When You’ve Only Got a Weekend in Niagara Falls

The city of Niagara Falls is located in the Niagara Peninsula and is one of Ontario’s most beautiful, fecund, and fascinating regions. Home to the waterfalls collectively known as Niagara Falls, European-style vineyards and wineries, the Niagara Escarpment, family farms, and a whole lot more, the area provides seemingly countless reasons for the visitor to go exploring, which is why millions of people from around the world visit every year.

While many tourists plan on staying in the region for at least a week or longer, sometimes, your schedule will only allow for a brief stay. If you find yourself with nothing more than a weekend to give on your quest to experience Niagara, don’t despair. The area is as conducive to a whirlwind experience as it is to taking a more leisurely pace. When all you’ve got is the weekend, be sure to hit these highlights when you book your stay in Niagara Falls.

The Waterfalls

Niagara Falls is actually made up of three separate waterfalls: the Horseshoe Falls, which is the largest of the three; the American Falls, which sits entirely on the American side of the border; and the Bridal Veil Falls, which is also on the American side and is separated from the other cataracts by Luna Island. The area abounds in opportunities to view the splendor of these Falls from the shoreline, but taking advantage of some of the tours and rides available will get you up close and personal with them. Here are two of the best waterfall-centered attractions in the Niagara Falls areas, and if you play your cards right, you should be able to fit both of them in in a weekend:

• Maid of the Mist. This boat ride takes you to where all that careening water makes contact with the water below it. The sound is akin to being in a thundercloud. Wear a poncho and shoes that aren’t slippery when wet, because you’ll get covered in mist from the pounding of the water.
• Cave of the Winds. This tour starts in an elevator that takes you down to the roaring bottom of the Bridal Veil Falls. You’ll be as close to the water as you can get without going over it in a barrel.

A Winery With a Restaurant

The Niagara Peninsula is the biggest and most diverse viticultural area in all of Canada, and the result is some of the finest wines in the entire world. Luscious reds, refreshing whites, and delicious icewines abound.

While there are a vast number of well-known and excellent wineries in the area that offer tours and tastings, only a handful of them also boast an excellent farm-to-table restaurant. If all you’ve got is the weekend, be sure to spend an afternoon at a vineyard that will enable you to stick around for an evening meal and a bottle of their finest. Some of the wineries with notable restaurants include:

• Vineland Estates Winery
• Trius Winery at Hillebrand
• Ravine Vineyard Estate Winery

So, go ahead and plan a short trip to Niagara Falls. With everything there is to do in the region, a short trip can still be a sweet one.

Categories: Falls Avenue Resort