I woke up at 6:30 a.m. yesterday morning after six hours of sleep and watched my energy rise in a matter of minutes. I was tired, but my excitement for Niagara Falls led me to get ready as quickly as possible as I just wanted to be on my way. This was not only my first time in Niagara Falls but my first time in Canada since I was about four years old (which I wouldn't really count).
I embarked on my journey to Niagara Fall with my roommate, Brie, who had also never been. After packing our things, we stopped at Dunkin' for coffee (of course) and headed straight for the falls. Both of us agreed that the drive was not really that bad, as it totaled around two-and-a-half hours from Syracuse, New York, where we both go to college. We decided to buy a parking pass, which I would definitely recommend, as this allows you to park at various destination spots that Niagara Falls offers, at a one time fee. The parking pass cost around $14, and we both purchased the Wonder Pass which allowed us to attend these additional destinations aside from viewing the falls (which is free).
After parking, Brie and I walked alongside the falls and tried to take in how breathtaking the falls are. It was very busy with many people also viewing the falls, but as the path to view them extends for a long distance, it was not very difficult to find a good spot to watch the falls from the railing.
After many pictures and discussions about how breathtaking this sight was, we decided to embark on the Journey Behind The Falls— where we took an elevator down to below the falls and could walk through paths which led to openings where the water would fall over. Each path underground had posters that described Niagara Falls history, which was all interesting to read.
On our elevator ride back up to the candy and gift shop, we shopped for souvenirs and then walked towards Niagara's Fury— a 4D video-journey of the falls which describes the history of the falls through an Ice Age themed short movie. During this panoramic video experience, water would spray and fall to represent the falls, and the ground shook. We did get a little wet, but they provide free ponchos upon entry to prevent this. Brie and I both enjoyed it.
As we arrived at Niagara Falls at around 11 a.m., we still had a lot of time after these activities, which was great as we were able to then explore Clifton Hill, part of Niagara Falls, Ontario. This strip is extremely cool, and the attractions on this small strip reminded me of a mix between the Jersey Shore and Las Vegas. While here, first, we grabbed lunch at the Rainforest Cafe, which is one of the coolest restaurants I have ever been to. The entire restaurant is built to portray a rainforest, with fake moving animals, trees, fountains, large fish tanks, and vines fully covering the walls and ceilings. Everything was also extremely tasty.
The rest of our day was filled with walking around Clifton Hill, visiting the beautiful Butterfly Conservatory, viewing the falls again, and heading back to Clifton Hill to grab dinner, souvenirs, and to wander around, and later view the falls again. As we accomplished a lot in one day and were extremely tired today, I would probably recommend staying the night if you visit Niagara Falls. But, if you are going for a day trip like we did, that will definitely be worth it too.
Niagara Falls is absolutely beautiful, and the areas around the falls are very interesting and fun to visit. With how amazing this visit went, I would definitely go back to explore again.
