The Almost Complete Guide to Niagara Falls Canada

Arguably the more glitzy side of Niagara Falls, the Canadian swath of this natural wonder wows with its many exciting opportunities to view the falls from above. Although some may have opposed the construction of the high-rise towers within the Fallsview Boulevard neighborhood, the truth is they provide many extraordinary vantage points from which to view the falls from above. Plus, since most of them are hotels, they do accommodate many visitors, a not-so-insignificant detail at this high-ranked tourist destination.

It’s a vibrant district indeed with lots happening from live entertainment to arcades to paintball to the extraordinary IMAX theater. There’s also the Fallsview Casino Resort, the largest gaming resort facility in Canada. And, of course, the area is loaded with all kinds of restaurants and bars. On the far end of Niagara Fallsview, you can enjoy a truly authentic time at the Maple Leaf Tavern. It’s a rough–and–tumble kind of place where folks have been having lots of fun for quite some time. It’s also Niagara’s oldest country bar, so put on a clean shirt and boots, comb your hair and head there to take in some great live country music.

Go to Clifton Hill Niagara and take a ride on the Niagara Skywheel for more memorable views of Niagara. Here, too, family fun is limitless. There’s an amusement park-like vibe throughout with all the colorful attractions that go with such a scene, including museums, mini-golf, souvenir shops, all kinds of eateries and more. The hotels and restaurants here are quite affordable and best of all, everything is just a short distance from the falls. (On certain days, you can even feel the mist on your face, or one can imagine it.)

If you want to view Niagara Falls from very high up, book a tour with National Helicopters. They furnish an unforgettable experience from the sky.

Those heli tours will allow you to take a lot in in a short amount of time. You might need that because you could very well be sleeping in late after hitting the Clifton Hill District, the area best known for its entertainment. From Vegas-style shows to world-class restaurants and a variety of other attractions, this part of the area, known as Niagara Fallsview District, Ontario has got it going on. Fortunately there’s a good choice of hotels within Clifton Hill District, since there’s no sense in traipsing across town when there’s so much partying to be done. Best to reserve in advance for all.

For shopping and dining with more of a local’s flare, go to Lundy’s Lane. (Thank goodness you have your Discovery Map to locate all of these places; Lundy’s Lane is right at the letter “K.”) Fashionistas will definitely want to hit the Canada One Brand Name Outlets there. Sounds good, eh?

Niagara Parks is a must. Here you can stroll through the stately gardens within Queen Victoria Park and also go to the Table Rock Visitor Center. The latter is an expansive place with much to take in, including Journey Behind the Falls, where visitors experience–for real–what it’s like to be at the foot of the crashing falls. Also within that locale, Niagara’s Fury offers an almost real-life happening as you are immersed in a 4D Universal Studios-styled show in this 360-degree theater. Within this multi-sensory extravaganza you can relive the creation of Niagara Falls in a flash and then live to talk about it.

For those that prefer to dial it down considerably, go to the Niagara Historical Museum at Old Town Niagara-on-the-Lake and/or RiverBrink Art Museum in Niagara-on-the-Lake. History buffs will delight in the exhibitions at the Niagara Historical Museum, a collection established by the Niagara Historical Society in 1895. This museum, in fact, possesses one of Ontario’s richest and most important collections. Here you can delve into thousands of years of history of Niagara, passing from that of the ancestral natives through the War of 1812 to the tale of the SS Cayuga, a large steamship that once transported visitors here from Toronto and so on.

Art aficionados and neophytes alike will enjoy a wondrous journey through art from the past two centuries at RiverBrink. From sculpture to paintings with subject matter as far reaching as the falls (but of course) to a young child (in the case of a painting by Renoir), this museum provides a feast for the eyes quite different–although to many just as captivating–than the mighty Niagara Falls.