One more time...NEWish questions

Knot Annie

Okay Upstate Knotties- please tell me y our experience with Niagara. Have you been recently? For a wedding, HM? Tell me y our experience. Either side is fine, but do you love it there because it’s fun and retro? You like to gamble? Love the falls?

Thanks so much!

KA

rugbybride2

I really only go to Niagara to play rugby, go to the male strip clubs and to gamble. Its a great place for bachelor/bachelorette parties but  I wouldn't really call the area romantic, alteast if you are from around here.

pandasquishy

  No no no, Rugby bride is wrong, the area can be very, very romantic if you do it right.  Knot Annie, this response is going to be long, but I hope you find it useful, I'm very passionate about the area because DH and I have so many great memories from the Niagara region on the Canadian Side.

First, skip the American side completely.  Industry left the area by the 1970s, people moved from the area when they couldn't find jobs, so Niagara Falls on the American side has nothing to do except visit the state park.  There is the Maid of the Mist tour, but that can be accessed from the Canadian side, so you're better off heading over that way.  The view of the falls themselves is actually better on the Canadian side, too.

DH and I took a weekend to Niagara Falls last summer and stayed in the Fallsview Marriott which overlooked the falls.  The view from our room was utterly breathtaking.  We had dinner in the hotel restaurant, and I swear that was the best piece of beef I ever ate in my life.  No exaggeration.  The hotel is gorgeous and has ample event space in case you were planning a DW.  Your guests wouldn't be lacking in activities during their downtime.  The casino is attached right to the hotel.

There is also Clifton Hill right there, which is very touristy but fun to do if you have the money.  Each of the attractions has it's own entrance fee, which can really add up, but there are fun things to visit like the Criminals Hall of Fame, Ripley's Believe it or Not, and a ton of other wax museums.  There is also a giant ferris wheel called SkyWheel on the Hill which overlooks the falls.  That's romantic, for sure.

I think the area that has the best memories for DH and I are in nearby Niagara-on-the-Lake.  It's about a twenty minute drive once you cross the border.  There are literally dozens of wineries to visit, each with their own unique story and tastes. (My favorite is Pilliteri, their ibaci line is very girly and fruity.)  You can spend a couple days going to the wineries.  You really don't even need to know where they are, the roads are labeled with signs called the "Wine Trial" and they'll direct you to all the wineries.  NOTL is a small town, so if you go you have to visit Queen Street which has a ton of shops, gourmet cafes and restaurants, ice cream shops, it's just a really great place to spend an afternoon.  This is also where the Shaw Festival takes place, which is a theatre festival.

If you like history, there are a couple historical sights to visits in NOTL, like the fort and there's a house (but as a Historian, I found that one to be historically inaccurate).

I actually think the Niagara region on the Canadian side would be a great place for a DW, especially in the summer when everything is blooming (there are lots of flowers). Despite the wineries and gambling, it's really a family friendly place, too.  And if DH had lived farther away and hadn't been there a bunch of times as it was, Niagara on the Lake makes for a good budget HM.  You can tour a winery and get a tasting flight for about $7!

Oh, and all of that doesn't even mention visiting the Falls themselves!  For someone who has never seen them before in person, it's awe-inspiring.  It's not a whole day activity to visit the falls themselves (which are at the base of Clifton Hill, so you can pair it with that) but you have to stand there for half an hour and watch the water go.  At night they are lit up with color changing lights and in the summer there is usually fireworks over them.

Knot Annie, I really hope that helps, let me know if you need more info.

PS:  Bring your passport.  They recently changed the law, and you need a passport to get back in the US, not just a driver's licenses or birth certificate.

Knot Annie

Thank you so much for such great info! I really appreciate this.

KA

jennilovesjames

Hmmm....Panda makes me want to go.  I'm taking notes in case we decide on a weekend break from wedding planning stress.

pandasquishy

Jen, that's exactly what we did.  Took a weekend to get away from wedding planning, a weekend to recharge our batteries and just be with each other.  You should go!

jennilovesjames

I think I'm sold. I graduate in May- do you think late May/early June is a good time of year to visit? It would have to fit into the gap between graduating and (hopefully) starting a new career. I'm so glad you posted this!

Nukke

I just wanted to add that Niagara on the Lake has a fantastic theatre festival called The Shaw Festival.  The little victorian town has a few lovely theatres with a fantastic playbill for the festival each year.  It runs usually from late April through October, and is a real summertime treat!  I go every year (and it's a four hour drive from where I live in Canada!)