Located in the south of Ontario and 60km as the crow flies from Toronto, Niagara Falls is probably one of the worlds most famous natural land marks.
As you would expect the city of Niagara falls attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors a year and to be honest the main area around the falls is no more than a giant tourist resort. The main streets are either lined with hotels and restaurants or souvenir shops, amusement arcade and other assorted tourist attractions. Lets face it, there is honestly only so much time can be spent looking at the majestic falls.
So the falls are not hidden in the centre of picture perfect tropical jungle location and you cant strip off and jump into a beautifully warm blue lagoon at the base of the falls with your travailing companions, do so and your likely to get hypothermia for a start. What the falls do offer is the chance to feel the power of over 100 million liters of water thumping down from a height of over 50 meters. Its a sound you can hear from hundreds of meters away, in fact you don’t really even need a town map, just follow your ears and you will find yourself at the falls.
If you’ve heard of the falls you have probably heard of the Maid of the Mist. This boat tour is actually operated from the american side of the falls but tickets are readily available at outlets throughout the falls area and the boat picks up on the Canadian side south of the Rainbow bridge. The tour only runs throughout the summer months and usually start mid April.
Another top tourist pick is the Journey behind the falls. To the right of Horseshoe falls, the larger of the three and the only one within Canadian territory you will find a large white building, this houses restaurants, small museums, souvenir shops and the ticket booths along with the entrance to the tour. Once you have descended below the tour is self guided allowing you to explore the various platforms and tunnels below. Several tickets types are available and the available viewing platforms can vary due to weather and time of year.
Once you’ve spent your time at the falls the chances are you will head into town to seek further amusement and aside from the various casinos you will probably find your self on Clifton hill where you will find casual dinning, arcades and attractions such as Ripley’s Believe it or not and the large viewing wheel not to forget the Crazy golf. If the hustle and bustle of the amusements are not your thing then located nearby and fronting the falls are some beautiful parks. Open with lots of seating the parks are perfect for relaxing in the sun with the sound of the crashing water in the distance not forgetting a view of the falls also.
Niagara facts and figures:
- Over 163,000,000 Litres flow over the falls at peak times.
- Used for Hydro-Electric power generation to over 160,000 homes.
- Directly on the border between Canada and the USA.
- Last estimates expected 30 million visitors annually.
- Home to the famous Maid of the Mist.
Helpful Links:
Travelammo related articles:
- Niagara Falls – Which is the best side to visit – USA or Canada One of the most common questions asked be people wanting to or planning to visit Niagara Falls is which side is it best viewed from, USA or Canada. Whilst we are not going to directly tell you which side you should ...
- Tanger Outlet Locations Tanger Outlets is one of North Americas largest designer outlet shopping village chains. With locations all over the USA and a few in Canada. Many locations have over 100 stores representing some of the biggest names in global fashion, home wares and sporting goods. Prices ...