My trip to Niagara Falls was my first road trip and my first time in Canada.
Friday
Until then, the farthest I had driven was to New Jersey but I was looking forward to the adventure. I rented a Nissan Altima Hybrid from www.avis.com and used my Nuvi 250W GPS (currently discontinued) from www.garmin.com to navigate the trip. I had water, plenty of snacks and great company. Despite the distance, we enjoyed the thrill of the open road with an amazing playlist, a game of state plates and the sense of freedom as we took in fantastic views. On the way, we stopped in Buffalo.
At the border, all you need is your driver’s license and rental card agreement. (A passport is not required but strongly recommended. For more on the requirements visit the Canadian Citizenship and Immigration page. Once in Canada, the hotel was another 20 minutes away from the border. We stayed at the Radisson Hotel & Suites on Fallsview Blvd. I am a Club Rezidor member, that encouraged my choice of hotel, but the hotel had a lot of great attributes to it. There are indoor pools with great views of Niagara Falls directly from your room and a Tony Roma’s to the right of the lobby. Head over to the Radisson website to see if this hotel is right for you on tour trip.
That night we had dinner at the Copacabana. What drew us to the Copacabana was the live band outside of the restaurant. For all the foodies out there Copacabana is the place to try. It’s basically an all you can eat with a twist. The other dishes are at the buffet while servers move from table to table with a selection of meat. It was a great dining experience with great entertainment throughout, our time was well spent. Before returning to the hotel we took a walk around Fallsview Blvd.
Saturday
Saturday morning we went across the street for breakfast at Starbucks. The Starbucks is located across the street in the lobby of the Marriott’s Hotel. Although you can get Starbucks in the city it doesn’t come with a view of the Falls. We then returned to the lobby of our hotel where we were picked up for a tour of Niagara Falls. We booked our tour with SeeSight Tours. I would suggest booking a private tour. It's really worth it because it gives you the ability to see Niagara Falls at your own pace, it was truly an amazing experience. The tour guides are friendly, knowledgeable and have a genuine love of Niagara Falls. Another reason why I recommend the tour is that they have expedited access to the attractions they visit, which reduces the time spent in lines. The tour stops include; Hornblower Niagara cruises (Formally Maid of the Mist), Journey Behind the Falls, Skylon Tower with pick up and drop off anywhere in Ontario, Canada.
We also visited the Floral Clock in Niagara Parks, Rossi Glass that is a local glassmaker in the area and Old Niagara. That night we took a stroll back to the falls. I must at admit the array of colored lights took my breath away.
We spent the remainder of the evening at Clifton Hill where we had a great evening out. I had my first caramel covered apple, we played miniature golf and took a ride on the Niagara Skywheel.
Sunday
Unfortunately, we left on Sunday but not before having a Canadian breakfast at Tom Horton’s, which was another first. The breakfast was great and not to mention the coffee came in handy for the ride back. It was an amazing weekend. I must say I would definitely go on another road trip.
Disclaimer: I do not receive compensation from any of the establishments listed above.
Editors Note: Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, not those of any parties mentioned. None of the entities mentioned has reviewed, approved or endorsed the content listed in this post.
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