Here is the final part of my 3-part series recapping my enjoyable Buffalo trip. For the first two parts visit…
In planning out the trip, the highlight (besides the Lions vs Bills game) was going to be Niagara Falls. Growing up in the Thumb of Michigan, I had visited Niagara Falls as a child, but had not been back since. I also had never done the boat ride or other Falls adventures. Thus, I was excited to see it again and experience it all this time.
I’ll start with a review of Niagara Falls, from both the American side and the Canadian side. Then, I’ll recap points of interest around the Buffalo surroundings and downtown.
NIAGARA FALLS - AMERICAN SIDE
The American side of Niagara Falls has a natural park setting in Goat Island. It’s a nice place to walk around and view the various waterfalls.
There were two experiences on the American side that were epic and must-do: “Maid of the Mist” and “Cave of the Winds”. Both were as thrilling as any amusement park ride, with the added factor of being a real-world experience.
Pro Tip for both experiences: Wear sandals or water shoes as your feet are guaranteed to get soaked.
Maid of the Mist Boat Ride
No prepurchase of tickets necessary here as you have to wait in line for the next boat regardless. The wait on this nice September weekday was minimal.
You get a blue poncho which is good quality and has an integrated strap to tighten up around the neck. It does an impressive job of keeping your whole body dry except for your lower legs and feet.
The boat ride was an efficient 30 minutes, which was plenty of time to get right into the middle of the Falls and spend quality time in the mist. Being in the middle of the horseshoe was just incredible. The power and sound of the water are amazing. The sound isn’t so loud that you need earplugs though. The amount of mist that surrounds you is like nothing I’ve ever experienced. It’s like you are in the middle of a whirling rain cloud.
For those prone to boat motion sickness like me, there was no issue with that whatsoever. The ride was short and smooth.
Cave of the Winds
This Falls experience was different than Maid of the Mist, but just as thrilling… as long as you are not going to melt in water like the Wicked Witch of the West. The included yellow ponchos were not nearly as good as the Maid of the Mist blue ones, as there were big openings around your head and neck area without a strap. My entire body got so wet that I probably should have just eschewed the poncho. If you want to stay somewhat dry, bring your own poncho or use the Maid of the Mist one.
Pro tip: Bring some extra clothes to change into after this adventure.
This experience is a walk down some steps to multiple spots close to the Bridal Veil Falls. You get close enough to touch the water, which was quite warm on this September day.
Expect to see lots of gorgeous rainbows…
The highlight is what’s called the Hurricane Zone where you get right up close to the bottom of the Bridal Veil Falls causing you to get absolutely bombarded by water and wind. It’s incredible how much wind is produced by the rushing water. It feels totally safe, but also like complete and utter chaos. The Hurricane Zone is optional, so if you don’t want to get thoroughly soaked, you can bypass it.
Aquarium of Niagara & Great Lakes 360
Just north of the Falls is this small, but very nice, aquarium.
There is a separate building that showcases aquatic animals from the Great Lakes…
Schoellkopf Power Station Ruins
Down the path a short ways from the Great Lakes 360 building was this old electric power plant building where you can take an elevator down to the bottom…
NIAGARA FALLS - CANADIAN SIDE
The Canadian side differs quite a bit from the American side. While the American side is kept in a more natural state, the Canadian side is developed with hotels, restaurants, and many touristy activities like go-karts.
Pro tip: Bring a credit card without a foreign transaction fee.
The Canadian side has the superior view of Niagara Falls and is worth the trip for this reason alone.
To get to the Canadian side, drive your car over the Rainbow International Bridge, which costs $6.10 to enter Canada and is free to enter the USA. You can pay with credit card (a foreign transaction fee might apply here). Bring your enhanced driver license, a passport, or a passport card.
I parked at the Skylon Tower parking lot, which cost a reasonable $10. You can see this tower easily from the American side, along with the famous yellow buggies that transport people up and down.
Paying for a ride up the Skylon Tower was worth it for the excellent aerial views.
Here is a picture of the American Falls and Bridal Veil Falls…
Here is the more famous Horseshoe Falls aka Canadian Falls…
In the basement of the Skylon Tower was an arcade room that felt like it was frozen in time from 40 years ago. I could see spending some quality time here…
Walk out the entrance of the Skylon Tower parking lot and you’ll see a non-descript staircase on the right side labeled with a “walk to the falls” sign…
Take this path down to the waterfront walkway…
From there you can walk all the way up close to the Horseshoe Falls with excellent views all along the way…
AROUND BUFFALO
Buffalo Museum of Science
This was a pleasant way to spend a couple hours. It’s an especially good choice if the weather is bad outside. There were many interactive exhibits for kids.
Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens
This botanical garden was an excellent place to spend an hour, and included some of the biggest leaves I’ve ever seen…
The collection of carnivorous plants was excellent also…
Buffalo AKG Art Museum
The architecture of this museum, both inside and out, was world-class.
This contemporary + traditional art museum had the most unique and unusual exhibits I’ve ever seen. It included random dudes perched on walls for some reason…
Another strange exhibit is this 2-hour video of a man repeatedly bringing a woman to a dock via boat. My kids were strangely fascinated…
How about these videos of people playing musical instruments in creepy manners…
On the more traditional side were famous artists including Andy Warhol…
Salvador Dali…
and my favorite, Auguste Renoir…
There was impressive architecture at this indoor courtyard…
Buffalo Zoo
This relatively small zoo was a nice way to spend a couple hours. It had a large collection of really impressive animatronic dinosaurs…
This real lion encapsulates how the Detroit Lions played on Thursday night - sleepy…
Frank Lloyd Wright’s Martin House
For mid-century modern architecture fans, there is a Frank Lloyd Wright designed house right in the middle of an otherwise normal neighborhood. Paid tours are available, but it’s free to walk around outside, which is what I did…
BUFFALO DOWNTOWN
I parked at the Harbor Center Parking Ramp for just $5, which was inexpensive, safe, and conveniently located. It was a short walk to Canalside, which features a nice boardwalk along the water.
From there, we walked to the…
Buffalo City Hall Observation Deck
Enter city hall and take the elevator to the 25th floor to visit the free observation deck. The views of Buffalo are nice.
After this, we walked to the…
Buffalo Transportation Pierce Arrow Museum
This transportation museum is small, but a nice place to visit if you have strong interest in historical modes of transportation…
and funny mirrors…
and Elvis buffaloes…
CONCLUSION
Buffalo was a very pleasant place to visit. Traffic was minimal (at least compared to West Coast cities) and getting around was easy. There were many nice things to see around the Buffalo area. Niagara Falls was fantastic and worth the trip by itself.