Niagara Falls, New York: Maid of the Mist and Trolley Ride

If you haven't been to Niagara Falls, New York to see one of the great wonders of the world, you have missed something very impressive. Don't worry though, there is still time its not like its going anywhere soon. It has been there for hundreds of years. People of all backgrounds fly to visit Niagara Falls from all over the world.

The best time of the year to experience the maid of the mist and trolley ride I think is in the summer like July when its about sunny and 75 or so degrees. The mist will cool you off and of course its always breezy and about 10 degrees cooler near the open waters. You don't want to go when its too cold and from experience, its cold in Niagara Falls about 9 months out of the year. Near the falls I mean. I highly recommend taking the family there and bringing a camera or two with extra batteries.

The maid of the mist is a ride where you hop aboard a large boat and float over to where the falls drops its water not getting too close of course but close enough where you get sprinkled with some refreshing mist. You get to wear a poncho with a picture of the boat and you can take pictures, but be careful you don't get your camera wet. Its actually heart pounding and overwhelming floating next to thousands of gallons of water racing by you each second. The ride is very informative and safe. It doesn't throw people around in the boat or go real fast. I think it costs about $13 or $14 per person which is average in price. Not too much or too little considering your going literally a couple hundred feet from the worlds largest water fall known to man. The site of this from the boat is really breathtaking especially if you get to see a rainbow along the journey.

There is a nice scenic trolley ride available that takes you around for about 30 minutes or so going across bridges and by important landmarks. The tour guide explains some interesting facts along with where we stopped at. There are some nice photo opportunities along the trolley ride. You can get off at any of the several stops and get back on when you are finished exploring different sections such as goat island. Your allowed to bring strollers on the trolley and it only costs $2 per person. It really is a convenient ride for the whole family to go on. You can rest you legs for a change too because there is so much to walk and see. The trolley view from the window is the best because you can open up the window and feel the breeze when going forward. Have your camera ready because when it stops there are a lot of nice pictures to take along the way.

There are ice cream parlors and souvenir shops available which get a lot of attention from everyone throughout the day. I recommend that you set aside half a day and take your family to Niagara Falls especially if your just a short drive away. If not that close, it is still something to travel and see. There are many hotels nearby to stay at while in the area. I haven't experienced one of those yet but if you stay overnight there are many activities to do in the area to keep you busy.