As many of you know, Mama Nomad’s birthday was a few weeks ago. We like to celebrate by creating memories rather than giving tangible gifts. With our lifestyle of traveling, more physical gifts means more weight and takes up more space. In typical Nomad fashion, Mama Nomad was given the gift of creating memories by visiting a wondrous location. We road tripped to Niagara Falls!
We journeyed from Connecticut to the town of Niagara Falls, New York. We stayed in the US on this excursion. It was an all day affair just to get there. Since we planned ahead, we already had a hotel room reserved. And it was a good thing too. Because when we pulled into town, there was a blues festival going on and many streets were blocked off and shut down. In addition, the hotels were pretty much sold out. We finally found our way to the parking lot and checked in.
Blues Festival
Throughout this post I will be sharing advice to make your life easier if you go to Niagara. The first one is to get a room at the Comfort Inn. The rooms are reasonably priced, the staff was warm and welcoming, they have a free breakfast big enough to fill you up and it is literally right across the road from the Niagara River and the falls. You cannot get closer than this hotel. Staying here will save you money on parking too. It is located at 1 Prospect Pointe, Niagara Falls, New York. Another key piece of info, the parking entrance is on Rainbow Blvd.
After we checked in, we headed over to the falls. It was getting dark and every night they do a light show on the falls. During certain dates they do fireworks shows as well. Lucky for us, they were doing one tonight. We found ourselves a spot and it was a blast to see the water turn different colors from the lights with a magnificent fireworks display overhead all while standing by some of the most famous waterfalls in the world.
Fireworks over Niagara Falls.
There are multiple different things that you can do while at Niagara. You will find bundled deals for the theater, aquarium and more. Mama Nomad didn’t want to do all of that. She wanted to do the Cave of the Winds and Maid of the Mist. The Cave of the Winds tour allows you to get arms distance from the falls. And the Maid of the Mist was a boat ride around to see all of the falls.
We went to the Cave of the Winds first. After you get a ticket, you are given a poncho and rubber sandals. Here is my advice. If you do not want something to get wet, do not bring it to the tour. Leave it in the hotel room. They do give you a bag for your shoes. As long as you tie the bag securely, your shoes will be fine. If you visit Niagara when it is warm, there are no issues. If it is cold, make sure you roll your pants up at least to your knees. And, if you have long sleeves on, roll them up to your elbows or push them up to your elbows, depending upon the type of shirt. Read…you will get wet. The only question is how much?
You descend 175 feet down in an elevator to the bottom of the falls. Then you walk along a wooden walkway that leads you to the front of the falls; in front of Bridal Veil Falls. There are different tiers with steps from one to the next. Each tier you climb, the closer to the falls you get. The closer you get, the wetter you get. At one point, the water from the falls is actually coming across the walkway and rushing around your ankles and calves. If you go to the top tier, it is called the Hurricane Deck. I do not have to explain that one. It is in the name; lots of wind and lots of water.
Hurricane Deck
From the Cave of the Winds, we went over to Luna Island. This is a piece of land at the top of the falls that splits Bridal Veil and American Falls. You can get one of the best top down views of the 167 foot tall falls from here. Once we soaked in the views, we went straight to the Maid of the Mist with a detour to the hotel. We dropped our shoes off in our hotel room along the way. The rubber sandals were comfortable enough and we figured our feet would get wet again, so we left them on.
Luna Island
They will give you a poncho at Maid of the Mist as well. However, if you go to the Cave of the Winds, I suggest you keep that poncho instead. The Maid of the Mist ponchos are thicker. But, one thing we experienced was that wind got inside the poncho and blew it up into our faces quite often. It detracts away from the enjoyment of the tour. The poncho from the Cave of the Winds did not react to wind the same way.
We boarded the Maid of the Mist and we were able to stand at the bow of the boat, front and center of the action. The Maid of the Mist took us in front of American Falls, Bridal Veil Falls and into the middle of Horseshoe Falls. The view and the experience was awe inspiring. All of that water. All of that power. All of that beauty. The feeling you get is indescribable. All in all it was a great day. We were wet, cold and tired. But wow what an experience.
Beginning the tour on Maid of the Mist.
Entering Horseshoe Falls.
When we left Niagara, we took a detour just a few miles north to see Lake Ontario; the smallest of the Grate Lakes.Even though it is the smallest, it still has a surface area of over 7000 square miles. Standing on the shoreline we could see the Toronto Skyline across the water. Experiencing Niagara Falls and visiting one of the Great Lakes in one weekend, this is a birthday present that Mama Nomad is guaranteed not to forget. And the rest of the Nomad Clan had a great time sharing the experience. If you are within a day’s drive, add this destination to your plans. Safe Travels.
