Where do
you recommend we stay for our visit to Niagara Falls?
Choose a hotel that
faces the Falls. Although hotels with Falls views are more expensive than ones
that
don’t face the Falls, why go all this way to NOT have a view???
Marriott, Hilton, Embassy Suites,
Renaissance, Ramada, and Radisson
each have large hotels that offer Falls view. You might as well
just
find a post card
printer if you
aren't going to see the view of the falls. I like the Sheraton (5875
Falls Ave) on the Canadian side. The Sheraton is a 22-story hotel, and the
rooms facing the Falls have
Juliet balconies, and many rooms have a gas
fireplace. My guests stay there when they go to Niagara
because they
want the total Falls experience. The only thing I don’t like about this hotel is
that there
aren’t enough elevators to service the hotel
properly.
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My
girlfriend wants to go to Niagrara Falls, but I don’t understand why. Can't I
just buy her a
Postcard instead? All I know about Niagara Falls is from
the Three Stooges. What’s so great about
water?
“Slowly I
turned, step by step, inch by inch.” My husband loves that bit and he drives me
crazy with it.
I have no idea what he’s talking about. We live in
Buffalo, NY, BTW, but I’m answering the Niagara
questions because I
love the Falls and we live real close. Living up here means we understand
nature’s
power, we know why the Great Lakes are GREAT, and we accept
that once in awhile nature will test
us with 20 inches of snow in one
day or make us live in 20 degrees below zero for a few days. We
learn
to deal with nature on her terms. The Falls are beautiful in a way you can’t
understand until you
see them. They’re not man-made, they’re not there
for any human reason – they’re there because
nature put them there.
That’s why the Falls are worth a visit. My opinion is you should visit the Falls
in
person and buy a postcard as a
souvenir.
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I
hear that the Canadian side is better than the American side. What does that
mean?
You get a better view from Canada, that’s what that means. The
Niagara River divides the US (New
York State) and Canada (Province of
Ontario). The river is winding, not straight, and the Falls part is
in
a bend in the river and they face away from the US. If you stand on the US side
of the Niagara
River, you can see some of the waterfalls but it’s at an
angle. The falls face Canada, so on the
Canadian side you can see them
from top to bottom in all their glory. And you get to ride the Maid of
the Mist, the boat that takes you right up inside the Horseshoe Falls.
You’ll get drenched on the ride,
but they give you a groovy plastic
poncho to protect yourself. If you want to stay in the US, you can
still have get the best view possible by using the Prospect Point
Observation Tower, right next to the
Bridal Veil Falls where you’re so
close you’ll get splashed by Niagara water. There’s also a 184-ft.
glass elevator, which you may have seen already in postcards, that takes
you to the bottom of the
Niagara
Gorge.
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How
can there be more than one waterfall?
There would be one huge waterfall
except for the islands right at the lip of the waterfall line that diverts
the water around them. From the ground it looks like three separate falls.
The dividing line between the
US and Canada goes right down the middle
of the river but the islands don’t split the water half-and-
half. On
the US side of the river, there are two falls: a large “American Falls” and a
little one next to it
called “Bridal Veil Falls.” On the Canadian side
of the river there’s the “Horseshoe Falls”, and this is
the one that
everyone ooohs and ahhhs over. The waterfall line is not straight across the
river, it’s
jagged like when you nibble a piece of bread and leave
irregular edges. The waterfall line on the
Canadian side curves into a
U-shape and looks
spectacular.
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Do I
need a passport to get to Canada to see the falls? I don’t have one. I’m an
American if that
makes a difference.
US citizens don’t need a
passport, but you need a photo ID – a driver’s license will do. If you’re in the
USA on a visa, you need to get a "temporary resident visa" from
the
Canadian consulate in Buffalo, New York before you cross the border (call
716-858 9591 Fax: 716-
852-2477). You can’t get this visa at the border,
you have to get it in Buffalo. But you should really
get a passport!
Application is easy, it costs about $85, it’s good for 10 years and will let you
travel
anywhere.
You can stay in the US and see the Falls if you
use the Prospect Point Observation Tower right next to
the Bridal Veil
Falls, where you’re so close you’ll get splashed by Niagara water. There’s also
a 184-
ft. glass elevator that takes you to the bottom of the Niagara
Gorge. However, you won’t get a very
good view of the Horseshoe Falls,
the big U-shaped fall on the Canadian side, because it doesn’t face
the
US.
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Once you’ve seen the waterfall, is
there anything else to do? I have three children, ages 9 – 15.
You’re in
luck! Niagara is a great place for families to vacation together. Besides seeing
the Falls,
there are lots of options for fun. Between the river and
Bridge Street you’ll find rides, souvenir shops,
restaurants, and for
the adults -- casinos. Walking around this area is fun at night because it’s all
lit up
like a G-rated Las Vegas. The Great Canadian Midway is a huge
arcade full of rides and games where
you win tickets to redeem for
prizes. There’s a Hard Rock Café and a Hershey’s Shop (yummy
chocolate), Ripley’s Believe it or Not, and a miniature golf course with a
dinosaur theme. There’s The
Falls Tower where you’ll get an aerial
panorama of the city and the Falls. The Skylon Tower is the
tallest
building in the city and has a restaurant that revolves to give you a panorama
view that can’t be
beat. A mile away is Marineland (7657 Portage Road),
a groovy aquarium that’s open between May
and Oct. To show your kids
some American history, go to Fort Niagara in nearby Youngstown, NY –
it’s a 300 year old fort preserved as it was in the 1700s.
For free, at
night, the Falls are illuminated by groovy colored lights, and in summer there’s
fireworks. It
sounds corny, but it’s really not – it’s worth seeing. I
love them.
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Is
Niagara Falls a national park? Can we bring our RV? Are there cabins we can stay
in, like at the
Grand Canyon?
There is a Niagara Falls Park but
it’s a state park, not a national one, and you can’t camp there.
Niagara Park the oldest state park in the US (yay for NY!). It opened on
July 15, 1885. Admission is
free and includes self-guided walking tours
of Goat Island, Three Sisters Island and the American
Falls. The state
parks in the Niagara region where you can camp are: Evangola State Park in
Irving,
Four Mile Creek State Park east of Youngstown, and Golden Hill
State Park in Barker. I hear there
are also plenty of campgrounds and
provincial parks on the Canadian side of the falls, but I don’t
know
them. By the way, many National Parks have Gift Shops which sell breathtaking
photos and
postcards to make your trip a memorable
one.
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Do I
need to use Canadian money? What’s the exchange rate?
You can use either
Canadian or US money. Prices will always be quoted in both denominations. Don’t
try to do the math and convert US dollars into Canadian dollars – just
pay US. Tell the cashier if you’
re going to pay in US or Canadian
dollars before your purchase is rung up. Regardless of how you
pay,
your change will be given in Canadian coins. Just collect the change and at the
end of your stay
leave it for the chambermaid in your hotel as a tip.
But make sure the coins add up to at least $5 a
day! That’s the going
rate for tipping a chambermaid.
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What
is the Postage rate on the Canadian side of the Falls? I'm looking forward to
mailing letters and
postcards to my friends and family back
home?
Postage rates change so it is best to inquire at your hotel or
local post office when you arrive to the
Falls. Don't forget
those "Maid of the Mist" postcards. They're my personal favorite!
Coming to Niagara
Falls?sm
beautiful postcards of Niagara