Have Kid Will Travel: Views of Niagara Falls

After spending three months in Scituate and seeing all the sights in and around Boston it was time to begin our long drive back to Iowa.

We made a stop near Niagara Falls, Canada to rest for a night. My blog friend Jennifer kept up with our plans and invited us to spend the night with her family. Which was wonderful- we got to spend time with new friends and there were toys and a backyard for the girls to play in with Jennifer's kids. It was a wonderful stay.

Because we stayed with friends we didn't do as much "tourist stuff"as we might have so I don't really have great tips for your stay. But I do have wonderful photos to share!

I believe we took this picture of the Niagara Falls skyline as we were coming into Canada, waiting in line at customs. Remember... You need a passport to enter Canada now!

Our first stop, after getting to our friend's house, was the Fallsview Casino Resort. We parked here (cost C$10) and went inside for discount coupons for attractions and restaurants in Clifton Hill.

The kids were intrigued by this large fountain in the lobby. It's rather incredible, in an industrial sort of way.

The views are staggering. Here we are not far from the hotel, walking down towards the falls. You can see across the Niagara River, almost to lake Erie.

Instead of heading straight for the falls we went to Clifton Hill. It was getting close to lunch time and we had been in the van since 7 am.

We passed the Skylon Tower. We didn't ride to the observation deck, though I hear it is an amazing view. I also understand that the food in the revolving restaurant is absolutely fabulous.

Apparently the base of the tower houses a family entertainment center, a 3D/4D theater and specialty shops. It was such a beautiful day we skipped the indoor activities.

We did, however, take a spin on the Sky Wheel. (C$10 adults, C$6 for kids; we had coupons and saved a bit.) The wheel turns quite slowly and we were able to get great photos. We fit 4 adults and 4 kids into one "pod".

After our "flight" we were ready for lunch. Next to the Sky Wheel is Boston Pizza. Beyond a restaurant it's also a game and bowling center. It's very loud but the food is quite good with lots of kids meals options.

Clifton Hill is filled with shops, tourist traps- a wax museum, lego sculptures, lots of vampire and Frankenstein things- and restaurants. The one place we did stop was the Hershey store. Mmmm, chocolate.

After our chocolate stop we actually made our way to the falls. I love this photo over the spring daffodils looking across the falls into the US.

Something else I love are the signs warning you not to climb over the fence. What I truly adore about this one is that the decorative fence on the sign looks just the the fence it is on! (See top photo.)

And now... The falls. You can stand right next to them. It's breathtaking and terrifying all at the same time.

Having seen what we came to see we spent the evening with our new friends in their home; making dinner while the kids played outside.

As we left the next day we made a quick stop at Souvenir City. This place is huge. Inside is a glass blowing factory where you can watch the blowers create amazing figures with melted glass and their breath. It is one of a handful of places in the world that make cranberry colored glass. Yes, I bought a little something.

Doug and the girls picked out there trinkets, and we took a few can't-pass-up photo opps before we left...