Niagara Falls

What originally was a quick four day trip to Canada turned into an even shorter one when we figured out how much you can really get done in a day. During our first full day exploring Niagara Falls we had practically finished everything they had to offer which made us take a day off our overall trip. Now, I don’t want this to turn anyone away from going because if anything this just means it’s a perfect little weekend trip. We were able to see the falls and take pictures by it as well as book a spot on the Maid of the Mist cruise at night that went very close to the falls. I highly recommend the boat tour, but the price is around 34 dollars for an adult and around 23 dollars for kids ages 5-12. If you are going to spend the money I suggest going at night since that is when they light up the falls as well which makes the views that much more amazing. After booking our cruise trip we took it upon ourselves to drive up to the Whirlpool Aero Car which was located right up the road from the falls. In the cable car it takes you on a birds eye view ride over the Niagara River Whirlpool Rapids. The price for this excursion was around 16 dollars for adults, around 10 dollars for kids 6 to 12 years old, and if you have someone 5 and under they can go for free. Now I know it might seem a little bit expensive, but the trip in total takes about 20 minutes to complete so you are up there for a decent amount of time. Now if you are afraid of heights I would proceed with caution when deciding about whether to do this or not because you are suspended very high in this cable car over the gorge. But, after the ride in the cable car we decided to walk around the Niagara Glen Nature Reserve trail located right next to it. While walking through this park is free to do if you drove your car to this location it does cost around a dollar to park. The nature reserve however, is beautiful and will eventually lead you very close to the water, which is pictured above. It was a fun hike down, if you wear the right shoes, but the walk back wasn’t as relaxing. With a lot of hills and stairs you will definitely work up an appetite afterwards. Lastly, on our way out of the reserve we stopped by the famous Floral Hand Clock which was also right down the road. This clock took us all of ten minutes to see and was crowded to my surprise. But, it was worth the mini trip because we were so close to it already. However, I wouldn’t go out of my way to see it otherwise. This day was long for sure, but it was adventure packed with a lot of fun activities. Our last part of this trip was spending the whole next day at the local wineries and although we drove to each one there are trips on bikes and busses that people can do instead. The wineries were able to be enjoyed by adults 21+ as well as by kids who are younger. A lot of the places allowed us to bring our own food so we packed a lot of cheese and crackers to eat throughout the day. The views from each winery were different every time and the atmosphere was gorgeous and half the time we found ourselves just walking around the property. Overall, this was a fun and easy trip I would definitely do again, but instead only for a weekend. Although it had less than we originally anticipated that doesn’t mean it wasn’t a fun trip and either way we were able to just spend time together as a family exploring new places.