Destination: Niagara Falls, Canada
– 3 Days in Niagara Falls –
2012 was a busy travel year for Devin and I, we went all over the East Coast, but one of my favorite destinations from that year was Niagara Falls. We took a road trip from New Jersey to Niagara over Labor Day Weekend and spent three days exploring the falls and surrounding wineries.
The drive from New Jersey took about seven hours, and it wasn’t very scenic, just cornfields for miles and miles. My favorite part of the drive was seeing Niagara in the distance while waiting to cross over the border. But be warned, you cannot get out of the car to take photos, I learned the hard way!
Niagara is a compact town that is very walkable, most accommodations are a short distance to the visitor’s center (and for those that don’t like walking, the railway is a great option to get down to the falls for a nominal fee). We stayed at both the Hilton and Marriott, both boast beautiful views of the falls, but sadly, neither of our rooms had a view. The Hilton had a bar on the top floor which overlooked the falls, I would recommend grabbing a drink there at night when the falls are lit up -we did and loved it!
I was blown away by Niagara Falls, the sheer force of the water and the mist that it generates is so intense. But since you can only watch water fall over a ledge for so long, we decided to try out a few different bars with a view so that we could still admire the beauty, but this time while sipping an ice cold beer.
The first spot we tried was Elements on the Falls, this is the closest bar/restaurant to the falls, and while most people were enjoying their romantic dinners, we happily snagged seats at the bar which had limited fall views. Next we stopped at the Keg Steakhouse and Bar located inside the Embassy Suites. Again, there were a lot of people enjoying a romantic meal here, and the vantage point of the falls from the bar was about the same. Finally ready to grab some food, we headed away from the falls to AG Inspired Cuisine, which is located inside a boutique hotel and actually a bit difficult to find. But it was worth the trouble to get there. It has a very upscale look with chandeliers and red velvet drapes, the menu changes seasonally and they source a lot of local produce and wine. Both of our meals were delicious and the wine, well it was amazing enough that we decided to go wine tasting in Niagara!
No trip to Niagara is complete until you do the Journey Behind the Falls and Hornblower Cruise. We were on limited time since we had a long drive home ahead of us and wanted to stop in Buffalo for some original buffalo wings, so we couldn’t do both. Let me just say those yellow ponchos aren’t just a prop for photos, you get drenched down there and really get an appreciation for just how much power Niagara Falls has!
It was a great trip and I’ve been looking forward to going back, this time in the winter when the falls have hopefully frozen over. Niagara is stunning and you won’t be disappointed if you make a trip there to view it yourself.
That’s my story…
Peace & Love
xoxo, Andrea
