Eat, Explore and Experience
Only the best make the list.
Links and Recommendations
Whirlpool Aero car
The Whirlpool Aero car was designed by a Spanish engineer, Leonardo Torres Quevedo and has been in operation since 1916. The cable car is suspended from six sturdy cables and offers a wonderful view of the Niagara Whirlpool which is formed at the end of the rapids where the gorge turns abruptly counter clockwise and the river escapes through the narrowest channel in the gorge. High above the racing Niagara River, you’ll be transported through the air in an antique cable car. Far below, the torrent of water abruptly changes direction and creates one of the world’s most mesmerizing natural phenomenons – the Niagara Whirlpool. Sometimes frightening and always unforgettable!
- The aerial cable car travels safely between two different points of the Canadian shore of the Niagara River over the spectacular Whirlpool.
- A round trip is about one kilometer (3,600 feet) and takes about 10 minutes to navigate.
- The capacity of the car is 35 standing passengers.
- Upgrades in design and function occurred in 1961, 1967 and 1984.
- Please note that this attraction is NOT wheelchair accessible.
- Open Seasonally April- Nov
Click here to visit their official website www.niagaraparks.com/nfgg/aerocar.php
Niagara’s Fury
The temperature will drop 20 degrees. Water will bubble and spray while snow falls all around. Standing in the mist on a massive platform you will feel the full wrath of Mother Nature as the floor trembles beneath you. Incredible images produced with technology previously used only in satellites and medicine will immerse you in a “4D” Universal Studios-style attraction. The Niagara Fury experience starts with an 8 minute animated Pre-show, staring Chip the Beaver and his pals re-creating how the Ice Age formed Niagara Falls. Then, in a specially designed, 360 degree theatre, witness the Creation of the Falls in a 6-minute, multi-sensory extravaganza!
This is a year round attraction.
BOTANICAL GARDENS
Niagara Parks’ Botanical Gardens is located on the scenic Niagara Parkway and the Great Gorge, just a 10 minute drive north of the Niagara Falls. This beautiful garden setting is home to the Butterfly Conservatory and serves as the unique outdoor classroom for students attending the Niagara Parks School of Horticulture.Since 1936 visitors have been in awe of the 40 hectares (99 acres) of beautifully maintained gardens. Enjoy perennials, rhododendrons, azaleas, formal parterre garden, shade, herb and vegetable plantings, as well as our world-famous rose garden featuring over 2,400 roses.
Admission to the Botanical Gardens is free! Please Note: Parking is $5.00.
Open daily year-round, dawn until dusk.
BUTTERFLY CONSERVATORY
This magical attraction features over 2,000 colourful tropical butterflies floating freely among lush, exotic blossoms and greenery. Paths wind through the rainforest setting, past a pond and waterfall and the Emergence window, where butterflies leave their pupae and prepare to take their first flight! The self-guided walking tour of the Butterfly Conservatory begins with a short, informative video presentation that is close captioned for the hearing impaired.
Winner of the 2007 & 2008 AccessibleNiagara.com “Breaking the Barrier” Award, the Conservatory is fully accessible.
Open Daily year round except for Dec. 25th.
Admission
| Adults Ages 13 and up |
$14.55 |
| Children Ages 6 – 12 |
$9.45 |
| Small Children Ages 5 and under |
FREE |
JOURNEY BEHIND THE FALLS
Journey Behind the Falls is a year-round attraction that offers a unique view of the Falls from below and behind.
Visitors descend 150 ft. by elevator, where a short tunnel (150 ft.) gives access to two outdoor observation decks and two portals located directly behind the Falls. At Journey Behind the Falls, you`ll experience the awesome spectacle of one-fifth of the world’s fresh water crashing down to the basin below. During summer daylight hours, over 2,800 cubic meters of water thunders over the brink every second, traveling 65 kilometers per hour!
Your Journey Behind the Falls visit will take 30 to 45 minutes and in the spring and summer months, you`ll receive a free souvenir biodegradable rain poncho as protection from the mist of the Falls. Elevators descend 150 feet through bedrock to tunnels that lead and to the Cataract Portal and the Great Falls Portal which is one third of the way behind the massive sheet of water. Then you walk on to the Upper and Lower Observation Decks at the very foot of the Falls. Posters of information are a great resource of information about the history and evolution of the hallways you walk through. Journey Behind the Falls is an iconic Niagara Falls experience; make sure you take a waterproof camera.
Winter rates are reduced when the attraction’s Lower Observation Deck is closed due to ice conditions.
NIAGARA CRUISES – HORN BLOWER CANADA
Experience The Thrill Of A Lifetime
You may have seen the Falls before but you’ve never seen them quite like this. Hold onto your heart and keep your eyes wide open because you’re in for the thrill of a lifetime! Our legendary Niagara Falls boat tour takes you as close as possible to the thundering roar, awesome power and amazing mist of the mighty Falls!
The Ultimate Niagara Falls Attraction
Don’t miss Canada’s most iconic visitor experience. Deep inside the Great Gorge you’ll journey along the Niagara River past the American Falls, the Bridal Veil Falls and into the very heart of the majestic Canadian Horseshoe Falls. Choose from the thrilling daytime Voyage To The Falls Boat Tour or one of our extended fully-licensed, night-time Falls Illumination Cruises or Falls Fireworks Cruises.
SKYLON TOWER
The Skylon Tower includes indoor/outdoor observation of the Falls from 233 meters (775′), Two great dining rooms both overlooking the Falls The Skylon Tower Summitt Suite Buffet Dining Room and the Skylon Tower Revolving Dining Room. At the base, Niagara’s largest indoor amusement area, Skylon Fun Centre, complete with a food court and 4D Theatre.
Shop in one of our 12 speciality shops on the main level as a prelude to your Ride to the Top in our glass enclosed Yellow Bug elevators. Plenty of parking. The Skylon Tower is a signature building that makes our Niagara Falls skyline unique. The Skylon was built in 1964 and opened in 1965. The construction cost $7 million and was financed by the The Hershey Company shareholdings. The Skylon Tower features outside mounted ‘Yellow Bug’ elevators which at the time of the construction were the first of their kind. The elevators run all year round and are a fun route up to the fantastic observatory at the tip top of the Skylon. Many a fantastic photo have been taken from the top of the Skylon Tower, so make sure you bring your camera!
SKYLON OBSERVATIONTOWER GENERAL FACTS:
Construction on the Tower was started in May, 1964 and the Grand Opening was October 6, 1965. There are 3 observation decks -2 dining rooms, and 1 indoor/outdoor observation deck. The total height of the tower from the base to the top of flashing beacon is 520 feet (160m) The height of tower above Niagara River is 775 feet (236m). The weight of concrete for the tower is 48,000,000 lbs. (21,772,800 kilograms). The weight of concrete for base of the tower is 13,200,000 lbs. (5,987,520 kilograms). There are 3 elevators to take you to the top in 52 seconds. The number of steps in each of the two stairways from the lower exhibition floor to the observation floor is 662.
The Revolving Dining Room seats 276 persons and does 1 complete revolution per hour; visibility of Observation on a clear day is 80 miles (129km).
IMAX THEATRE
IMAX Theatre Niagara Falls, Canada invites you to experience the Falls like never before. Home to “The Falls Movie: Legends and Daredevils” – one of the most spectacular IMAX movies of the 1980’s.
IMAX Theatre also boasts attractions such as the amazing Niagara Falls Daredevil Gallery, as well as the famous National Geographic Store. All this in the heart of the Niagara Falls tourist and entertainment district. Come and be thrilled, informed and entertained. It’s an experience you and your family will never forget.
FALLSVIEW CASINO
The Niagara Fallsview Casino Resort is the single largest provincial investment ever made in the Niagara region and is currently the largest commercial development in Canada.
The 2.5 million square foot complex includes more than 3,000 slot machines and 150 gaming tables, a 368-room five-star hotel, fine-dining restaurants, 50,000 square feet of meeting/conference space, a health spa, a retail facility, a 1,500-seat theatre and much more! Located on a stunningly landscaped eight-hectare property, the Niagara Fallsview Casino Resort overlooks one of the most famous views in the world – Niagara Falls.
FORT GEORGE
During the War of 1812, Fort George served as the headquarters for the Centre Division of the British Army. These forces included British regulars, local militia, aboriginal warriors, and Runchey’s corps of freed slaves. Major General Sir Isaac Brock, “the saviour of Upper Canada” served here until his death at the Battle of Queenston Heights in October, 1812. Brock and his aide-de-camp John MacDonnell were initially buried within the fort.
Fort George was destroyed by American artillery fire and captured during the Battle of Fort George in May 1813. The U.S. forces used the fort as a base to invade the rest of Upper Canada; however, they were repulsed at the Battles of Stoney Creek and Beaver Dams. After a seven month occupation, the fort was retaken in December and remained in British hands for the remainder of the war.
After the war, the fort was partially rebuilt, and by the 1820’s it was falling into ruins. It was finally abandoned in favour of a more strategic installation at Fort Mississauga and a more protected one at Butler’s Barracks.
SHAW THEATRE FESTIVAL
In the Spirit of George Bernard Shaw, the Shaw Festival provokes the mind and stirs the soul through a theatre experience so compelling that, year after year, ever broadening groups of artists, audiences and supporters are drawn to our work in Niagara-on-the-Lake and beyond.
The Shaw Festival was started in 1962 by Niagara-area lawyer and playwright Brian Doherty. During the summer, Mr. Doherty organized eight weekend performances of Don Juan in Hell and Candida by Bernard Shaw under the title “Salute to Shaw“. For this event, the Assembly Room in the historic Court House on Queen Street was converted into a small theatre.
The following year, the Shaw Festival Theatre Foundation was established as a non-profit organization, with an elected volunteer Board of Governors, and the company’s mandate was to produce the dramatic works of Bernard Shaw and his contemporaries.
NIAGARA-ON-THE-LAKE
Niagara-on-the-Lake (2016 population 17,511) is a Canadian town in Southern Ontario where the Niagara River meets Lake Ontario in the Niagara Region of the southern part of the province of Ontario. It is across the Niagara River from Youngstown, New York, US. It is the only town in Canada that has a Lord Mayor.
The town, now including two former villages, St. David’s and Queenston, was significant during the War of 1812 and even earlier, when it was the first capital of Upper Canada (now the province of Ontario). Today, the town, with its quaint colonial-style buildings, is a popular tourist destination that includes the Shaw Festival, Fort George, wineries and an outlet mall on the highway.
NIAGARA REGION WINERIES
Niagara Ontario Canada is wine country. Whether you are looking for wineries in the Niagara Region, or a specific winery in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Niagara wineries are a ‘must visit’. Enjoy a beautiful country escape with a bit of food and drink your Niagara wine tour beckons.
Niagara Ontario Canada has become famous for its wines. Whether you are looking for wineries in the Niagara Region, or a specific winery in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Niagara is gaining international recognition as ‘must visit’ destination to enjoy a beautiful country escape with a bit of food and drink. Twenty-five vineyards dot the landscape just 15 to 20 minutes outside Niagara Falls, Canada in quiet and charming Niagara-on-the-Lake. The entire Niagara wine region along the shores of Lake Ontario-is home to over 50 wineries. Discover the best of the region’s vineyards by following the Wine Route of Ontario through the countryside by car, bike or guided tour. Many Niagara wineries have restaurants, where they pair their fine wines with regional cuisine, and an overnight outing can easily be arranged at nearby a bed-and-breakfast or inn for a Niagara Falls romantic getaway. And if you fall in love with our wine, consider planning a Niagara vacation around one of our popular annual Niagara festivals. The Niagara Wine Festival, which occurs annually in autumn, includes tours and tastings at Niagara vineyards, concerts, Niagara cuisine, artisan shows, and family entertainment. The Niagara Icewine Festival in January celebrates Ontario’s most famous wine in a winter wonderland setting, and the Niagara New Vintage Festival in summer gives visitors a chance to be the first to try the year’s wines.
Below is a list of some of the wineries: