Niagara Falls, Canada

We decided to take a short trip to Niagara Falls to start our summer. I have heard so many great things, but neither my husband or I had ever traveled there. We figured the boys were old enough for a car trip so we packed up and started our drive. We stopped halfway there and visited Watkins Glen State Park, which is beautiful and awe inspiring. Fair warning, there are lots of steps, but you can read all about that on our Watkins Glen State Park review.

We drove to Canada which means we crossed the borders with our passports. Always fun for the kids. We rented through Airbnb and were very happy with the location. It was within walking distance of the falls and we could easily hop on the bus to get to the falls too. We liked taking the bus and the boys LOVED it.

Visiting the falls was super easy and we ended up booking the “Behind the Falls” tour, which we felt was worth the money.

So we bought the tour, “Niagara Journey Behind the Falls” which I felt was well worth the money. We got to go behind the falls, through these cool tunnels which has information to read as you go along. Then you get to go out on this cool platform super close to the falls:

The package we bought came with the following and we loved every single adventure that was included: (buy online to save money!!)

Discover the wonder of Niagara. The Niagara Falls Wonder Pass Plus includes admission to:

• Journey Behind the Falls, Niagara’s Fury, Floral Showhouse and the Butterfly Conservatory
• Two consecutive days aboard WEGO, the hop-on, hop-off transportation system that connects Niagara Parks to your hotel and other tourist areas in the city
• Unlimited access to the Falls Incline Railway for two consecutive days
• Exclusive benefits for Wonder Pass holders at Niagara Parks restaurants, gift shops and other area attractions.

We were able to use the Falls Incline Railway and the boys loved it:

We also had tickets for the Butterfly Conservatory and originally were like “meh, the tickets are included so we will check it out, plus we love butterflies”. Let me tell you, this place was AMAZING. We loved it so much that we spent more time than we had anticipated. You can take a bus trip there but we drove. Here is the website:
https://www.niagaraparks.com/visit/attractions/butterfly-conservatory/

So while you may not think of butterflies when you think of Niagara Falls, this place shouldn’t be missed if you are traveling with kids!

After the butterflies, we decided to try the Whirlpool Aero Car. I will be the first to admit that I am TERRIFIED of heights. I try not to show that when I am with my boys because I don’t want them to be afraid of the things I am afraid of…it was amazing views and the boys LOVED it. I smiled my way through and I am glad I did it, but gulp, my knees were knocking!

We also decided to drive up to Lake Ontario one day. We passed through the small town of Niagara on the Lake, but we didn’t stop because…the boys were out like lights. They were sleeping so well that we kept driving to Lake Ontario and the husband hopped out to get in some fishing on the lake.

When the boys woke up we explored along the coast of Lake Ontario and it was beautiful. We wished that we had thought to reserve a place closer to enjoy it more.

Another not to miss event in Niagara is the light show on the falls. It was one of the most beautiful firework shows we have ever watched and it was well worth the wait. Not sure the boys loved the wait, but we got there early and had prime seats to watch. Here is the schedule for summer fireworks:

We also did the White Water Walk and it was another beautiful spot that we were happy we visited:
https://www.niagaraparks.com/visit/attractions/white-water-walk/

We also couldn’t visit Niagara Falls without riding on the Maid of the Mist, well Hornblower which is the boat that operates on the Canadian side. We were so excited for this adventure and I had bought tickets in advance so I didn’t have to worry about it being sold out. Here is a link to their site!

While we loved seeing all of the sites, my boys were most interested in the dinosaurs that they saw peeking over the buildings. They must have asked us a million times to visit the dinosaurs, which is an adorable mini golfing site. We loved it:

We also rode on the ferris wheel that was right beside the mini golf area. We liked to see all of the sights from the air. I was a little nervous because I don’t love heights, but the boys liked looking around:

We also ate a the Rainforest Cafe which is a short walk from the dinosaur mini golf and ferris wheel. The boys love to visit and eat the delicious brownie dessert with the sparkler at the end:

We really enjoyed visiting Niagara Falls and visiting some spots we didn’t know existed. We hope you and your family enjoy your visit too!