Headed to upstate NY in late July for a family wedding. We plan on heading up a few days early to see the falls before cutting over to Syracuse.

Our plan is to fly from Houston to Buffalo, cross the border into Canada, and stay a couple of nights at one of the nicer Marriotts. Its expensive but with the exchange rate working in the USD's favor we'll probably splurge for one of the nicer suites, too. It might be the only trip with the kids to do this for several years.

Looking for any pointers or advice on things to do while at Niagara, or things to stay away from...and of course sarcastic jokes are welcome, too. Thanks.

While in Canado go to Niagra on the Lake. About 20 minutes from the Falls. Neat town.

Great wineries at Niagra on the Lake

And do Cave of the Winds - walk down steps to base of falls. Really feel the power of the water and wind.

Old Fort Niagara is really cool - it's in Youngstown right where the Niagara river dumps into Lake Ontario, and it is directly across from Ft George on the Canadian side. Ft Niagara was used in the 1700s and 1800s and even up til WWII. It has tons of great history. I went there many times as a kid and as an adult and enjoyed it every time. The drive through Lewiston and Youngstown along the river is gorgeous too. They're both great little towns and the River Road has dozens of historical markers from the French and Indian War, War of 1812 and the Underground Railroad (they were both stations where slaves were shuttled across to Canada).

Niagara on the Lake in Canada is a gorgeous little town to walk around.

See the falls from the Canadian side and do the Maid of the Mist, Cave of the winds and the whirlpools.

Bump - questions...

1) Since we plan on staying a few nights in Canada, will my kids need passports or will birth certificates be sufficient?

2) Regarding some of the tours, my youngest has Autism. I assume these water fall tours will be very loud with thundering noise and a lot of over-spray. He should be fine with that, but are they very crowded? He doesn't do well in tightly packed environments.

mm98 said:

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Bump - questions...

1) Since we plan on staying a few nights in Canada, will my kids need passports or will birth certificates be sufficient?

2) Regarding some of the tours, my youngest has Autism. I assume these water fall tours will be very loud with thundering noise and a lot of over-spray. He should be fine with that, but are they very crowded? He doesn't do well in tightly packed environments.

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1) I am 99% sure that they'll need passports. I checked the website and it says that children under 18 need proof of citizenship, I'm not sure what other than a passport would do that. I know that a birth certificate does, but it doesn't have a photo associated with it.

As a side note, expect both sides of the border (entering Canada and returning to the US) to ask you, your spouse, and your kids (if they're old enough) some questions to confirm that they are your kids and are with you willingly. They are trying to watch for and prevent child human trafficking. When we went through they had me roll down my son's window (he was in the backseat of the car) and told us to not speak with him while they asked him questions about if we were his parents, etc. For this reason, I think it would probably be best if you had passports for the kids--just so that you don't have to worry. You have plenty of time to get passports before the trip.

2) We did the waterfall tour and yes, they are very crowded. You should be able to find a (relatively) uncrowded space inside the boat as everyone mostly stands outside to feel / hear / see the falls. There is a pretty big line associated with getting on the boats as well--just something else to keep in mind. Similar to a line for a ride at Six Flags.

For reference, we were there near the 4th of July last year, so that may have contributed to the crowds too.

was there this summer-yes you need passports

niagara area is really crowded. if your child doesn't do well with loud noises, you might skip it. it was very loud

i 2nd niagara on the lake

Flying yes, driving or train just the card.

may not be your thing but a few ideas:
Historic Richmond Town
Buffalo, NY to get chicken wings at the original location.
Put-in-Bay is my favorite place