Must See Canada: Niagara Falls

Niagara Falls is an iconic location, recognized around the world. If you’ve never been, you might think that you know what it’s like from photos. But trust us, pictures do not do justice to the power of these falls, you really do have to get yourself up close.

You won’t appreciate from pictures how blue and crystal clear the water is as it surges to the edge until you’re standing right there, wedged in among the tourists. You get dizzy as you look down and can’t help but think of the stories you’ve heard of people going over the falls and surviving.

When you get to the falls, you have a few options of how to see them. The free, and most immediate, way is to look at them from above. A public walkway lines the falls and the Niagara River. For a price, you could take the Journey Behind the Falls, where you take an elevator down through bedrock and view the back of the cascading falls. It’s an impressive vantage point. The oldest tourist attraction is the Maid of the Mist, the boat tour that puts you in a blue poncho and takes you as close to the falls as you could ever hope to get. The Maid of the Mist is famous for a number of things; from saving a boy who had gone over the falls in 1960, to being the site of Jim and Pam’s wedding on The Office.

If you get tired of looking at all that water, you can always saunter up to nearby Clifton Hill. It’s a gaudy street lined with funhouse attractions and chain restaurants, Clifton Hill offers some cheesy fun. At the very least, you can gawk at the lit storefronts with Vegas-style aspirations.

Where to stay: HI-Niagara Falls offers free breakfast and a great discount pass to four attractions, including the two mentioned above.

Image Credit: Flickr user Lydiafizz

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