Monday, March 15, 2010

Niagara Falls from the Canadian side

Niagara Falls is one of the natural wonders of the world and, with cheap flights to Toronto,  you're only a 90-minute drive away from taking in this spectacular sight and the other attractions the city on the Canada-U.S. border has to offer.

The views of the 50-metre-high and 800-metre-wide Horseshoe Falls and the 30-metre-tall and 320-metre-wide American Falls are best from the Canadian side, which also has more tourist-oriented facilities if you eventually tire of the natural spectacle. And melting ice in the Niagara River and Lake Erie at this time of year means that the flow rate of water crashing down over the rocks is high.

You can take walkways under the falls or board the famed Maid Of The Mist boat to cruise through the rapids to the falls to feel their immense power. And yes, you will get wet.

There are also lots of great vantage points just by walking along the road that follows the river and the falls. And if you keep on driving along the Niagara Parkway you'll find the whirlpool and the cable car that glides over it, along with other scenic spots and historic locations, until you get to the quaint town of Niagara-On-The-Lake, the home of the Shaw Festival theatres.

The Skylon Tower and Minolta Tower give visitors who ascend to their summits different visual perspectives of the falls and the surrounding area.

 

Clifton Hill offers a variety of often kitschy wax museums, haunted houses,  mazes, rides, arcades, theatres and miniature golf courses that will especially appeal to children and teenagers. For the grown-ups, Niagara Falls has two casinos and a number of respected golf courses.

A little bit further out, but a short drive away, is the Marineland theme park and aquarium featuring rides, wildlife exhibits, whale and dolphin shows, and a campground. The city also features water parks where kids can splash around and zoom down slides without fear of finding killer whales lurking below.

Niagara Falls offers a wide variety of motels, hotels and restaurants to suit different tastes and budgets, which further enhances its popularity as a family destination.

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