We spent three days in Niagara Falls, on the Canada side. If you’re planning a visit and wondering what to do in Niagara Falls, here’s a few things we did that I would recommend. (and a few that I would not)

There are more things to do there that we didn’t check out- like the big Ferris wheel and the Journey Behind the Falls, but I feel like we had a good visit with the few days we were there.

The Best Place to Stay in Niagara Falls

The first thing you need to plan is where to stay. We took everyone’s advice and stayed on the Canada side, which is more built up and has the best views.

We flew into Rochester, NY and drove to Canada. Buffalo is closer but was a couple hundred dollars more expensive. The drive from Rochester was pretty smooth and took just over an hour.

Crossing the Rainbow Bridge into Canada went pretty quickly. We waited maybe 10-15 minutes at the border. You will need passports for anyone over 16, and under 16 can use a birth certificate.

I highly recommend getting a hotel with a view of the falls. There are many to choose from! We stayed at the Marriot on the Falls, which had a great view. The hotel itself was decent. A little old and worn, but in decent condition, much like the rest of Niagara.

It was located all the way at the end of the street, at the end of the falls. If I went again, I might pick something a little more centrally located with a view.

But we really enjoyed sitting on our balcony and enjoying the beautiful view.

Fun Things to Do in Niagara Falls

Ride the Boat

If you only do one thing, do the boat tour to the falls! The American side is Maid of the Mist, and the Canadian side is the Hornblower.

You get spectacular views of the Niagara Gorge, American Falls and Bridal Veil Falls, plus an up-close encounter with the enormous and powerful Canadian Horseshoe Falls. It has a major WOW factor.

The tours run from 8:30 AM to 8:30 PM and you don’t need advance tickets. The line moves pretty quickly, and it took us about 10 minutes to purchase tickets, and maybe another 10 to wind our way down to the boat. They have a bunch of self-service machines and several ticket windows with people to help.

Adults are $33.50 and kids $23.50 (Canadian dollars). Click here to see the latest schedule and prices.

They provide you with a plastic parka, and you’re going to need it! If you stay below deck you won’t get as wet, but we went up top and got soaked. You get really close to the falls!

Boat tip: Try to get up top fast and get a railing spot on the far side. The railing spots have the best view, and the boat will be turning right, giving you an even closer look. And if you want to stay dry, then stay on the bottom boat level.

Clifton Hills

Clifton Hills is like a big amusement park. It’s packed with people and has all kinds of random things to do like you might find at the county fair- the Hall of Mirrors, Haunted Houses and a Zombie Apocalypse ride. There were clowns and cotton candy, and carnival games. I have no pictures of Clifton Hills because I couldn’t wait to get out of there. It’s a total sensory overload.

Skylon Tower

Skylon Tower is the big, tall building you can see from anywhere in Niagara. It has two glass elevators that take you to an observation deck high above the falls.

But first you will pass through an old game room where only half the games work and the other half will steal your tokens. And most will cheat you out of any tickets you might have won.

Skylon Tower has an amazing view, especially at sunset. You can also eat at the revolving restaurant, but it mostly had terrible reviews, so we skipped that.

I do recommend getting tickets online, because you can usually find them cheaper than the door price. We saved about $10 online.

I don’t recommend adding on the 4-D movie, as it is pretty lame. It’s a blurry 15-minute 3-D film about the legend of Niagra Falls, and the only 4-D part is that it keeps getting really cold and windy. I feel like there was probably supposed to be some parts where you get wet, but that wasn’t working. And the chair was supposed to shake, but it wiggled once at the beginning and that was it.

Watch the Falls Day and Night

The main thing to do in Niagra Falls, is just watch the falls! There’s a walkway next to it that’s packed with people all day and night. Every spot is a great view.

At night, the falls light up with different colors. During certain seasons (like summer!), there are fireworks over the falls every evening at 10PM.

Legend of the Maid of the Mist

There are several different variations of the legend that can be found, but the main theme is of a maiden sacrificing herself to the falls. In earlier versions, it was said the tribe there sacrificed a maiden every year, but that was proved to be made up to make it a more sensationalized story.

According to one version of the legend, a young woman named Lelawala was deeply saddened by the death of her husband. Stricken by grief, she decided to end her life by paddling her canoe into the treacherous waters of the Niagara River.

As her canoe approached the brink of the falls, the powerful currents pulled her into the cascading waters. Instead of perishing, Lelawala was rescued by the Thunder God, Hinum, who dwelled in a cave behind the falls. Hinum took her to his home and healed her wounds.

In Hinum’s realm, Lelawala found a new purpose. She was transformed into the Maid of the Mist, a guardian spirit who watches over the falls and the river. Her presence is said to bring peace and protection to those who visit the falls. The mist rising from the powerful waters is believed to be her spirit, eternally connected to the natural wonder of Niagara Falls.

Now you don’t have to watch that lame 4-D movie!

Niagara on the Lake

If you have half a day to spare, be sure to venture out to the wineries in the Niagara-on-the-Lake area! It’s about a 30-minute scenic drive, and soon you’ll be spotting vineyards left and right.

You can purchase informal tastings at most wineries without reservations, but if you want a whole sit-down tasting experience or tour, you need to make reservations ahead of time.

Tastings will get you a small pour of 3-5 wines to taste, and you’ll learn a little about each wine.

Konzelmann Estate Winery is one of the neatest looking wineries, resembling a small castle. They have a tasting bar that doesn’t require reservations, but you need them to go into their official tasting room.

We also topped at the Strewn Winery and had the best tasting experience there, with a very knowledgeable and friendly sommelier.

A lot of the wineries stop doing tastings around 5PM, so make sure you get there earlier in the day.

The Niagara Falls Classic Family Vacation

I feel like Niagara Falls is one of those classic summer family vacation spots you need to check off the list. It’s pretty amazing to see! You really only need a few days there to see and do most the things.

They do offer tour packages that bundle the boat tour and other experiences together, so check those out of you want to do absolutely everything.

And remember if you just want to do one thing- do the boat tour! It is really cool.