Clifton Hill has always been a family favourite destination in Niagara. From the moment that you set foot on our street, you feel the buzz and excitement that surrounds you with all our attractions, restaurants, and unique shopping destinations.
Experienced and award-winning travel journalists and photographers like those featured on www.travel2next.com, list Clifton Hill as one of the “10 Amazing Things to do in Niagara Falls.” Quite simply, you don’t want to visit Niagara Falls without taking a stop here.
Here is a sample one-day itinerary on what to do with the family in Niagara Falls, on what is known as the “Street of Fun by the Falls”.
Plan Ahead
This is especially true if you plan on traveling to Clifton Hill in peak season — mid-June to late August. Due to our heavily populated street full of family fun amusements, dining and retail facilities, it is the #1 street to travel through and down towards the Hornblower Niagara Cruises, the Niagara Parks and to the Niagara Falls itself. You will also find that our parking lot is central, fast and the most easily accessible to all these popular Niagara Falls tourist hot spots — with even the Fallsview Casino only a short walk away. You can avoid line-ups at the Clifton Hill attractions, which can get fairly long on weekends and especially holiday long weekends, by purchasing Clifton Hill Fun Passes online ahead of time.
The Clifton Hill Fun Pass features 5 of our most popular attractions bundled into one low price (50% off the retail individuals prices). Read up on the Clifton Hill Fun Pass by clicking the image below, but basically you can consider these cards as your “fast pass” on Clifton Hill. No waiting in cashier line-ups; you simply head to the turnstiles and head on in. These passes also have a one year expiry date, meaning that you are not required to do all the attractions on one day. You could do 3 attractions on one visit and then come back on a later day to do the remaining 2 attractions. Use at your own convenience. As an added bonus, planning ahead this way has a big pay off — purchasing it online in the only way to receive another bonus Niagara SkyWheel ride, so that you are able to ride twice at no additional cost to you.
Does someone in your family require a wheelchair? You may rent one at these places to use:
Niagara Mobility Home Health Care
905-357-1600
4600 Queen St.,
Niagara Falls, ON
Pharma Shield
905-356-8482
5400 Portage Road,
Niagara Falls, ON
Queen Street Pharmacy
905-354-5604
4421 Queen St.,
Niagara Falls, ON
Check out Clifton Hill’s Hours of Operation at the attractions that you wish to visit, and arrive early to assure yourself the best possible parking. Need help on where to park? Check out the map below for the best lot to park at. Avoid parking on the street (if you can even get a spot!), and save yourself the hassle of metered parking by parking in the lot provided:
Click here for driving directions to the lot.
Sample Itinerary
Morning
- As you enter into this parking lot, you will receive a coupon book that features Clifton Hill (and the surrounding area), and a pretty thorough list of Niagara Falls places to visit. Keep this book handy for $1-$2 off/person discounts at many of the attractions. You may also click here for a list of our online coupons.
- If you have yet to have breakfast, you can get an inexpensive and decent meal for the family at our Tim Hortons on location. Hot breakfast sandwiches, flatbread breakfast paninis, grilled breakfast wraps, bagels, hashbrowns, bagel BLT’s, yogurt, oatmeal, coffee,tea, milk, and juices are just some of the breakfast features.
- After breakfast, I would suggest visiting the Niagara SkyWheel. The lineups are non-existent in the morning and when you catch the sunrise, you will get stunning photographs.
- Next up, head to the bottom of Clifton Hill and purchase your ticket(s) to the Hornblower Niagara Cruises. This attraction is located on the Niagara Parkway at the north end of Queen Victoria Park, close to the Rainbow Bridge and the Oakes Garden Theatre at the foot Clifton Hill. Only two years old, it is one of Niagara’s newest attractions, which replaced the Maid of the Mist (now only launching from the US side). The ticket booths open at 8:30 am during the Spring/Summer, and the ride can get quite busy. Before lunch would be the ideal time for a boat cruise to experience the wonder of the Niagara Falls (the boats depart every 15 minutes). Allow yourself 1 to 1.5 hours just at the Hornblower site alone. Including the boat ride, you’ll want to check out the view from the Hornblower Plaza and the merchandise inside the Mist Retail shop without having to rush.
- Dry off after Hornblower Niagara Cruises with a walk in Queen Victoria Park and the Oakes Garden Theatre. Walking along the Niagara Parkway and into this park, you will come across beautifully maintained gardens with a collection of unique native and international plants. Spring features over 500,000 daffodils, magnolia trees, and thousands of tulips; Summer brings out the fuchsia, cannas, and coleus plants. Queen Victoria Park is also home to the “Zimmerman Fountain” which dates back to 1856. This beautiful fountain takes its name from Samuel Zimmerman who came to Canada from Pennsylvania in 1842. He amassed a fortune through a series of lucrative contracts involving the building of the Second Welland canal and various railway lines, allowing him to begin construction of a large estate in what is now Queen Victoria Park. The estate was unfinished when he was killed in a railway accident in March of 1857. This is the last remaining remnant of his estate.
Afternoon
- Time for lunch. Head back up Clifton Hill and head to Boston Pizza. This Boston Pizza is unique in that it is located within a 70,000 square foot arcade — the Great Canadian Midway. You’ll find more than 100 delicious menu items perfect for lunch. Whether you are craving pasta, burgers or ribs, you’ll find it served fast and fresh. Sit on the patio or go inside to enjoy a relaxing family meal or catch your favorite team at the sports bar. Click on the image below for our newest online only savings. Spend $40 and get back a $50 dining voucher. It’s that simple.
- Convenience (especially with kids) is foremost when you have one day to plan what to do with the family in Niagara Falls on Clifton Hill. Now you have the remainder of the afternoon to do the rest of the attractions featured on the Clifton Hill Fun Pass. The Ghost Blasters Dark Ride and the Wild West Coaster are located in the Great Canadian Midway; on the lower level of Boston Pizza. Do those 2 attractions first. You may find at this point (and especially with toddlers), you and the family may begin to get the “after meal” burnout. This is the perfect opportunity to grab a coffee back at Tim Horton’s, or the Starbucks on the corner of Clifton Hill and Victoria Av., and spend an hour or so playing some arcade games in the Great Canadian Midway, and then redeeming your winning tickets for prizes at the Redemption Centre.
- Next up? It’s time for a challenging game of miniature golf. The pass offers you a choice: the outdoor Dinosaur Adventure Golf, or the indoor glow-in-the-dark Wizard’s Golf course. With both courses you will receive 18 holes of golfing fun, with Dinosaur Adventure Golf allowing you to choose your course — there are two courses on this property to choose from! Are you in the mood to travel back to the prehistoric times (including a “live” volcano), or would you like a touch of magic in the indoor world of fantasy and make-believe with Wizard’s Golf? You choose.
*Pictured Above: Dinosaur Adventure Golf*
*Pictured Above: Wizard’s Golf*
- Lastly, it’s time to check out the Movieland Wax Museum. As you exit Movieland, you will enter our Fun Factory gift shop which features the Wax Hands Emporium. Here you can make a replica of your own hand made in colourful wax. They make terrific, one-of-a-kind souvenirs!
- Ready for a little treat? Now is the time to pick up something to satisfy your sweet tooth at the Fudge Factory. More than just selling fudge, this store makes everything fresh onsite by our candy cooks — this includes goodies such as fudge, cookies, candy apples, sponge toffee, brittle and beernuts, all using traditional recipes. Other treats like strawberries, marshmallows, and pretzels are dipped in chocolate and covered with delicious toppings. There is also an entire wall devoted to candy dispensers with over 50 types of candy and chocolate to choose from. Mix and match a container of your favourites!
- For the remainder of your Clifton Hill day, check out other Clifton Hill favorites such as the Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Museum (*newly renovated and reopening in May 2016), Strike! Rock N’ Bowl, and (if you can stomach it — **no young kids!) check out Niagara’s scariest “haunted house” …the Nightmares Fear Factory!
By now, you should be tired and exhausted from an exciting day on Clifton Hill, Niagara Falls. Head into the Canada Trading Company for a massive selection of souvenir choices to bring home to show your family and friends, and to commemorate your day trip to Niagara Falls. There are so many unique, quality items to choose from here, it will be hard to choose. Pick up a book that features all the exciting things there is to do in Niagara Falls, and a postcard on your way out.
