October 29, 2014

NIAGARA FALLS

NIAGARA FALLS
we finally made it to 
NIAGARA FALLS!
i already expected the falls to be amazing, 
but our day here exceeded all expectations.
thanks to lots of research, i feel like 
we really did niagara right and we
have lots of tips to throw your way 
if you ever go. we loved our visit!
first off, i had no idea that the canadian side is much
preferred to the american side. i’m so glad we came 
through canada. the canadian view is a million times 
better because you stand facing the full view of both
falls. there are also the best activities you can do as 
part of your visit to niagara through niagara parks, 
who we partnered with for this trip. before going to 
niagara i just sort of pictured it as visiting, seeing the
falls, taking a picture and that being that. i thought of 
it as more of kind of a “check off the bucket list,” 
not a full-on experience…and was i ever wrong! 
the way we did it, we had the complete experience — 
from walking behind the falls in tunnels, to a boat 
ride right in front of them,  to a 4D movie, to a 
whitewater walk, to riding an aerocar over the canyon 
— we had the most adventurous and memorable time 
in niagara. it made it worth the whole cross-country 
flight! here are some highlights with a little guide 
with our recommendations… a video including
we were able to do all of these activities with the 
niagara adventure pass through niagara parks. 
we fully recommend buying one of these here, 
because it’s a better deal and includes everything 
you want to do so you don’t have to pay for them 
individually! this always makes me more likely to 
do things when it’s all included and you just pay 
once at the beginning. it also includes a bus pass 
to go all through the park. despite the falls being 
central, there are other attractions that are nice 
to take the bus to! here are some highlights that 
we did, and more pictures are below. sorry for the 
overload … but it was niagara falls after all! i love 
these photos, but they pale in comparison to the
footage chase shot from our new copter camera.
you can see a sneak peek on his instagram here,
but let’s just say the video he is making from 
this trip will definitely be my favorite yet :)
here are our favorite experiences at the falls:

•• journey behind the falls ••
 the very first thing we did was the journey behind the 
falls, which is exactly what it sounds like. i have no 
idea how i’ve never known that there are tunnels blasted 
in behind niagara falls, so you take an elevator down 
and literally walk BEHIND them. it is terrifying and
amazing all at once. i loved starting our day with this
rush! it really gave an idea of the power of the falls 
and later we could look at them and know that we
had stood right behind them! highly recommended.
inside of the tunnels there are lots of signs and stories of
stunts/rescues/survivals that have happened at niagara. 
they are fascinating. my favorite one is the man on wire!


no big deal, that is just NIAGARA FALLS behind him…

 after you walk through the tunnels right behind the falls, 
you can go out on a deck on the side and get this close 
up {wet} view. i could NOT stop staring at the beauty. 

^^ walking back through the tunnels with cute holly from
niagara parks. we loved meeting her and having her 
show us around at the start.. she has lived in this area 
her entire life, so she is an expert on all things niagara!
 
canada’s version of the “maid of the mist” is the 
hornblower cruise. we did this second and it was 
definitely my favorite part of the day. it was the most 
magical and thrilling experience that everyone NEEDS 
to do. fun fact about this part — i realized i had leather 
TB flats on, and since i knew we’d get soaked i decided 
to go barefoot. haha everyone was laughing at me, but
it worked and i was the one laughing when we got off 
the boat and everyone else’s shoes were soggy! hehe. 
(i would recommend bringing flip flops for this part)
 i felt like a little kid running out on the deck barefoot 
and beholding niagara in all her glory. it’s one of 
those experiences that you can’t believe is real while 
it’s happening — i was smiling a mile wide and yelling 
to chase over the pounding water how much i loved this. 
it is a must-do for sure. we were soaked but loved it!
we love hornblower because it’s in SF too! 
fun to experience the niagara version.
^^ nerdy in my poncho on the boat ride back, 
snacking on our FAVORITE canadian sour cherry 
candy gummies that we discovered. seriously they 
were the BEST. my mouth is watering for one now! 
 
•• whirlpool aero car ••
 okay i also had no idea this existed, and of course we 
were so excited to ride the little antique cable car over 
the gorge & niagara river! this ride is a little ways from
the falls, but you can look down on the whitewater — 
and in our case, see all the gorgeous fall leaves on the 
side of the canyon. it’s just a short ride, but another fun 
and unique adventure if it’s already included in your pass.
of course we got stopped halfway across on the way back… 
a titch scary to wait for a few minutes just hanging there, 
but we survived — and got extra time with the view!
taking in those fall colors and getting my fix…
the one thing we really miss this time of year living
in california! (not complaining, love our weather :) 

•• niagara’s fury 4D experience ••

this isn’t something we would normally go to, but 
the fact that it’s included in the pass made it a no-brainer 
to go! we loved it — first you learn about how niagara 
was formed in a cute little movie, and then you’re 
given ponchos…in a movie??? i was so confused! 
we were ushered into the next room and that’s where 
the 4D comes in-as you watch the falls thundering, 
the ground shakes, mist rises, & water splashes all over. 
it’s fun and little kids would especially love it!

•• skylon tower observation deck ••

if you want to truly see it all, this observation deck
is a must. it’s not part of the adventure pass, but it’s
worth doing. i felt like i was on top of the empire
state building, but looking at all of niagara instead!
you ride little elevators up with the stomach-dropping
view the entire time, and then you can walk around
and see a 360 view of everything from the top.

^^ this view is of the american side & american falls. 
^^ pretty cool reflection, i’d say!
 
that little yellow elevator is what you ride
up the skylon tower for this great view! ^^
 
and for a few more photos from the day:


^^ this view made me nervous!! i can’t
believe we could stand so close to the drop.

 
^^ our barrel ride over the falls :)
the classic niagara picture…
that cloud of mist is my favorite.

i’m sure any time of year here is beautiful,
but we really loved seeing it in the fall.
the canadian side has put so much effort into preserving 
the park and keeping it from getting too commercialized. 
it is a natural wonder after all! they have done a great job.


again — i cannot WAIT to show you the footage 
chase got here and throughout our entire trip! 

there is nothing quite as amazing as seeing natural wonders
in real life. i love big cities and man-made wonders too, 
but when you see something naturally amazing like this 
it is so powerful + memorable. BIG BIG CHILLS.

we just did the basics and packed it all in since we had
planned an entire canada vacation around our visit
to the falls … so lots more from canada to come!
toronto, montreal, & quebec city to be exact :)

*we did not stay over in niagara as we did a day trip
 from canada, but the marriott on the falls
is my recommendation from the niagara falls
hotels on offer :) if you stay longer, you can
do even more things in niagara park ranging from golf
to botanical gardens to the butterfly conservatory, etc.

thanks to niagara parks for welcoming us
and making our experience so great!

xo
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Filed Under: 2014, adventure, canada, east coast, husband, partners, travel, vacation

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