Welcome to
NY and Niagara Falls
So much to see and so much to do!
We stayed in Niagara Falls, NY for a handful of days at
the Rodeway Inn. It's about 5 miles from the falls. It was perfect. The wind
must have been blowing in the right direction because I could hear the falls
for a while that first night.
www.rodewayinn.com/hotel-niagara_falls-new_york-NY492
Crossing the border was a little longer of a wait than New Brunswick, as we had expected, considering that it was Niagara Falls. We spent the first day on the Canadian side walking back and forth. (Parking is $20 for the day.) If you continue to walk past the falls near the park area, you can get closer to the Niagara River. There is more to see and an up-close look at portions of the lock and the original older section. We ate lunch and dinner on the Canadian side. We were warned that the prices were a bit high, but considering that it is a tourist area ... I personally didn't think the prices were any higher than any other tourist town.
The next two days we spent on the American side of the
falls. (Parking is $10 for the day.) We purchased the Discovery Pass and at
first we felt like it wasn't a good deal - we couldn't get good direction on
how to implement the pre-purchased tickets. We looked everywhere to find the
line for people who pre-purchased tickets. They don't have one. You have to
wait in the same line as those people who haven't bought tickets. When we went
to a kiosk to ask for help, they informed us that there was no waiting. There
was a line and we did have to wait. Which is fine. Just let us know where we
are supposed to wait. We didn't expect to get the royal treatment and skip
ahead of everyone.
Regardless of that little quirk, and the confusion that
went with it, the attractions were well worth the price of the Discovery Pass.
My illustrious words for our experience on the American
side:
OMGoodness OMGoodness
OMGoodness OMGoodness!
It was AWESOME!
The Cave of the Winds was an experience of a lifetime.
The Hurricane Deck-OMGoodness! It has been several months since we have been
there and I am still thrilled at the memory.
Other attractions that went with the pass was Maid of the Mist (the boat ride), Niagara: Legends of the Adventure (movie), Niagara Gorge Discovery Center, Niagara Aquarium and the Niagara Trolley where you could listen to the drivers talk about their awesome town. Niagara Falls State Park was beautiful, well kept and the employees there were extremely tolerant of our questions. My husband and I both have an unquenchable thirst for knowledge and we tend to ask a lot of questions. (Even worse, I am a why child)
The second night we had dinner (and drinks) at the Top of
the Falls Restaurant. We were able to see the falls from our seat. The food was
excellent, service was excellent, and the drink prices were extremely reasonable.
The diners there were friendly and we chatted between tables. One family was
from Scotland and another family seated at a table near us was from Wisconsin.
www.niagarafallsstatepark.com/top-of-the-falls-restaurant.aspx
The fireworks over the falls ... the tightrope walker ...
live music. It's all there. What an adventure! I would go back to visit in a
heartbeat.
Tidbits we learned from our multiple questions to the
park rangers/representatives and employees:
The park's tourism is slower in the winter.
The falls have frozen over.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers were in charge of
"dewatering" the falls.
Yes, after the galls were turned off, a body was found,
among many other various things.
There have been two major rockslides on the American
side.
There is an ice boom that helps to prevent massive jams.
The falls flow slower at night than during the day.
The large broken down steel boat in the river near the
falls was intentionally grounded so they would not go over the falls. The
boaters were rescued.
People have survived (barely) when accidentally going
over the falls.
Yes, they allow boaters on the Niagara River.
There are large signs for boaters on the Niagara river
that warn them not to go beyond a certain point because they/their motors will
not be able to fight the force of the water.
http://www.niagarafallsstatepark.com/
Our last full day in Niagara Falls we took a road trip to
Genesee County where my husband's ancestors were originally homesteaded. We
drove around and actually found his grandfather's house in Basom, Batavia area
and Ackerson Rd, named after his family.
Have you been to any of the places I have mentioned? Do you have stories to tell as well? We want to hear them. Do you live in any of the areas I have written about? There is a comment section below and on all the Pambling Roads article pages for you to tell us all about it.
Thank you for taking the time to read about our adventures traveling the United States. Our goal? The 48 states! I tried, really I did, I tried really hard to get my husband to agree to drive to Alaska. I didn't win that one. Maybe the next time.
It has been a great adventure, meeting the Americans, and meeting people from all over the world. Share with us, we want to hear all about it! Take advantage of comment section below and tell us your stories
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