Niagara Falls: Worth the Hype?

Here’s What We Thought

Was it worth it?

Overall, yes.
Was it exhausting? Absolutely.
But, definitely worth it. The experiences we had are ones that I hope the kids will treasure, and ones that I know we’ll treasure. The kids are at the perfect age right now that these kinds of experiences are ones that’ll stick.

Planning the trip

This was fairly easy, to be honest. Mainly because we had already come up with what we were hoping to do when there. And, it just went from there. This was my process:

The hotel – Travelodge by Wyndham Niagara Falls At the Falls
Yes – it’s a mouthful, technically. However, for the price point ($195/night on Booking.com), with three queen-sized beds, and right down town on Clifton Hill, it was worth it. Sure, there were suspicious stains on the carpet floor by the bathroom sink. And, yeah, we could hear everything from the room above us. But, it sufficed.
Bonus: the pool was awesome. We played for almost an hour with these inflatable rings, tossing them back and forth. And, from our balcony walk-way on our level, we got to watch the fireworks in our pjs.

Bird Kingdom Tickets – I, ironically, had found these tickets on Booking.com @ about 25% off regular price. About $70.70 altogether for 2x adults + 2x children. These tickets were a bit of a pain, in that the employee at the ticket desk had to zoom in to see the code that was given. But, not the end of the world.
This one required you to choose a specific date, so we chose the Monday. Thankfully, it was open until 6:30pm, with last entrance being at 5:30pm.

WeGo Bus Passes – I figured we may want to ride the bus when in Niagara. I was right. After walking all the way to Table Rock from Bird Kingdom (more on that later), we were very thankful to take the WeGo bus back to Clifton Hill. We bought tickets online here – it was a total of $56 for 2x adults + 2x children for a 24hr pass. And, I could add these to Apple Wallet, which made it super easy to scan when going onto any of the WeGo buses. You do have the option to get 48hr passes, so if you’re going to be there for more than 24hrs, that’d be the better option.

Clifton Hill Passes – these were awesome! They give you an option for six different attractions for a discounted price. We’re talking mini golf, the SkyWheel, a wax museum…and that’s just to name a few. Find out all the details here – but know that you do need to do at least three of the options available in order to save money. We spent $151.19 altogether for the four of us. This one was very straightforward – we got an email with a barcode, which suggested we print it off. But, not having a functioning printer right now, I did not (I know…I’m such a rebel). However, the first attraction we went to, they just wrote down my code, asked for I.D., and had me sign a sheet. They then gave me physical cards for our passes, which we just scanned each time we went to the other attractions.

Ripley’s Believe It Or Not – Mark, our 10yr old, is a huge nerd when it comes to random and weird facts. So, we knew he’d love this. Which he did. But, getting tickets online was super easy, and then they also could be added to my Apple Wallet. We got all 4 tickets for $120.74 here.

Our Day(s)

An unexpected life experience – ironically, we got a flat tire on the 401 before we even got to Niagara. Thankfully, with our 2022 Kia Seltos, it tells us precisely which tire was flat and how flat it was. We pulled off just before the 427 south, and found an Esso. Honestly, despite the unexpected event, it could’ve been a lot worse. We got to watch planes take off, and found an amazing tire shop right across the road. $45 later and amazing service from Cost U Less, we were back on the road.

Bird Kingdom – okay, so…this was a bit more of a pain to get to walking than it would’ve driving. But, we had snagged a parking spot at our motel (for $22.60 for the night) in the shade. So, there was no way we were leaving. Honestly, @ first, I was underwhelmed. It was – initially – just a small museum. Then some birds. A small aviary.
And then – we reached the third level. When I say next level I literally mean next level!

The whole area opened up. If you’ve ever been to one of the butterfly conservatories, it was kind of like that…but with birds! There were allll kinds of different birds. And they were up close. Too close for Hannah’s liking at times (our 7yr old), but she eventually braved-up. It was seriously so cool. Definitely worth it.
And yes – this photo is of a blue macaw. Because, after all, Sarah saw a blue macaw. Yup…I’m that old.

The Falls – From Bird Kingdom, we walked to the falls. Which, in hindsight (especially in sandals that I hadn’t worn for years) was probably not the best option. Kinda wished we had utilized those WeGo buses…
But, as I kept reassuring Mark, the closer you get to the falls, the better it gets.
Which, thankfully, he eventually agreed with. Not until we got there, of course. If you’re going to Niagara Falls, you need to actually see Niagara Falls. And, on an almost 40ºC weather, the mist was soooo worth the walk.

Kelsey’s – originally, we were going to go to Red Lobster for supper. It’s where I had gone for dinner for my 18th birthday celebration in Niagara with my parents, grandparents, aunt, and best friend. It’s where Mike and I went for our annibirthmoon (anniversary + Mike’s birthday + baby moon) back in 2018. So, I thought it’d be nice.

But, then we realized we’d need to drive there – which we already established wasn’t an option – or take a city bus. Which’d cost more money. So, Mike suggested Kelsey’s (also on Clifton Hill) and it was 100% spot-on. Altogether, it was $143.85 for the four of us, including 2x adult meals, 2x kids’ meals, plus a the best spinach dip I’ve had in a long time.

The SkyWheel – this is one of my favourite things to do in Niagara Falls. Honestly, it was so much fun getting an awesome view of the falls. The kids may have teased me a lot about feeling a bit nauseous when our pod shook a bit too much for my liking, but they eventually eased up…

This was the first attraction we redeemed from our Clifton Hill passes. This is where we went to the ticket kiosk, showed them the email confirmation, signed ~~away my life~~ that I had indeed gotten our passes, and then scanned said passes to get in.
Amazingly, we got five whole turns (literally) around the SkyWheel, which was a lot of fun. And we may have swapped who we were sitting with and where we were sitting. But, definitely worth it!

The hotel experience – by the time dinner was done, and we were back at the hotel, it was pushing 8:30pm. After a (slight) meltdown because our 10yr old couldn’t find his swim trunks – which we now believe must’ve made their way under the hotel bed, ’cause they’re not at home – we managed to get out into said pool. It was, honestly, perfect. It was a lot of fun…and free, mostly.

To add to it, after we were in our pjs, we heard the distinguishable sound of fireworks. Amazingly, we got to watch them from the balcony that was outside our motel room level. Definitely worth it.
It’s these kind of random, unexpected moments that make the best memories.

Parking @ Clifton Hills – since we had such an amazing parking spot in the Travelodge public parking lot, we just left our car where it was. We then used the QR code on the public parking signs and paid $25.35 for 14hrs (checked in just after 9am and had ’til 11:59pm). Of all the downtown Niagara Falls parking, this was the best rate. And was still in the shade, which was an added bonus.

IHOP – yeah, the photo is definitely not from IHOP. But, it is from our attempt to find Tim Horton’s. Which, apparently, no longer seems to exist in the near vicinity of Clifton Hills.
Or Table Rock.
Which we discovered after we had already adventured half way across Niagara Falls tourist area…
And, FYI, $151.16 is a lot more than we’d pay for breakfast @ Tim Horton’s, so there’s that…

Dinosaur Adventure Golf – I haven’t mini-golfed in almost three decades. So, this was definitely more so for the kids than it was for myself…and for Mike, too, probably.
Other than it being ridiculously hot for around 11am, and Mark getting upset that we didn’t count his strokes properly, and then Hannah getting upset that she “always” lost…it was pretty fun.

There are two options – easy and hard. I’m very glad we went took the easy mode, because it was challenging enough as is. There may have been multiple threats to leave if attitude didn’t change, but thankfully, things (sort of) calmed down.
The theme and the holes were a lot of fun, though. Probably 7.5/10.

Toy Store 4D – this one was kinda fun! It was a lot shorter than expected (maybe 10mins altogether). And, it was practically in the middle of a large arcade, which was a major distraction. But, definitely a fun little thing to do as a family.

Ripley’s Believe It or Not – This one was fun! We had managed to keep it a surprise from Mark, so he was quite excited when he saw where were headed. It was quite an interesting experience getting to see all the cool things people have done.

There’s one thing called the twisty tunnel or something like that. If you have vertigo, I don’t recommend going through it. You legit feel like you’re going to fall over.
One room makes smaller people look bigger and taller people shorter, which was fun, too!
Definitely recommend it.

Rainforest Cafe – it may have taken a 25 minute wait to get in for lunch, but this restaurant is always an experience. Thankfully, we got there before the rush. And, we were even more grateful for the air conditioning. Also, the adult portions are pretty decent. I went for the fish and chips – there were three large pieces and a lot of fries. Mike and I definitely could’ve split it!

There was an option for special cups for the kids, but we really didn’t want to pay an extra $15 (almost) for each kid. But, we had also spent money on other souvenirs. And, as it was, our meal came to $163.21 for us four.

There was a huge fish tank in the gift shop that you could look at while waiting. And, every ½hr or so, there’s a “thunderstorm” where the animals come to “life”, which is pretty cool!

Movieland Wax Museum – so, initially, I wasn’t sure I wanted to do this one. Something along the lines of flashbacks to a trip to England when I was five, and a wax museum in which I was terrified that the figures were real…
But, thankfully, I sucked it up. It only took thirty-three years…

Mike especially liked this one, though. There were a lot of nerdy things, which was pretty epic. Not gonna lie…I wasn’t overly impressed with the likenesses. Though, when we got to the superhero section, it was amazing.
Probably, overall, an 8/10.

Our Top 5

SkyWheel – getting to see the falls from a different perspective was definitely worth it. If you don’t go for the Clifton Hill pass, then this is worth going for on its own.
The Pool – this was a top 5 for all four of us. The weather was warm, but not muggy by the time we made it to the pool. There weren’t any mosquitos. The pool was the perfect temperature. And, family fun is always worth it.
Toy Store 4D – both kids said this was one of their favourite things. Guess getting shaken around and holding onto handles for dear life counts as “fun” if you’re under 12? The graphics were a bit basic, but it was pretty fun overall.
Souvenirs – okay, this was kinda cool. We had a budget of $30/person. Did Mark push back and want more after he spent his budget within the first two gift shops we were in? Yes; yes he did. Was it still worth it? Yeah, it absolutely was. For example, I got a key chain with a small Skylon Tower, firework burst, and the falls. Which is now on the day backpack I lugged around with us (water, sunscreen, a small apothecary, etc.), and on which I plan on adding more patches, pins, keychains, etc, from future family trips. This one on Amazon is closest to the Thirty-One bag I used for our trip.
The falls themselves – I mean…if you’re in Niagara Falls, you gotta see the falls! There’s something astounding about this natural wonder of the world. Knowing that it’s as deep as it is tall makes me wonder how people cannot believe in creation. But yeah…this sight was amazing. The mist, especially, according to our 7yr old.

What we’d do differently…

Okay. So…the only thing I’d change was how I reacted.
Surprise, surprise…our 10yr old had an attitude. He was overwhelmed, dehydrated, and exhausted. And so was I. But, that didn’t mean I had to yell at him the way I did.

Other than that, I probably wouldn’t change anything.
Other than the prices of meals, maybe??
And maybe a different hotel that didn’t have suspicious stains on the carpet and had a weird stuffiness to it that we all woke up with clogged sinuses from. Or could hear everything the people above us did.
But, it was only $195 for downtown Clifton Hills – couldn’t expect much more.

How much it cost

So, here’s a breakdown of our budget, plus actual costs, if they varied:

Okay…so, yeah.
Niagara Falls was – clearly – more expensive than we had expected.
The major differences were souvenirs and meals. I knew meals would be more than we expected, as we did IHOP instead of Tim’s for breakfast. Now I know why Travelodge offered $5 off/person for the restaurant next to them…which I kinda wish we had taken advantage of…after the fact, obviously.

Would we go again?

Yes – absolutely.
Was it worth the extra expense? Yeah, I think so.
Mike might not necessarily agree, but knowing that this is our family vacation for the year (next two years, really), and that $1050 of it was already covered by our income tax return… I think it was worthwhile.

I’d love to know…
Have you ever done Niagara Falls as a family?
Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!