I have this idea in my head that everybody has been to Niagara Falls, because it's the one big famous sight that's practically in my backyard (if a backyard can be 4 hours away and in another country). It's such an easy trip if you're from Cleveland. Obviously, there are people who do not live in the great state of Ohio or other nearby areas and have not been to this Canadian landmark, so I think it would be nice to pay it a little tribute. Since it's so close to Toronto as well, I've thrown that in as a bonus.
Last summer when I went for just one night, I even managed to accidentally show up on Canada Day! All the Canadians were walking around with their little maple leaf flags and red and white outfits. On some occasions like that, there are fireworks at night as well. There's plenty to stay occupied for kids and adults, and all in a compact and walkable area. It's a nice, easy getaway for a few days.
The Falls
There are waterfalls that are individually either larger, or stronger, or more picturesque, but rarely do you find such an awesome combination of all of those qualities.
Niagara Falls manages to be impressive by being so powerful while remaining so pretty. You can hear the dull roar of the water all along the path by the falls, but the atmosphere is really tranquil. The Horseshoe Falls on the Canadian side curving around the far end are especially scenic.
Which brings me to my first and most important point: If you are considering just stopping at the New York side because crossing the Canadian border is too much hassle and you think it'll be just the same, you are wrong.
I've been to the New York side, briefly. It's alright. In fact, I would even encourage you to take a half hour and see it.
You can walk down the stairs and be right beside the Falls, which is admittedly something you cannot do on the Canadian side. But afterwards, you get up there, get your passport out, and cross that Rainbow Bridge. This is one place where Canada does it better.
You also must come back to the Falls after dark. You'll be treated to a light show of alternating colors making them even prettier.
Transport
Am I creating this section as an excuse to bitch about Greyhound? Probably. I don't care. I just need to set the record straight for any unsuspecting foreigners out there who may think Greyhound is a respectable bus service. Now obviously, if you are coming from abroad, you are probably going to fly into Toronto and get the bus down, and I doubt there will be many problems there. However, if you are coming from the USA and aren't driving, you may first get a bus to Buffalo like I usually do. Here I can strongly encourage you to go with the Megabus if that is an option. I have nothing but love for Megabus and their low, low prices. In my experience, they have always run smoothly and given me no problems.
Unfortunately, at this point, I have always switched to a Greyhound to Niagara (either Megabus timetables didn't work out for me or there wasn't a bus that stopped in Niagara, cannot remember). The least you require from a bus company is efficient transport from point A to point B, correct? Greyhound has failed twice to meet even that basic expectation. TWICE I have had a Greyhound bus break down on the US/Canadian border while its passengers were going through border control. Most recently, it was on the way up to Niagara, and we waited at least a half hour for the replacement bus to show up.
The first time it happened to me, on our way back to the United States, was worse. Most passengers had flights or bus connections to catch (myself included), and the driver would give us no answers or guarantees as to when it would be fixed. People were not happy. Most of them ended up leaving in taxis, which Greyhound did not offer to pay for, but I was not going to throw down $50 for a cab to Buffalo when I'd already bought a bus ticket. By the time the replacement bus showed up over an hour later, there were only six passengers left, and I was extremely lucky to catch my connecting Megabus at the last second when we arrived in Buffalo.
On top of that, my iPod had been left on their bus on the way up (not by myself- don't let irresponsible people borrow your things), and I happened to have the same driver on my return bus. Before we were broken down for an hour, I went to ask about it. He told me that yes, he had found it and turned it in, and I would have to go to Toronto to pick it up. Then he got bitchy with me when I questioned him about that seeing as I was on my way back to the US and had no plans to go to Toronto. You would think a bus company could pretty easily transport lost property to a city on their route, right? Well, I called that Toronto station at least five times over the next week, gave them the driver's name who had turned it in, even called the other bus company who shares that station, and each time they told me they did not have it. What shady assholes. I hope some thief was enjoying my practically brand-new iPod while I ended up having to shell out $245 for a new one. Hate Greyhound.
The Area
There is more to do than stare at a waterfall all day. The area around Niagara (Canada) is lively and packed full of activities. Mostly tourist traps. Have I mentioned I love tourist traps? My dad was always very tight with money when I was growing up (and still is), and if something wasn't free, there was almost no chance we were doing it. A fun house at a carnival is an extra dollar? We already paid to get in! You want a dessert with your meal?! Unheard of. One of the most mind-blowing things about adulthood was the realization that I could waste my money on anything I wanted! Yes, I could have a drink with dinner, and yes, I could drop $10 each on five tourist traps on the strip. Try to stop me!
When I went to the Falls with my parents as a kid, I did amazingly manage to talk them into letting us see a wax museum. That was the only "extra" we sprung for on the trip. The next time I went, when I was 22, I went to the Guinness World Record Museum, Ripley's Believe It or Not Museum, Ripley's 4D theater, the Maid of the Mist, the Midway arcade, iMax theater, AND three overpriced theme restaurants. No regrets!
I really enjoyed the iMax, but mostly because the film and associated exhibit were relevant and very interesting. They had "Daredevils and Legends" on while I was there, all about the people who have attempted going over the Falls in a barrel. The exhibit showed replicas of each barrel that the people had built to attempt it along with their personal stories and whether they lived or died. One old schoolteacher and her cat both survived, one guy went over four or five times and survived them all, and this one poor mystic guy who had predicted his survival went down with a mattress, journal, three hour supply of oxygen, and his turtle, and although he did survive the fall, he was trapped behind the waterfall for something like 18 hours and ran out of oxygen. He was more prepared than them all and fate was just cruel. Plus, the guy brought his turtle! In one happy twist in an otherwise depressing story, the turtle did survive.
On a final note about the area, there are plenty of shops around, including Hershey's Chocolate World, so... you probably don't want to miss that.
Hotels & Restaurants
There is no shortage of choice when it comes to accommodation and food around Niagara. As far as hotels, I can only recommend where I've been personally, and I can only remember the most recent two trips. The Sheraton adjacent to the Fallsview Casino is very nice, features an IHoP (!), and has a walkway connecting it to the casino.
If you're going for something cheaper, I can recommend the Days Inn By the Falls. Be very careful though as there are six Days Inns in Niagara, three within less than a half mile radius of one another, and all with very similar names. We first walked into the Days Inn NEAR the Falls, which is not the same one. Anyway, on this occasion, which was last summer, we were only there for one night, so while I didn't have time to check out the pool, I can assure you that the rooms are spacious and nice.
As for the restaurants, first of all, did I mention IHoP? There's more than one! Only the greatest pancake restaurant in the world. Also, I think I've made clear my love of touristy things, and theme restaurants are at the top of that list. Niagara has them all. There's Margaritaville, Hard Rock Cafe, and Planet Hollywood, but I never pass up a chance to dine at the Rainforest Cafe (bonus tip- there's a bar next door with beers from a local brewery where you can spend your wait time).
What's not to love?! They have trees surrounding you, a starry sky above, aquariums with real fish and even a shark, mechanical jungle animals all throughout the restaurant, and a "thunder storm" every half hour when rain comes from the walls and the animatronics all come to life. Plus good food and cocktails! Maybe I'm tacky. Who cares.
Maid of the Mist
By far the most must-do activity on this or any list about Niagara Falls has to be the Maid of the Mist.
At least, that's what it used to be called. I was extremely disappointed last time I went and realized the Canadian side has changed the name to "Hornblower" and switched the blue ponchos to pink. Whose brilliant idea was that?! The American side has kept the Maid of the Mist name. Ugh, "Hornblower." Ugh, pink ponchos. Silly Canada.
The ride remains the same though. You board a boat with a bunch of other tourists clad in ridiculous ponchos, slowly glide past the Falls up close and see all the rainbows, and then you navigate right into the middle of the deafening Horseshoe Falls and get absolutely soaking wet. It's spectacular.
There is one other thing I noticed missing. The first time I went, there was this extremely perfect effect just as we got hit with the massive wall of water when the guide on the microphone went, "This. Is. NIAGARA!" and it made the moment so much more awesome. Last time, it was just silence through the whole trip. So either the guide on that last boat needs to be fired or Canada needs to reevaluate how the changes they are making in their country affect the rest of us.
Toronto
From Niagara, you can continue up an hour north to spend some time in Toronto (or make Niagara a day/weekend trip if you're already visiting Toronto). I found the city to be on the expensive side - or possibly that's just all of Canada - so I went to Air BnB to find accommodation.
The Junction
We ended up in a cute little one room house called the Toy Loft which had a loft bed, fun colorful LED lights all over with Alexa instructions, and action figures/collectibles set up all along the shelves and display case (plus a reserved parking spot behind the house which is so key in Toronto).
It was pretty cute and an easy walk to the Junction area with a variety of bars and restaurants. I had my first caesar (the Canadian version of a bloody mary made with clamato instead of tomato - I only cheat on these and jello shots) at the Alpine and it was honestly spectacular (I had subsequent caesars on my visit but none stacked up to the first).
There's also a sci-fi bar down this way called See-Scape with video games and comic decor.
City Center
I was only in the city for two nights (driving from Ohio), so I had to cram as much sightseeing as I could into essentially one day. Parking and traffic (god, the traffic) in Toronto is a bitch, but I used the website Spot Angels to find all parking lots and garages in any given area of the map and the prices. We ended up at the cheapest lot we could find downtown for $7 an hour and spent three hours out walking around.
First up, we hit Yonge-Dundas Square, basically Toronto's Times Square but much less exciting. Lots of big screens up on the buildings and a fountain area in the center.
Near there is the old city hall, worth visiting to get a photo in front of the big Toronto sign.
Toronto's main landmark is the CN Tower. Since it was $40 to go up and all I really want to do is the EdgeWalk which wasn't operating due to Covid during my visit, we opted to just view it from the ground. Just beside it is this outdoor railway museum which is very cool. Tons of trains, all different types, scattered around a wide open lawn with the city buildings all around as a backdrop. We stopped at the Steam Whistle Biergarten there for a drink.
Other attractions we walked by were the Hockey Hall of Fame, the very cute dog fountain in Berczy Park, and the St. Lawrence Market.
Kensington Market
Although we left this area just as it was getting dark, Kensington Market seems like a good spot for nightlife. I was very excited to find Collective Arts brewery here as I've had their amazing beers in the past and had no idea they were Toronto-based. My flight of beer was so good (coconut & key lime IPA, the best!), and I walked out with 7 various cans to take home and try as well.
We hit up Birreria Volo, a long, dim bar that led out into cute narrow patio, and Bar Raval, a very popular tapas place with unique wooden architecture. Felt a bit like being inside a fairy tale tree. Also a dive bar called Toby's as one of our old friends said that was his spot when he lived in Kensington Market.
You can also walk through Market 707 which has food trucks and shops operating out of shipping containers.
Brunch
There were tons of brunch spots to choose from around Toronto, but we only had time for two. Mildred's Temple Kitchen was nice, the highlight being their house-made hot sauce which tasted like a super spicy Thai sweet chili. Our favorite though was Lady Marmalade in Chinatown, a modern style spot where I had these cheddar and spinach waffles with poached egg and avocado on top that were unbelievable.
Casa Loma
One last spot we stopped to see was Casa Loma, a for real castle in the middle of Toronto. Don't pay for the extortionate parking fees - there are free street spots just across the road. We didn't have the time or intense desire to pay for an indoor tour, but I'm happy we stopped to see the exterior.
One day I hope to see more of Canada than what's directly across the border, but Ontario has been a good start.