Niagara Trip Report (Part 1: Waterfalls)

A guest blog post by Tracy

The idea of visiting Niagara Falls had been thrown around many times over the years but, for some reason or another, had always gotten pushed aside in favor of other destinations.  However, last November, my boyfriend, Steve, informed me (quite out of the blue) that he’d taken it upon himself to make hotel reservations in Niagara for the following July, and I was very pleasantly surprised!

Day 1 – Are we there yet???

Once July FINALLY rolled around, we departed on a ridiculously early flight out of Houston and, after a grueling six-hour delay in Newark, landed in Buffalo, New York, on a Friday evening.  We were promptly met by the driver of our pre-arranged car service, 716 Limousine (http://www.716limousineandtours.com/), and in no time had commenced the roughly 40-minute drive to our hotel, the Embassy Suites Niagara (https://embassysuitesniagara.com/).  We typically use Uber for airport transfers, but since we would be crossing the border into Canada where our hotel was located, Uber was not an option this time.

Before long, we were checked in and in an elevator, zooming our way up to the 39^th floor to bear witness to the most jaw-dropping hotel views we’d ever experienced: a breathtaking panorama of all three of Niagara’s falls: American, Bridal Veil and Horseshoe.

We eagerly headed back down those 39 floors to experience the Falls up close and personal!  But FIRST, we fixed a personalized “lock of love” (#supersappybutidontcare) to the railing of the bridge at the backside of the Embassy Suites to commemorate this long-awaited destination.

As the Embassy Suites sits atop an incline, we used the very convenient Falls Incline Railway (at a cost of just under $2.50 (Canadian) per person, each way) to avoid having to walk roughly 20 minutes out of our way to access the viewing area for the Horseshoe Falls (there is no staircase or other convenient means for descending the incline in this area).  The Falls Incline Railway descends nearly 200 feet in about 60 seconds and drops you at the base of the visitor’s center – just steps away from the Falls.

Let me tell you – just one glance and our long-held, colossal expectations of these Falls were totally met!  We’d never witnessed anything like it – over 600,000 gallons of water per second rapidly descending into the Niagara River.  There’s simply no way a photo or video could ever fully capture the true magnitude of this natural phenomenon.

After some prolonged gawking, we made the 10-minute walk to Hornblower Cruises (https://www.niagaracruises.com/).  At 9:15 p.m., we donned our red Hornblower ponchos (the first of many ponchos we would don over the course of the weekend), boarded the boat, promptly purchased a glass of Niagara wine and set sail on the Niagara River to witness both the multi-colored illumination of the American and Horseshoe Falls, as well as the dazzling 10:00 p.m. fireworks display overhead.  This was a terrific way to spend our first evening in Niagara!

Day 2 – Ponchos and Passports

On Saturday morning, we utilized the Falls Incline Railway once again, entered the visitor’s center at the base of the incline and made our way to Journey Behind the Falls (https://www.niagaraparks.com/visit/attractions/journey-behind-the-falls/).  Wearing our supplied ponchos (yellow this time), we took an elevator down 125 feet where we explored the 130-year old tunnels that included several viewing portals of the Horseshoe Falls, before eventually braving the observation deck, which sits merely feet from said Falls.  Warning: this can be a VERY wet experience!  (My apologies for the super crappy cellphone pics; I didn’t dare bring out my camera with all that water flying around!)

At this point, we decided to venture over to the American side via the Rainbow Bridge, which spans the Niagara River and connects Canada and the U.S.

We walked the length of the bridge (950 feet), enjoying some stunning views along the way.  (Be advised there is a small toll to enter the bridge from the Canadian side, so be sure to have some quarters on hand or at least have a little cash for the change machine; and don’t forget your passport!)

Once through the border checkpoint, we walked about 15 minutes to Goat Island for a casual, view-friendly lunch at the Top of the Falls Restaurant (https://www.niagarafallsstatepark.com/attractions-and-tours/top-of-the-falls).  This area is actually part of Niagara Falls State Park, so it’s just naturally idyllic.  Would be a picture-perfect setting for a picnic lunch.

After lunch, we made the very short walk down to Terrapin Point (which we could actually see from our table).  It includes an observation platform that affords a different point of view of the river and Falls.

At this point, travel fatigue began setting in.  Despite our beautiful surroundings, the summer heat and hordes of tourists were making us cranky, so we decided it was best to head back for some much needed relaxation in our beautiful suite (did I mention the views???).

After a revitalizing siesta, we headed over to the Greg Frewin Theatre for an evening magic show (a very entertaining show, by the way) (http://gregfrewintheatre.com/).  Afterward, we walked over to Clifton Hill (https://www.cliftonhill.com/), which is a very touristy area with a carnival-like feel – lots of vendors, games, go-carts, etc. (and TONS of people!), where we enjoyed nighttime views from the SkyWheel.

Next: Niagara Trip Report (Part 2: Wine)

Tracy Thornton, Guest Blogger

Read a short bio on Tracy in Red Shoes. Red Wine.‘s Guest Contributor section here.  Follow Tracy’s adventures in Travel, Wine, and Photography on Instagram: @texanstracy and see her featured blog posts on Red Shoes. Red Wine. here: Tracy Thornton, Guest Blogger

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Tracy is a proud owner of a VinGardeValise Petite wine suitcase (holds 8 bottles).  Read all about how I pack my wine suitcase here.     -Sheila

VinGardeValise – Up to 8 Bottles & All Purpose Wine Travel Suitcase (Silver)