This past weekend, Emily and I had the opportunity to visit Niagara Falls! It was a super brief trip, but one we’ve both wanted to do for AGES. As much as I love city life, I am such an outdoors girl and truly am the happiest in nature. And can we all agree that there’s just nothing like waterfalls, mountains, changing colors and cool air to get you in the mood for fall?!
The Niagara area is packed with amazing restaurants, fun activities and beautiful views — more than I ever imagined — and we’re already counting down the days until our next trip back!
The drive from Virginia to Canada is especially gorgeous this time of year, and I could not get over the vibrant colors of the trees as we passed through each state. We just had to stop and grab some fun pictures in the middle of one of the beautiful stretches of highway.
DAY 1
We stayed and toured on the Canadian side of the falls, which I would highly recommend for a super clear view of Niagara Falls and tons of fun activities. Our first day was jam-packed with lots of outdoor adventuring…
We started our morning bright and early at 9am with Hornblower Niagara Cruises, aboard their “Voyage of the Falls” tour. It was an absolutely stunning view with the sunbeams and morning mist surrounding Niagara Falls. We even saw a rainbow during our cruise, which was such an amazing bonus to the experience!
Each boat has an indoor glass area where you can store items and stand if you want a break from the water. You will get pretty wet on deck, but is so worth it for the views. Both Emily and I stayed out the entire time and had an absolute blast!
[perfectpullquote align=”left” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]Hornblower also has a “Falls Illumination Cruise”, which gives a breathtaking view of the starry city skyline, Horseshoe Falls and Niagara Falls lit up by their new $4 million falls illumination.[/perfectpullquote]
TIP: Hornblower provides ponchos, but our shoes/pants were soaked by the end. I would definitely recommend wearing waterproof boats & purchasing a plastic phone case so you can get lots of photos during the experience. And let me tell you…you will not want to miss this incredible photo-op!
All in all, I would highly recommend Hornblower Niagara Cruises as a must-do for any Niagara trip! The cruise gives such a cool perspective of the hugeness of the falls, and truly was one of my favorite travel experiences to date.
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Next we went to Niagara Park’s White Water Walk, which offers the most peaceful view of the cliffs, changing tree colors and the richest blue water I’ve ever seen! There is a boardwalk that runs alongside the rapids, and quite a few landings/seating areas to take in each unique angle of the gorge.
*Note: If you want to get even closer to the heart of Niagara Falls, you should definitely check out Niagara Park’s Journey Behind the Falls. Visitors take an elevator down 125 feet to an observation deck where you can get an incredible view of the 13 story falls. We didn’t get any pictures during our experience because we were literally feet from the downpour and got completely drenched…but it was so amazing to be so close to the roar of the waterfall!
We enjoyed a leisurely lunch at Elements on the Falls, which is centrally located in Niagara Parks. The restaurant has the most amazing open-window view, with an upscale yet relaxing atmosphere. Each of their menu items are specially crafted with an international flair and locally-sourced ingredients — talk about gourmet!
If you visit, you MUST try the Niagara Spy Apple Barge. This dessert is the definition of fall, with fresh apples, warm cinnamon and the creamiest vanilla ice cream. And I don’t even like vanilla ice cream! (I may or may not have tried to recreate this when I came back to the states…it was just that good).
It’s no secret that I love butterflies, so I absolutely loved visiting the Niagara Parks Butterfly Conservatory (located inside the Niagara Parks Botanical Gardens). The glass-enclosed conservatory is filled with beautiful plants, flowers, more than 2,000 colored butterflies and is such a fun place to spend an afternoon.
Our final stop of the day — and the perfect finale to our day of adventuring —the Whirlpool Aero Car. It’s been in service since 1916, and you actually pass over the Canadian and American borders while on board! We got an incredible aerial view of the Niagara Gorge and Niagara Whirlpool, and looking down at the entire scene was just breathtaking…it honestly could have been a postcard.
DAY 2
We took our second day to relax, explore and find some of the other hidden gems the Niagara area had to offer…
Just about everyone we talked to recommended visiting Niagara-On-The-Lake, so we knew we had to check it out. And oh my goodness, it is just about the cutest town you’ll ever see! There’s lots of awesome bakeries, restaurants, shops (there is even an all-year Christmas store…which made me so happy) and the cutest little b&b’s. 
The waterfront is not too far from the town, and it is absolutely the most picturesque place. We spent quite a bit of time enjoying the misty view from the water…there’s even a mini lighthouse and lots of little red houses across the lake.
Even though it was short, we truly got the perfect sampling of all the Niagara Falls area has to offer. We absolutely loved our time in Canada — and everyone we met was so helpful and kind! I would definitely recommend everything that Niagara Parks has to offer, and we cannot wait to visit again soon!
*Our trip was in collaboration with Niagara Parks and Hornblower Cruises. All opinions are my own.
