This is a historic site often barely mentioned in passing in guidebooks and brochures for Niagara…read moreFalls, and apparently off the beaten path but not entirely hidden, it's well worth a visit (and free of charge!). Parking is not a concern since the power plant site is adjacent to the Niagara Gorge Discovery Centre/Niagara Gorge Trailhead Building and the parking lot for it. Entering the stone structure, there's a big lift ahead, which will take you right down to the ground level where you're free to explore whatever is left of the once-active power station. Walk a little further down and you'll also get a wide angle view of the Rainbow Bridge and, of course, the grand Niagara River. There are brochures, maps, coupons, and guidebooks for nearby attractions and businesses once you're back up on the upper ground level where you took the lift, and the booklet with black and white pictures about the history of the site and the disaster in 1956 is another treat.

When we first visited this site, we thought it was simply the remains of an old power plant. We…read morewere attracted to it by a call of a peregrine falcon. He was next to the building, past a fenced area, calling to other peregrines. We looked around and left. The next day we returned to look around more, and we saw a group of fishermen disappear inside. Intriguing! We followed them in. Inside was an elevator - with directions - that took us down to a shoreline. The fishermen who rode down with us told us they would walk along it to find a spot to fish. But they weren't going to keep the fish. Said they weren't good for eating. They would release whatever they caught. We saw along the wall of the base of the power plant huge panels of information about it. We also saw part of the American Falls when we walked down to the water. When we went back up, we saw a plaque in front of the building, praising those whose efforts led to hydro-electric power. Glad we stopped both days.

Go Niagara Tours went above and beyond to personally show my family, and the whole group, the…read morefascinating inside story of Niagara Falls and how this unique place contributes so much to world history. Our guide Pete was a veritable walking encyclopedia of facts about the Buffalo-Niagara region, peppered with the occasional grin-inducing joke. He is a real "people person", able to make guests of all ages comfortably feel like old friends. He was born and raised nearby, and the passion for this area comes through strongly. Attitudes are contagious -- which is a good thing with this outfit! Your time learning and having fun with Go Niagara tours is well worth the very reasonable price. Highest recommendation.

The actual tour was fine. The way we were scammed to buy it was not. We had stopped at their kiosk…read moreto ask for help finding another tour company we already had tickets for and were told that company was out of business. So, we trusted the agent and bought his tour.

Tour date was 6/15. Steve was fantastic, great energy, had a lot of history to share on the falls,…read moreand did a great job keeping the group together. I really like how the folks who organized the tour make it a point to talk to all the folks in the group to try and get to know where everyone is from and a little about the family. It felt personable and not like you're another body on their tour but that they genuinely want to know where their "guests " are from; not just another customer. I would recommend their tour to anyone looking to do one. Maid of the mist was the coolest experience! What a view of all the falls. Would recommend a camera with a handle of some sort. Horseshoe falls was windy and wet! I was worried about dropping my phone. A lot of people start pushing to get to the railing of the ship. Not everyone on the boat is from your tour group. We got on the boat and stood by the side rail of the boat to get the view. My son and I were standing there by ourselves and people start filling in. As you get close to the falls people push you out of the way to try and squeeze in to get their photo. We were literally pushed out of the way. Hence the reason I was worried about dropping my phone. Cave of the winds also an experience but not what I was expecting. Maybe I didn't do my research but, I thought it was something different. The staircase down to the falls was pretty cool, you really get a glimpse of how powerful the falls are. You're right up there next to the American fall, it was very wet and windy. I got a little nervous, if you drop anything, it's gone. Hard to take pictures with hurricane force winds and the amount of water coming at you. Definitely suggest a camera with some sort of a handle or something. Saw a certificate in a gift shop that said I survived the hurricane winds of cave of the winds...had I have known it was going to be what it was I might have chosen not to do this part of the tour. But at the same time it was a pretty cool experience. I have no regrets doing it, just wasn't expecting to get blasted and soaked by the falls!

If I could give a zero, I would!…read more I had the same experience as another customer with this company! When I presented my tickets, I was told that my tickets would not be honored and I would need to purchase new ones! The worst part is that the tickets I purchased by this scam company were $25 more! I paid this trash company almost twice as much! I booked them through Viator and Viator needs to do a better job of vetting their contractors. I have contacted my credit card company, disputing the charge! Do not use this company, at least for Niagara Falls Maid of the Mist boat ride.....go through Maid of the Midst directly!!!! Total disappointment with this company!

Basically an island but it's surrounded by waterfalls and full of gawkers. Goat Island is located…read morein the Niagara River. It's between the Bridal Veil Falls and the Horseshoe Falls so of course there's tons of water. Cool to look at it and get wet a bit. The rest of the island is quieter. An interesting history. It's also been known as Iris Island but it got its name from a goat farm that was on it. This is located in the southwest corner of the state park. Has a few notable viewing points around it. Terrapin Point is the most popular. Connected to the mainland by a couple bridges. It's got over a mile of perimeter trails. A few notable attractions on it. The Cave Of The Winds tour gives access to the foot of the falls, but you have to get tickets. A few smaller islands around it. Three Sisters Islands is to the south, and is a more peaceful area surrounded by increasingly rapid water. Luna Island is to the north, connected by a bridge alongside the American Falls. There's a Nikola Tesla Monument. He was important for using the falls to produce hydroelectricity. The island used to have significantly more forest in the 1800s as observed by famous land architect Frederick Law Olmsted. Foot traffic, mowing, and invasive species have changed it. The Top Of The World Restaurant is here if wanting to get overpriced basic stuff. For sure the views are the best thing about it. It's got a parking lot on the east side. The bridges allow tourists to access it without having to sit in traffic.

A beautiful place to spend some time and get an interesting perspective of the water leading to the…read morefalls. If you are visiting Cave of the Winds you will need to head to this area. It also hosts Top of the Falls restaurant which is a great place to get a decent meal with a view. You can drive to goat island (there is a paid parking lot) or use the pedestrian walkways. If you want a great view and some unique perspectives of the falls and rapids, definitely consider making your way to goat island.

We had a wonderful time. It wasn't that expensive. I think you pay more to see the Grand Canyon…read more Our pilot was very skilled unfortunately it was a cloudy day, which was safe to fly, but we couldn't get the best photos. I would recommend this place. Scotty is wonderful. He's the guy that signed us up and got us a van to the heliport.

It was a great flight over the falls. The whole staff was very friendly. The pilot wasn't very…read moresocial after the flight he kind of ran off before we finished with the picture person as it's the first stop upon return so we were unable to tip the pilot. But overall great experience.

A small well-divided museum that is very informative. Very clean and organized into the different…read moremilitary branch. Best of all, IT"S FREE...Kids may not be as interested as adults. Can spend 10 minutes or 2 hours.

The Niagara Military Museum is a 5 Star Hidden Jewel. For reasons unknown to me, this attraction…read moredoes not appear in any of the major guide books, or in pamphlets on the shelves of various hotel lobbies. I discovered this lovely museum, located inside the old "Armoury Building", on my way to the Niagara Falls Public Library. The museum covers in detail the military history of the Niagara Area during major conflicts, since the War of 1812. It has very detailed and interesting displays on the First Floor. An expansion is planned for the near future to include "Escape Rooms". The Museum Director, Jim Doherty, gave me a personal guided tour of the entire First Floor exhibits with very interesting commentary. This museum is located about one mile outside the main "Clifton Hill Tourist Area" of Niagara Falls, Canada. Approximately a ten minute walk from "Casino Niagara" will bring you directly to the front entrance of the "Niagara Military Museum". It is an absolute must see activity for anybody who is interested in "Military History". I highly recommend the "Niagara Military Museum" for all potential audiences.

Initially the thought of visiting a Power Plant is probably the last thing on most vacationers'…read moremind...but this was awesome! Be sure to go late for night visit where you get to see a colorful, artistic, steamy, and musical visual art show take place inside the entire power plant. Somehow, by some miracle, and done by some geniuses whom somehow made show about history and a power plant very interesting and even enchanting. Somehow, learning about engineering and science was fascinating! The long tunnel walk sounds like chore, but its actually quite revitalizing and thrilling strolling through the vibrant colorful lights, and finally to the outside deck that is so crazy close Niagara Falls for some breathtaking beautiful views of waters. Again, go at night so you can see the waterfalls lit up by colorful lights. So magical! DO NOT DRIVE HERE! PARKING LOT IS $40!!!!! Take a uber/lyft or the bus.

What an incredible experience! We went at night, and parked in the adjacent parking lot. Sarah…read morehelped us buy the best ticket combination for parking and seeing the night show as well as tunnel. The night show inside the station was magical. It had moving pictures and music. We watched for awhile and then made our way to the elevator for the tunnel and viewing station. We went 180 feet down & it felt like 60° inside the tunnel, which is 1/2 mile long. It was freezing!! Upstairs it was in the high 80s. We took photos of the tunnel going in because it was so different. We loved looking at the multi colored lights on the falls which looked like the aurora borealis. On our walk through the tunnel going out I enjoyed the lights again. More photos! We did not take ponchos off. It was cold! They kept us warm. I took photo of rainbow in the tunnel. Got in the elevator to go up, and when we arrived upstairs it was warm!!! Ponchos off! Before leaving we went to the gift shop to purchase souvenirs. Best purchase? Tee shirt with BEST. DAY. EVER. on it. Because it was!

Introduction to Rochester, NY Trip & Day at Niagara Falls/Buffalo:…read more Now onto the 1st review of the scrapbook series since my girlfriend & I got in a relationship. Representing 1st of 2 from April 2024 is Maid of the Mist. In January 2024 before our relationship started, a friend called me invited me to their relationship love ceremony, not an actual marriage but exchanging vows when the total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024 was happening over western NY, more specifically in his birthplace, Rochester. On February 29, 2024, during my girlfriend & I's 6th date, we were talking about the logistics of the trip. It was very early on to be planning this trip, but we knew the relationship was going great. We stayed 3 nights at the AirBnB in Rochester, and we had a great time together on the trip. One of the days the group took a day trip to Niagara Falls. Thankfully, it was just the 2 of us in her car both ways, which in all honesty was a nice break from the group. Experience with Maid of the Mist: Besides simply going to Niagara Falls, admiring the great views of the falls, & taking photos, which is great to begin with, going on the Maid of the Mist is a must do for a Niagara Falls trip. Both the US & Canada sides have Maid of the Mist. You go down a ways to the water level, given a blue pancho which says Maid of the Mist, because you do get wet from the water spray, and you board the boat. The boat takes you to the various falls, and it's really cool getting the water sprayed on you, both metaphorically & literally cool. April 9th average high temperature is a bone chilling 52 F, and it really is bone chilling when water is spraying on you. But we really lucked out, it was an unseasonably warm 80 F in Niagara Falls, which was a record high for them. The timing of this total solar eclipse & their love ceremony was what was it was. In general, summer is the best time to do Maid of the Mist, when it's very likely to be warm out. In summary, if in Niagara Falls, try to go to Maid of the Mist unless it's extremely cold or bad weather. Even if it had been that 52 F high average temp, I'm sure we would've done, but would've been more bundled up for it.

Absolutely fabulous time riding Maid of the Mist into the heart of Niagara Falls…read more Check in was super easy and after a short elevator down to the water, we were given a poncho and thanks goodness for that. You will get wet. A small change of position from the boat seems to bring sheets of water onto the decks. Judging from everyone's faces, we were all enjoying ourselves. I highly recommend this.