3 Books to Get You Ready for Your Niagara Falls Vacation

For many people, an impending vacation causes a chain reaction of readying activities that are all meant to make the experience richer and less stressful. There is research to do regarding where to go, what to do, and where to eat. There are specific clothes to buy so you can be comfortable in any setting. Sometimes, there is luggage to replace, and often, there are TSA-approved containers to purchase.

Occasionally, another pre-trip ritual is employed that involves immersing one’s self in the vacation spot’s history, lore, and mystery before leaving home, and it is most readily accomplished through books that expand one’s knowledge and view of the vacation spot before you ever even get there. If you’re a book lover and you’re planning a trip to Niagara Falls, or if you’re a reader who is looking for an experience of the place to see whether or not you’d like to visit, the following books will either get you ready or make the case for a stellar trip to the Falls.

1. “The Day the Falls Stood Still”

This novel by Cathy Marie Buchanan is historical fiction at its Niagara-centered finest. Tom Cole, whose grandfather was a local legend, has a gift for anticipating the Niagara River’s sometimes tumultuous quirks in order to make impressive rescues. When Tom meets Bess Heath, a young woman from a family of some prominence, their attraction is obvious, but given the constraints of society in 1915 and Tom’s working class roots, their romance looks doomed. The novel follows the tribulations of these two young lovers against the backdrop of a river’s and community’s exploitation by those seeking progress above all else. For a novel that will have you thinking differently and more appreciably about the power of the Falls, “The Day the Falls Stood Still” makes a great read.

2. “Niagara: A History of the Falls”

Pierre Berton’s history of Niagara Falls tells the many stories of times these magnificent waterfalls acted as central players in the experience and imagination of some of the world’s most important and influential people. Written in a way that suggests history itself would be very different without the Falls, “Niagara: a History of The Falls” notes everything from their effect on Harriet Beecher Stowe to their ability to inspire Tesla in his discovery of the principle of alternating current. This book will grant you an appreciation of the cataracts that is cultural and historical, elevating the waterfalls beyond being just geological wonders.

3. “Niagara Daredevils: Thrills and Spills Over Niagara Falls”

At least since the middle of the 19th century, Niagara Falls has inspired many a daredevil to tackle its power and might via everything from barrels to tightropes, and while some lived to tell the their tales, many did not. All, however, gained a notoriety that is revisited in this excellent retelling of some of Niagara’s craziest stories. For anyone who loves adventure and risk, this book is full of accounts of true madness and mayhem, and all of it centers around the Falls. Cheryl MacDonald will fill your pre-vacation coffers with fascinating characters and their many attempts to impress the world.

Whether you’re a fiction fan or a lover of true tales, grab a book about Niagara, and get yourself in the mood to experience one of the greatest places on Earth.

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