked in a wood fired oven out on the patio of the Inn and walked down to see the falls once again. I am always fascinated with the diversity of people that come to Niagara. The Amish from New York and Pennsylvania come to see the falls along with British and Germans, Indians and Orientals, French and Arabians. It’s interesting to mingle with such a diversified crowd.

• MONDAY
Before heading home we stopped at Moma Mia’s Italian Restaurant for a hardy lunch. The pasta is made from scratch and is a real treat. The service is very personable as well. Another important task that must be performed before leaving Niagara Falls is to find Portage’s bakery and pick up some fresh baked bread. Potage’s is located at 5845 Gladstone Ave and Ferry Street. They have lots of other things to delight the taste buds also.

It’s always nice to have a short get away and Niagara Falls Canada is one of the best places near by to do so. If you can avoid the souvenir shops and keep away from the tourist traps and watch what you eat, it can be a bargain also. It’s one of the great natural wonders of the world right in our own back yard.

Recommendations
1. Be sure to enjoy the Sunday brunch at Queenston Park
2. Be sure to ride the Maid of the Mist into the falls
3. Stay on the Canadian side
4. Get some fresh baked bread at Portage’s
5. Have a nice dinner at Mama Mia’s
6. Go to the top of Skylone Tower to see the view
7. Check out the Butterfly conservancy
8. Keep away from the tourist traps