We talked about Niagara Falls on the show and how it made a top 10 list of the most overrated vacation destinations in the U.S. I was thrilled(sarcasm) to hear this right after we scheduled our one and only vacation to go to the NY side of Niagara Falls. Many listeners told me that I should go to the Canadian side of the falls because it’s prettier over there. Since we had already made our reservations for the NY side and I’d heard that you now need passports to get to the Canadian side, we were doomed to vacate on the “bad” side of the falls. I have to admit that I was a little bummed about it, but figured we’d never been there, so it should be fine. Well, I’m here to tell you that we had a wonderful time on the NY side of Niagara Falls. I tend to be a glass half full kind of person anyway, so I was really just happy to get away and be in a new place. Here’s what I discovered in Niagara, NY!

Lodging ~ We opted to rent a house because the entire side of my family was going and we wanted to spend time together. I’m so glad that we did this, b/c the house was old and had so much character and had the best front porch where we sat each night and talked and enjoyed each others company. Not only that, but since we were staying next door to the locals, they told us about some great local spots to hit. Since we were only there for a few days, we didn’t have the chance to visit those places, but they recommended Fort Niagara and Devil’s Hole National Park that apparently gives you a unique view of the falls. However, we did make it to Buzzy’s Pizza(b/c there’s food there 🙂 ) and it was really good!

Activities ~ We did the typical touristy things and we LOVED it! BUT mainstays like Maid of the Mist and Cave of the Winds are insane on Saturday and Sunday’s midday, so if you have the option NOT to go on Saturday and Sunday midday, you should go later on Sunday or any day during the week b/c they are way less busy then. We absolutely loved the Cave of the Winds where you walk up the side of the falls and get soaked on the hurricane deck! They also give you some groovy flops and rain poncho that you can take home as souvenirs. Ha ha. It’s not as high up though as the pictures seem to make it look. It’s a nice easy walk up the falls.

We visited the Aquarium at Niagara and it was really nice. That’s what we did while the other stuff was crazy crowded and it was a nice distraction. They had an adorable sea otter show plus all of the other things that you would expect at an aquarium.

They also had a street that was blocked off and where they have large game boards like a giant Connect Four Game, giant Chess, ping pong and nice comfortable seats w/umbrellas so that parents can relax while the kids play.

We also went into Buffalo, NY and visited the indoor, 2 story mall. They had a Microsoft store where they had virtual reality set up and we played around with that, they had an As Seen on TV store and the employees were very knowledgeable and helpful. I recommend it, and it’s only about 20 minutes from Niagara. By the way, we found that people in Buffalo were very nice and helpful. The only unhappy people we noticed were the employees of Niagara Falls ~ I’m guessing b/c they are working w/tourists everyday.

I Do Not Recommend ~ Don’t waste your time or money in the Haunted House unless you have a younger kid that wants to go in, it’s not scary.

The Town Of Niagara, NY ~ The town there was really interesting. It’s old and everything there is old, which I love. However, it was sad to see that for every business that was thriving, there were 5 empty buildings. Outside of the touristy areas it honestly felt like a ghost town and that’s sad b/c you could see what it used to be and it looks like it used to be a great thriving small community. It was fun to walk and explore the town and I’d love to start a #SaveNiagaraNY campaign, b/c it could be beautiful again!

All in all we had a great time and although some people may think that the NY side of Niagara is overrated, for our family, we had never been and we were only there for 3 days, so there was plenty to keep us busy for 3 days and we are so glad that we went. As for the Canadian side being better and having better views…I disagree, b/c from the NY side you can see the Canadian side really well and it was beautiful. Canada doesn’t have that view.

Here are a few of the pics of our journey.

~Sherry