Niagara Falls Fun - Clifton Hill, Niagara Falls Canada

Niagara Falls on a Budget
With all the recent talk of fiscal restraint and budgets, I thought it would be timely to talk about families wanting to get away for a day or so, in a cost effective manner. You may want to print this post and bring it with you on your day of adventure in Niagara Falls.

Meal Planning
A little pre-planning saves you money. Plan for a day of multiple snacks rather than sitting down for one big meal. Pack a few bags of goodies, such as trail mix, nuts and dried fruit before you head out. Once on the road, take a slight detour to pick up some fresh Niagara tender fruits (eg. Peaches are currently in season), at one of many roadside stands. A small cooler bag or lunch bag in the car is all you will need (you will learn why soon).

Getting here
Before heading out, I highly recommended that you read this section on out how to get here and where to park. This will save you valuable time and money. Be sure to leave early, and plan to arrive at arround 10 AM.

If you’re traveling by car on the QEW towards Niagara Falls from either direction, do not take Hwy 420. Instead continue to McLeod Rd taking the McLeod Rd east exit (towards Marineland) and continue to Stanley Avenue. Turn left on Stanley and continue to Robinson St. (you will see a large Skywheel billboard) Turn right on Robinson and continue to the end of the road. Park in the lot on your left.

Once you are in the lot continue until you get as close to the Niagara Skywheel as possible and park. This route just saved you traveling through the heart of the city and heavy traffic. Parking in this lot can save you as much as $10 and puts you in the center of the Niagara Falls entertainment district, with easy access to the Parks, Falls and Clifton Hill.

Here is where the fun begins:
Pick up some Fun Passes at the Niagara Skywheel information booth. You get 5 attractions at $5 each plus Midway tokens. $24.95 for Adults and $19.95 for Kids. For a family of four, you can save over $95 (after tax) on your entertainment for the day!

Following this, take a stroll to the Rainbow Bridge just a short jaunt down Clifton Hill. Once you get on the bridge you will discover some of the best views of both the Canadian Horseshoe and American Falls. For just 50 cents each, you can walk out to the center of the Rainbow Bridge and get some amazing pictures. One foot in Canada and one in the USA. The Canadian and American Falls provide an amazing backdrop, along with the Canadian parklands and Niagara Skywheel nearby. Take your time and get some great pictures then simply walk back to Canada! Just make sure you have proper ID for everyone in your group. Your friends and family back home will wonder how you managed to get such interesting photos. You could also share these photos on Clifton Hill’s Facebook or Twitter pages!

On the way back to Clifton Hill, be sure to stop by Movieland Wax Museum, which is this first attraction you’ll see walking up the hill. This one of a kind attraction showcases the world’s most famous stars in wax! After mingling with the stars, recharge your batteries and grab some fresh cut fries or a soft ice cream at the nearby concessions.

There is still a lot left on your FUN PASS and you can start up again by testing your skills at the nearby Dinosaur Adventure Golf attraction. From here you can move onto the Niagara Skywheel, for breath taking views of the Falls and a chance to sit down and relax in the air conditioned gondolas. Next head off to the Midway for Ghost Blasters and the FX Ride Theatre for some thrills and action. Remember, you also have some Great Canadian Midway tokens to use throughout the 70,000 sq ft arcade. If your taste buds are itching for another quick snack head into Boston Pizza where you can play interactive games and split a small pizza. Cash in your winnings and get ready for the next part of your budget day in Niagara Falls.

Off to the Park

Head back to your car and drive back towards the Robinson street entrance where you started the day.

Park as close to the entrance as you can, but don’t exit the lot. At the foot of Robinson (in the turn around) there is a staircase and path that leads you down into the Niagara Parks called the Jolley Cut. Locals have used this for years and it is a well-kept secret. Grab your snacks and head on down to the Park (remember the cooler bag I told you to keep in the car?). You just saved up to $20 in parking! Enjoy your time in the park and when it is time to go, simply walk up Murray Street, cut through the Skylon Tower parking lot and you are right back at your car.

Heading Home
Retrace your route and you are on your way home after a unique and affordable day in Niagara Falls.

Let’s add up the cost of a full day of fun on a budget. 2 adult Fun Passes $49.90, 2 kids Fun Passes $39.90, snacks(ice cream or Fries and a drink) $15, Bridge toll for 4 people $2 ,an individual pizza shared with drinks for 4 people $25, parking $10-15. Your entire day cost under $150 for a family of 4.

Can you believe in less than 4 weeks it’s Labour Day? Where did the summer go?

If you haven’t had a chance to get away for a few days this summer it’s time to start planning. Quite often I’m asked, “As someone who lives in Niagara, how would you spend two days here?”

Assuming I was coming from Toronto for a 2 day getaway, as a couple or with family, my itinerary would look something like this:

Not being an early riser, I would arrive in Niagara Falls around noon and would stay at the Comfort Inn on Clifton Hill of course. While check in isn’t until 2PM,  the bell desk will store my bags and we  would grab a quick bite to eat at Tim Hortons or Wendy’s.

Then it would be off to the Whirlpool Jet Boats in Queenston or simply stroll to the bottom of Clifton Hill for a ride on the Maid of the Mist. The refreshing coolness of being on the water, accompanied by splashing waves on the Jet Boat or the Falls bellowing mist while sailing on the Maid, is sure to wake you up after the drive to Niagara and lunch. Either way, its way more fun than a shower!

Next it’s off to the Niagara Glen across from the Niagara Parks Botanical Gardens. Taking the staircase down into the Glen, you will feel like you are entering a different world. It feels like the temperature drops 10 degrees as you hike the trails of the Glen at your own speed. You can get right up to the river at this point sitting on the rocks you can wave at the Jet Boat as it comes and goes out of the whirlpool.

The next part of my day would be either exploring the fruit belt, between Queenston and Niagara-on-the–Lake, stocking up on fresh fruit for later, or stopping at a winery or two for gourmet wine samples.

Then it’s back to the Comfort Inn Clifton Hill for check–in and to relax for an hour to recharge and get ready for a fun filled night on Clifton Hill! Before dinner we’d pick up our Fun Passes at the SkyWheel, then enjoy a delicious meal at Kelsey’s, with its prime view of either Clifton Hill or Victoria Ave from its open air patios and great food at reasonable prices!

Then with Fun Pass in hand, it’s off to let loose on The Hill! The Clifton Hill Fun Pass is the best deal in town, 5 of the top attractions in the city plus Great Canadian Midway tokens for $24.95 is less than $5 for each attraction. The Skywheel is spectacular at night as is Dinosaur Adventure Golf; They set the stage for a fun-filled evening the whole family can enjoy.

Clifton Hill is still hopping right into the wee hours of the morning, and is a great place to end the evening with a night cap at Boston Pizza / Strike Rock and Bowl.

The next morning would start with a satisfying breakfast provided free with your hotel room at the Comfort Inn. Then we would either take a stroll down to the Falls or if we had purchased the Marineland package as part of our hotel stay it would be off to Marineland for the day.

Then it’s homeward bound after enjoying a great mix of excitement and relaxation for 2 days. The combination of great deals and free activities makes this trip affordable as well as fun for couples or families.

That’s how I would spend a two day getaway in Niagara Falls.

How would you spend your two day getaway to Niagara?

Source: buffalonews.com

Tightrope walker gets OK to cross Niagara Falls
June 22, 2011, 3:47 PM

ALBANY — The walk is on — at least as far state legislators are concerned.

It may be rare for the Legislature to OK something that legitimately can be called death-defying, but final approval was given Wednesday permitting a member of the legendary Flying Wallendas to cross Niagara Falls on a tightrope.

More than 150 years after the “Great Blondin” first walked across the gorge on a tightwire, Nik Wallenda has gotten legislative approval to bypass a longtime state ban on stunts at the Falls to become the first person to try to legally walk a tightrope over the river since 1910.

The measure, which passed the Senate last week and was approved today by the Assembly, says a permit specifically for Wallenda is good for one year, though lawmakers say believe he could make the walk this fall as part of his new Discovery Channel show “Life on a Wire.”(…more)

Printed by the Review

Community effort revitalizes Niagara Gorge
Posted By TONY RICCIUTOREVIEW STAFF WRITER

It took a lot of hard work, but the end result is well appreciated by those who use the path leading down to the Whirlpool area of the Niagara Gorge.

“The difference is like night and day,” said Steve Wilson, who worked on the project with his wife, Lisa, and a group of fellow firefighters from the Niagara Falls Fire Department, the Niagara Parks Commission and people who just showed up because they wanted to help.

New stairs have been installed and repairs were carried out to existing steps where the stones and gravel had slowly been washed away after many years of use.

About 40 people worked on the project, which was initiated by the city’s Trails & Bikeway Committee and embraced by the Niagara Parks Commission.

The work was spread out over a three day period last month. (more…)

Printed by the Review

International kite festival coming to Niagara
Posted By ALISON LANGLEY

Kites from around the world will be flying high over the mighty Niagara gorge next week during the fifth annual Niagara International Kite Festival.

The event will be held Oct. 2 through 5 at several locations on both sides of the border.

For further information, visit www.niagarakite.com.

Printed by the Review

Injured hiker rescued from gorge
Posted By BY JOHN ROBBINS REVIEW STAFF WRITER

Niagara Falls firefighters went out on a limb to rescue a hiker who injured himself after falling roughly five metres down a rocky slope of the Niagara Gorge, in Queenston about five kilo-metres downstream from Niagara Falls.

The incident happened around 6 p. m. Sunday.

Specially trained Niagara Falls firefighters, with the assistance of Niagara Parks Police and Niagara Emergency Medical Services paramedics, located the 27-year-old Brampton man, stabilized him, then placed him in a covered basket. (more…)

Printed by the Review

Rescue crews go way up; Training exercise prepares them for work in gorge
Posted By ALISON LANGLEY

For Canadian and American emergency service workers, it was truly high-level training with Niagara Helicopters.

A team of about 20 people underwent helicopter short-haul training Friday, which involves suspending rescuers on a 40-metre rope underneath a helicopter and flying them a short distance to conduct a rescue in a location that would be too dangerous or time consuming by other means.

Participants were tethered in pairs and flown from Niagara Helicopters on Victoria Avenue to a landing pad at the bottom of the Niagara gorge. The flight took approximately two minutes.

First developed in Switzerland in the 1960s, the local version of the program started as a joint venture between the Niagara Parks Police and Niagara Helicopters in 2003. (more…)

Printed from the Review

Hiker taken to hospital after fall

Osprey News Network

Sunday, August 26, 2007 – 07:00

Local News – A hiker from France was taken to hospital with unknown injuries Sunday after a rope she used to help her down a steep slope near Morningstar Mill suddenly snapped.

Two visitors from Jamestown, N.Y., were ahead of the small group of hikers early in the afternoon and saw the ravine tumble happen behind them.

The accident in south St. Catharines happened along a side-path off the main trail along the north side of Beaverdams Creek, near the falls at the mills. (more…)

Printed from the Review

Three pulled from gorge

Monday, July 09, 2007 – 07:00

Local News – The Niagara Parks Police rescued three area teens who got lost in the Niagara gorge Saturday night. Police said the three started an afternoon hike in the gorge near the whirlpool. By 8 p.m., they realized they were lost and called for help on a cellphone. Members of the police high-angle rescue team searched the gorge and brought the teens back to street level by 9:45 p.m. (more…)

Printed from the Review

Hero awarded prestigious medal, cash reward

Amy Lazar

Saturday, July 07, 2007 – 07:00

Local News – Mathew Vizbulis didn’t save a man and his two sons from drowning in the Niagara River last summer just to get a medal. But he got one anyway.

Vizbulis is one of 19 people – two of them Canadian – who received a Carnegie medal for heroism Friday.

“I was pretty blown away because I didn’t know anything like this existed,” Vizbulis, 29, said Friday from his Fonthill home. (more…)