We spent 2 and a half weeks in the US with 2 days in Niagara falls. We went in September so we avoided the holiday season and the summer rush. On most days we experienced lovely weather.
We carried a baby carrier with us which we found to be more convenient than a stroller. If your toddler is like ours, it is more likely they will be running around when they get a chance, leaving you to push the stroller around everywhere 🙂
Travel
Day 1
We flew into Buffalo around noon time from New York. Just outside the airport we picked up the car we had hired and drove to Goat island. We parked here and had a quick bite before exploring the island. Goat island has beautiful views of the American falls and the Bridal falls. We spent some time here looking at the falls and the rainbow formed in the mist.
We then went to the Cave of the winds. We started with a visit to a small museum and a show about the history of the falls. We then collected footwear (included in the ticket price) and took an elevator 175 feet down into the Niagara Gorge. We were provided yellow ponchos here and then we headed to the hurricane deck following a wooden walkway and we were literally under the Bridal veil falls! We had carried our little one in the baby carrier so we could go right at the top of the stairs. I had put my poncho over the baby carrier so the little one was covered too.
This was our favourite experience in Niagara falls
We roamed around a little bit and then drove to the Canadian side where we had booked our hotel. There are quite a few hotels right near the falls. We decided with the Embassy Suites and loved the view of the Horseshoe falls from our room. It had a living room so the little one had a lot of space to run around and a kitchenette which was useful to warm up the little ones’s milk (we got this from Starbucks, which was in the hotel). By the time we got to the room, the little one was tired so we picked up food and spent the rest of the evening relaxing and looking over the beautiful views of the falls. At night the falls are lit and look amazing! The photos don’t do them justice.
Day 2
We woke up pretty early, got ready and went for a really nice breakfast in the hotel’s restaurant. After breakfast we took the Falls incline railway down to the falls.
We walked down the path next to the falls, to the Hornblower (the ferry to the falls). This was the second highlight of the trip, after the Cave of the Winds. We collected our ponchos and queued up for the ferry – this was quite a wait. The ferry was very crowded, but we managed to get on the top deck and secured a good spot. However, as we got close to the horseshoe falls and went into the mist, we forgot all about the crowds and were blown away by the magnificence of the falls. The little one was also really enjoying the whole experience. All through the boat ride she was in her carrier which I would highly recommend doing.
We walked back to the hotel, finding muddy puddles to jump along the way.
We spent some time in the hotel room and then drove to Niagara on the lake. Niagara on the lake is a very pretty little town which sits on the shores of Lake Ontario, at the mouth of the Niagara river. We spent most of our time in the playground with the little one playing and us just sitting and relaxing on the bench. We then drove to Ryerson Park and parked there. It had free parking for 2 hours. It was a clear day and we could see Toronto on the other side. We had a great time on the beach which, although small, was beautiful!
We picked up some food on the way back to the hotel and spent the evening looking at the fireworks. I tried taking photos but just couldn’t capture it well so gave up and decided to enjoy it.
The next morning we had an early breakfast watching the sunrise over the falls.
We then drove back to Buffalo with a promise of returning back again. Niagara falls is a place you have to visit!