Niagara Falls Overview

The spectacular sight and the thundering sound of 600,000 gallons of water rushing over the rim of Horseshoe Falls every second continues to draw millions of visitors every year to the Niagara Falls area, and for good reason. The Falls, the world’s second largest waterfalls after Victoria Falls in South Africa, fire the imaginations of all who experience their awesome natural beauty and power. Yet there is much more to do here than simply watch the waters flow. Niagara Falls boasts Victorian mansions, fine vineyards, and luxuriant orchards, as well as a rich selection of cultural heritage sites that reflect the pivotal role the region has played in North American history.

Districts

The Falls
The Niagara Falls region hosts some 18 million people every year. They converge in every conceivable type of transport from all four corners of the globe to get a glimpse of what has justifiably been deemed one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World.

A series of cascades known simply as the Falls, with Horseshoe Falls on the Canadian side and American Falls and Bridal Veil Falls on the U.S. side, these raging cataracts serve as the conduit for shifting a huge mass of water from the four Upper Great Lakes to Lake Ontario, and eventually out to the ocean. A great deal of water flows over the Falls: the Great Lakes hold about 20 percent of the world's supply of fresh water, making them the largest source of freshwater in the world.

Every second, some 600,000 gallons of water flows over the 2,600-foot wide brink of Horseshoe Falls and blasts down its 170-foot face into the Maid of the Mist pool, so named because the force of the falling water produces constant clouds of fine mist, which partially obscure the views of the falls, adding to their mystique and allure. Visitors can view the falls from the bottom with a boat ride into the pool, from above at the observation deck at the Table Rock Information Center, or from behind, through a series of caves and tunnels cut into the cliff behind the deafening wall of water. If you would like a change of pace, the tranquil floral displays on view at the Niagara Park Greenhouse, just south of Horseshoe Falls, provide a serene contrast to the sound and fury of the cataracts.

Clifton Hill
A magnet for romantic getaways ever since Napoleon’s brother, Jerome Bonaparte, supposedly honeymooned here in 1804, Niagara Falls is famous (or infamous) for the Clifton Hill area, where brand-new luxury hotels jockey for position with gaudy neon-lit honeymoon motels. Unabashedly over-the-top, the tourist attractions that have grown up around the hotels offer a concentrated array of some of the world’s most off-the-wall museums. Ripley's Believe It Or Not!, Louis Tussaud's Waxworks, the Guinness World of Records Museum, the Criminals’ Hall of Fame, and many others continue to draw the sincerely curious, the gullible, and those in search of campy fun. A few exceptions to the lighthearted tackiness of the area include the Niagara Falls Aviary, which exhibits an impressive variety of birds from around the world, and the very interesting museum attached to the IMAX Niagara Falls, which provides an informative overview of the history of the area.

Niagara Parkway
Any lingering accusations of shameless commercialism are quickly dispelled once you get out into the countryside surrounding the Falls. From Fort Erie to Niagara-on-the-Lake, the two-lane Niagara Parkway follows the Niagara River for nearly its entire journey from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario. Considering the comparatively warm, lush, landscape that envelops those roaring waters, it's no surprise that the first explorers who saw this region believed they had stumbled into a new Garden of Eden.

Fruit trees, vineyards, and winding, sun-dappled country roads along the river and the Parkway will beckon to the wanderer inside you. Jogging and biking paths along the route reach all the way up to Georgian Bay in the north. Hidden-away bed-and-breakfasts offer welcoming hosts and charming antique furnishings, while historical museums and mint-condition period homes will transport you to another time. The Niagara Glen Nature Preserve provides a chance to see the natural beauty of the area in a pristine state: the woods, caves, and rock formations provide a glimpse of what the area must have looked like before European explorers arrived. The Botanical Gardens next to the preserve are a paradise for flower lovers, while the nearby Butterfly Conservatory will awe you with the diversity and delicacy of the butterflies that flutter through its displays of rare flowers and plants.

Queenston
A few miles south of the Falls on the Niagara Parkway, Queenston is a quaint old village boasting a historic homestead house, an excellent art museum, and a park that was once the site of a pivotal battle that helped determine Canada’s destiny as a British colony. The Laura Secord Homestead gives you a glimpse into daily life in the early 19th century as you tour the well-preserved house of one of Canada’s best known historical figures. The RiverBrink Gallery, home of one of the world’s best collections of Canadian landscape painting, will inspire you with visions of Canada’s natural beauty painted by some of the most talented artists in the country. Queenston Heights Park, location of a landmark battle for control of Upper Canada in the War of 1812, is a great place to immerse yourself in the past, as you learn about the British victory here that helped to determine Canada’s future.

Niagara-on-the-Lake
At the end of the Parkway, the charming and beautiful town of Niagara-on-the-Lake, considered by many to be the most beautiful town in Canada, will impress you with its historical significance and over 300 cozy bed-and-breakfasts. Considered one of the best preserved 19th century towns in all of North America, the town’s lovely old Victorian houses and lakeside location give it an air of genteel prosperity. If Niagara Falls is buzzing with tourist commercialism, this town is a total contrast. Locked in sedate and stately Victorian era timelessness, it is only fitting that the town is so integral to the annual Shaw Festival, with its world-class theatrical tribute to the times of George Bernard Shaw.

Situated on the edge of town, Fort George, built in 1797, played an important role in the War of 1812, when British and U.S. forces battled for control of strategic water transport routes, while several other historic sites in the town serve as a testament to the area’s turbulent past.

The town also serves as a pleasant and practical base for wine tasting expeditions to the nearby vineyards.

Historical Background

Thundering Waters
Created a mere 12,000 years ago by the receding glaciers that fed the Niagara River, the spectacular roaring cascades of water that compose Niagara Falls are fairly young in geological terms. The first humans known to have settled in the area arrived around the same time, and they probably saw the birth of the Falls. Known as the Clovis, these early human inhabitants were nomadic hunters, and likely subsisted by hunting herds of mastodons, giant caribou, and elk that roamed the area.

A hunter-gatherer group replaced the Clovis about 9,000 years ago, living on nuts, fruits, and small animals in the winter and fish in the summer. The ancestors of the natives that encountered the first European explorers first settled the area about 3,000 years ago. Their civilization, ultimately doomed by the arrival of white European explorers, missionaries, and settlers, peaked approximately 300-400 years ago in the Iroquois Confederation, whose constitution is widely considered to have influenced the writing of the U.S. Constitution.

While some history scholars make the claim that Etiènne Brulé was the first European explorer to look upon the Falls, as early as 1615, most give the honor to Louis Hennepin, a priest in the Recollet order of Franciscans. Hennepin visited Niagara Falls in 1678, recording his experience in a book that made him famous throughout Europe. Countless parks and streets throughout the Niagara Region are named in his honor, including Hennepin Park in Buffalo.

Another priest, the Jesuit Gabriel Lalemant, had already heard of the Falls in his missionary travels, and he even knew their name: Onguiaahra, an Iroquois word meaning "the strait" or more dramatically, "thunder of waters." Over time, the name devolved into the more easily pronounceable "Niagara."

The Falls have long been more than a tourist attraction—they are also one of the world’s greatest generators of hydroelectric power, together creating 4.4 million kilowatts of power that is shared between the U.S. and Canada. With the advent of the Industrial Revolution in the late 19th century, this inexpensive source of electricity attracted industries and manufacturing plants, particularly in the Chippewa and Fort Erie areas to the south of Niagara Falls. Transportation routes both by land and by sea opened the area’s industrial wealth and natural beauty to world, when the first Welland Canal in Canada and the Erie Barge Canal in the United States made the region a major transportation hub.

Thundering Cannons
The thundering waters of the mighty cataracts haven’t been the only sound heard in the Niagara through the years. Cannons and musket fire, especially during the War of 1812, have blasted through the natural serenity of the area as well. The war, between British forces in Canada and American forces to the south, was fought throughout the region for two years. Canada, though technically still a part of the British Empire, can claim to have held the Americans to a draw in the war.

After American President James Madison declared war, U.S. troops invaded British territory across the Niagara River from New York State. Furious battles raged from Fort Erie to Queenston Heights Park and from Fort George to Lundy’s Lane, widely considered by many historians to have been the key battle in the war. The actual Lundy Land battlefield now lies in downtown Niagara Falls, where the Lundy's Lane Historical Museum provides information about the battle. British commander Sir Isaac Brock, a hero of the war, is memorialized by a famous statue in Queenston Heights Park; after being killed by a sniper, General Brock’s troops retook Queenston in the dramatic Battle of Queenston Heights.

Quickly rebuilt following the war, the Niagara Falls area, with its natural beauty and strategic location, was prime for development. The opening of the Welland and Erie Canals made the area a hub for cheap transportation, and the lure of abundant hydropower brought industrial development all along the border region. The Falls also started to become a major tourist destination, particularly for honeymooning couples. By the 1870s, the main industry in Niagara Falls was tourism. An estimated 50,000 couples a year still celebrate the beginning of their married lives here, a significant number, despite the fact that the Falls’ primacy as a honeymoon destination has declined since airline travel made the Hawaiian Islands an enticing alternative.

Playground of Daredevils and Royalty
The Falls have long tempted daredevils. Dozens of daring, feckless adventurers have tried to cheat death over the last 150 years by going over the Falls in all manner of ways. Many daredevils have died in the attempt, such as the man who attempted to jet ski over Horseshoe Falls in 2003; others, such as 63-year-old widowed schoolteacher Annie Taylor, who in 1901 became the first person to survive a plunge over the Falls in a barrel, made history and gained a measure of fame for their efforts.

Perhaps the greatest and most artful of the daredevils was a French tightrope walker who called himself the Great Blondin. During the summer of 1859, he amazed onlookers with a series of feats on his tightrope over the Falls. In his first feat, on June 30, he walked to middle of a tightrope strung across the Whirlpool Rapids just below the Falls and seemingly spontaneously flipped a back somersault to the shock and amazement of onlookers. Never content to repeat a trick, on later crossings he crossed the tightrope on a bicycle, then did the same thing blindfolded, and then crossed once again with his hands and his feet bound in iron cuffs. On one crossing, he stopped in the middle to cook an omelet! For his finale, on August 19, he journeyed across the abyss carrying his manager on his back! The Daredevil Hall of Fame and the Daredevil Museum of Niagara Falls are a two example of a handful of museums and displays around Niagara Falls that chronicle the feats of the stuntmen and stuntwomen who have tempted fate at the Falls.

The list of historical figures and celebrities who have visited the Falls is long and impressive. Charles Dickens visited in 1842, and Queen Victoria's father, Prince Edward, dropped by in 1891. Sir Winston Churchill checked out the Falls in 1943, and the reigning monarch, Queen Elizabeth, came in 1951, when she was still just a princess. Princess Diana and her two sons, Prince Harry and Prince William, visited Horseshoe Falls on October 23, 1991, riding the Falls Incline Railway at Table Rock, going on the Journey Behind The Falls, and boarding the Maid of the Mist boat for a ride into the mist, before having lunch at the Victoria Park Restaurant.

Oblivious to all of the human drama around them, the Falls have been quietly and steadily moving for the last 12,000 years. The towns of Queenston on the Canadian side and Lewiston on the American side lie at the original location of the Falls--about 11 kilometers from their present position. For most of the history of the Falls, they have receded upriver, with a rate of erosion of about one meter per year. Since 1950, because of various hydro-engineering projects and hydroelectric generating stations, the Falls have only moved about three centimeters per year, excellent news for the bustling tourism industry and anyone else who wants to enjoy the Falls for years to come!

Entertainment

After the Falls
So what do you do once you have seen the Falls? While a visit to the Falls, definitely the single most important attraction in the area, is probably the first item on your list of things to do, don’t let it be your last. The truth is, the Falls, as spectacular and awe-inspiring as they are, are not the only game in town by any means. With resplendent botanical gardens, first-rate freshwater fishing, world-class theater, and championship golf courses, the Niagara Region is rich with attractions that draw people back time and again. From historical museums to fun-house mausoleums, walking trails to wine tasting tours, the secret to the success of Niagara Falls as a resort destination is in the great diversity of its attractions, its ability to offer something to everyone.

Even saying you have "seen the Falls" doesn't really take into account the amazing number of ways you can view them. While you can certainly stand on the brink in Victoria Park and gaze down into the abyss, or ride the Falls Incline Railway and peer across at the Falls from Table Rock, why not take the experience a step further and try a Journey Behind The Falls for the wet thrill of a lifetime? Or board the Maid of the Mist boat for a voyage to the eerie, rocky foot of the thundering cataracts? Or take a stunning helicopter ride over the Falls? Don’t forget the gorgeous sight of the Falls at night when they're all lit up, or seeing the ice-clad Falls during the spectacular Festival of Lights in the winter. The Great Gorge Adventure and the Niagara Spanish Aero Car both offer even more opportunities for novel, exciting ways to experience the Falls.

The Great Outdoors Doesn’t End at the Falls
Parks and recreational trails administered by the Niagara Parks Commission surround the Falls for miles in both directions along the Niagara River. You'll find such delights as the Niagara Parks Greenhouse, the Butterfly Conservatory, with more than 3,000 butterflies flying around at any one time, or Queenston Heights Park with its Brock monument and Floral Clock. Joggers, bikers, and walkers may want to explore the excellent, three-meter wide paved recreational trail that follows the entire length of the Niagara Parkway. The recreational trail offers the opportunity to check out wineries and historical sites during a leisurely bike ride.

The walking trails through the gorge at Niagara Glen Nature Preserve will give nature-lovers a fix of pristine forest, icy caves, and fresh air. The huge boulders deposited here when the Falls were at this location several thousand years ago offer a glimpse at what the world must have looked like right after the last ice age, undisturbed by human activity.

A Permanent Carnival Fun House
Whether you think the glittering lights of Clifton Hill represent the end of civilization or its greatest achievement, it is worth letting your hair down and embracing the area’s quirky, carnival-like atmosphere, at least for a little while. Clifton Hill, near the Casino, is packed with fun house attractions, particularly horror chambers that dare you to enter, the Screamers Haunted House and the NIGHTMARES Fear Factory. After getting your fill of shocks and thrills, you can check out the oddities on display at Ripley's Believe It or Not! Museum, Louis Tussaud's Waxworks, and the Guinness World of Records Museum. If you really need a break from it all, enjoy the serene environs at Ten Thousand Buddhas Temple, where you can admire Chinese sculpture and bask in the calmness of a Buddhist sanctuary.

The Daredevil Hall of Fame and The Daredevil Adventure at the IMAX theater are actually great fun and offer a lively introduction to the history of the area, and kids will love the amusement park-like attractions of Adventure Dome, Ride Niagara: The Ultimate Thrill, as well as the Niagara Go-Karts & Mini-Putt.

World-Class Wine Making
After a night in the carnival-like atmosphere of Clifton Hill, you may be ready to head to peace of the countryside and the soothing sound of wind rustling through the vineyards. The Niagara area is wine country, and not just in summer or fall. Around 40 wineries in the Niagara Region compete for international gold medals for their wines, with roughly 15 of these located between Niagara Falls and Niagara-on-the-Lake. All these wineries welcome visits by tourists and offer tours and tastings. A number of the wineries make ice-wine, a rare and highly valued dessert wine that uses grapes harvested in the icy heart of winter. Ice-wine requires a unique climate and is only made in a few special places around the world.

Culture, Heritage, and the Battle for Canada
The Niagara area has always been a focus of human activity and consequently has been the location of some of the most pivotal events of North American history. The Laura Secord Homestead in Queenston commemorates one of the most colorful figures of the War of 1812. Despite being a U.S. citizen by birth, Laura Secord was a die-hard British loyalist who famously hiked 34 miles on foot to warn the British of a surprise attack by U.S. forces. Also in Queenston, the Mackenzie Heritage & Printery Museum features the oldest printing press in Canada, which printed impassioned calls to arms in colonial times. As you approach Niagara-on-the-Lake, look for McFarland House, built in 1800 and furnished with rare period antiques. The town of Niagara-on-the-Lake itself is an enclave of Victorian buildings where time seems to have stood still. Here, you can continue your journey into Canadian history as you check out Historic Fort George, which even offers Ghost Tours. At the other end of the Parkway, check out Historic Fort Erie, where volunteers in period costumes re-create the War of 1812.

World-Class Theater
The Shaw Festival, in Niagara-on-the-Lake from April to November, brings a troupe of world-class actors to this sedate village to animate the life and world of George Bernard Shaw and his contemporaries, attracting theater lovers from far and wide. The Shaw obsession invades the town, and you may find yourself getting involved in the festival by taking part in the Shaw Festival Village Fair and Fete, perusing the Shaw Guild Arts & Crafts Show, or enrolling in one of the Shaw Seminars. Alternatively, simply enjoy shopping at the Shaw Festival Shops.

Trained Whales, Thoroughbred Horses, and Eagles for Par
Still looking for something new and exciting to do in Niagara? Don’t despair. You can always explore Marineland, where you can meet a killer whale or watch the graceful, swooping dives of dolphins from an underwater observation area. The Fort Erie Slots & Racetrack, which offers live and simulcast racing for horse-racing fans at a brand-new $25 million facility, will give the gambler in you a thrill. Finally, golf fanatics can test their skills at the 18-hole Whirlpool Course or the 9-hole Oak Hall Course—with the Falls roaring in the background as you make your shots.

Dining and Drinking

Whether you want to dine in an award-winning restaurant, a basic family eatery, or anything in between, Niagara Falls, Ontario, has a restaurant to suit your taste and wallet.
With almost 18 million hungry visitors a year, the area supports a lot of restaurants. Besides a wide selection of chain restaurants, there are some excellent fine-dining establishments, independently-owned family restaurants, and small mom-and-pop operations that serve excellent food at a good price. Niagara Falls also boasts a surprising variety of high quality ethnic restaurants, considering its small size. There are restaurants with views of the Falls, restaurants with dinner theater and shows, restaurants in wineries, and restaurants in hotels. Even bed-and-breakfasts have expanded their offerings, with some offering intimate dinners that rival the most exclusive fine-dining establishments.

Where To Stay

There are more than 12,000 hotel and motel rooms in the Niagara Region, a number surpassed in Canada only by the major cities of Toronto and Vancouver. Quite impressive, considering that the Niagara Falls region only has some 200,000 people at the most, with about 80,000 of them within the city of Niagara Falls itself. Of course, with the 14-18 million visitors who head to the region each year from all over the world, all this accommodation is quite necessary.

Nonetheless, you likely won't have trouble finding a room when you visit the Falls. The types of accommodation available are as diverse as the number of rooms is large. In Niagara Falls itself, luxury hotels stand right next to neon-glitter motels, while Niagara-on-the-Lake’s European-style B&B's are stashed away in the same lovely countryside as a number of full-service campgrounds.

If you have the cash and won’t settle for anything less than being as close to Niagara Falls as possible, choose a room in one of the deluxe luxury hotels between Clifton Hill and Horseshoe Falls. If you want to spend a little less, there are hotel options for all budgets in this area.

For those seeking motel style convenience and value, head to Lundy’s Lane. Stretching westward into the Niagara Region countryside from the Niagara River, accommodation on the Lane is well-located for exploring the area. Famous as the site of the Battle of Lundy's Lane during the War of 1812 (commemorated in Lundy's Lane Historical Museum), the road is now a motel corridor packed with affordable accommodation options.

With multitudes of small, independent bed-and-breakfasts scattered throughout splendid countryside and vineyards from Fort Erie in the south to St. Catharines in the north, the B&B has become something of a specialty of the Niagara Falls region and is the accommodation of choice for those seeking a bit of charm, intimacy, and quiet. There are a few B&B’s in the town of Niagara Falls itself, but without a doubt the mecca for B&B's is the town of Niagara-on-the-Lake, north of the Falls at the northern end of the Niagara Parkway. Here, among one-of-a kind boutiques and picture perfect Victorians that seem untouched by the passage of time, you will find literally hundreds of B&B’s.

Finally, if you like to camp, you are in luck. The Niagara region has 30 full-service campgrounds at last count—ranging from very basic tent spaces to sites offering two-bedroom cabins, hot-and-cold running water, and electricity for your creature comforts.

Niagara Falls by the Numbers

Province: Ontario
Elevation: 500 feet

Average Annual Rainfall: 35 inches
Average Annual Snowfall: 5 inches

Average January Temperature: 30 degrees F
Average July Temperature: 76 degrees F

Population: 81,000
Ethnic Mix: British Isles origin 28%, French origin 23%, other European 15%, Amerindian 2%, other, mostly Asian, African, Arab 6%, mixed background 26%
Major Industries: Tourism

Electricity: 110 volts, 60Hz, standard two pin plugs
Time Zone: EST

Country Dialing Code: 1
Area Code: 905 (1 and the area code must be dialed even for local calls)

Did You Know?

Despite the seemingly ceaseless flow of water over the brink of the Falls, the awesome cascades at Niagara have actually stopped on at least two known occasions—once due to natural causes and once because of human activity. In March of 1848, an ice jam blocked the upper river, reducing Horshoe Falls to little more than a trickle for several hours. Amazed onlookers actually went out and scoured the riverbed for artifacts. American Falls were deliberately blocked in 1969 by engineers who wanted see if they could remove some of the rocks at the base, but the project was eventually abandoned after it was determined to be too expensive to complete.

Orientation/Geography

Niagara Falls, Ontario is located in the southeast portion of Canada, along the Niagara River, sharing its border with Niagara Falls, New York in the United States. It is 43 miles southeast of Hamilton, 10 miles southeast of St. Catherine's, and Toronto is located just 79 miles northeast.