Visiting Niagara Falls

Niagara Falls is as beautiful as ever. The falls themselves offer opportunities for walking tours, as well as boat tours. Amateur and professional photographers alike enjoy spending hours taking photographs. There are inexpensive bus tours for those who want to look at the entire community. Millions of people visit Niagara Falls every year, so, you'll never be alone.

There are walking paths on Goat Island, a well-maintained park. The summer is an ideal time of year to visit Goat Island, which offers an excellent view of Niagara Falls. There are shady places just right for picnics, reading your guidebook, or relaxing for a few minutes. Framing photographs is a wonderful thing, and there are places on Goat Island that are ideally framed with greenery for your scrapbook or family postcard of Niagara Falls.

Prospect Park is another excellent place to visit to take a look at the Falls themselves, as is the Observation tower, which is where the Maid of the Mist boat tours depart from. Another interesting boat tour departs from Lewiston, NY, north of Niagara Falls - the Whirlpool Jet Boat Tours.

There are a few hotel chains with lodgings available right by the Niagara Falls itself, where the Falls are visible from the hotel room. Some people like to be able to enjoy this. There is also a youth hostel in Niagara Falls, which offers opportunities to meet fellow travelers.

The Haunted House of Wax has opened in Niagara Falls, on Rainbow Drive, and offers a diversion for outings. Similar to Madame Tussaud's House of Wax, this is that much more frightening, and should provide a thrill for the entire family or group.

The Rainbow Centre Factory Outlet offers diversions should there be rain when you decide to visit Niagara Falls, a few shops, and a lovely botanical gardens in a greenhouse, maintained by the New York State Department of Parks, just the place for a light lunch, there are a few excellent eateries and gift shops at the Rainbow Centre Factory Outlet.

The Niagara Power Station is a museum that shows people how a hydroelectric power plant works, it is a good opportunity for those interested in engineering or science to look at the plans for a working power station. This is about one mile from the Niagara Falls, and is near Niagara University, and Whirlpool Park.

Niagara Falls also has an Aquarium that is a fun place to visit, especially for younger people, which is within walking distance from the Falls, and is an excellent way to spend a few hours. The gift shop at the Aquarium is excellent, and the slowly revitalizing downtown area by the Aquarium also boasts a few stores of noteworthiness.

The Seneca Casino has a gift shop, a few restaurants, and a large gaming floor, should you want to play slot machines or table games.

There is a museum devoted to the development of aerospace next door to the Seneca Casino, which still has limited hours. It was closed when I tried to visit, however, the hours posted stated that it was open during lunch hours. The displays visible from the window were interesting, showing the development of aerospace by the military.

There is also the Schoellkopf Geological Museum, which is a fun and informative museum to visit, offering geological history of the area of Niagara Falls.

Artpark is a venue for free concerts, within a few miles of Niagara Falls. Outdoor concerts frequently play at the Artpark. The park is accessible by rental vehicle or by way of the public bus system, Niagara Falls Transit Authority, which offers a day pass for $3.50. The public buses run fairly regularly between 7 am and 7 pm, which reduces the cab fare needed to go places outside of the immediate Niagara Falls area.

Other nearby attractions include the Castellani Art Gallery at Niagara University, which has some excellent artwork, much of it following the Christian tradition.

Most of the hotels along the Falls area have small racks, full of colorful leaflets that contain information and coupons regarding local attractions. The area is once again a place that is worthy of a two or three day visit, even without going to Buffalo or Niagara Falls, Ontario.