There is a reason Niagara Falls is a great destination and not just for honeymooners. The Falls have captivated people for hundreds of years. The roar of the water coupled with the drop makes it a spectacular sight.

Initial Visit

Growing up in Kansas, I didn’t get too many natural landmarks other than our annual pilgrimage to Colorful Colorado. While I was excited to go, the visage was less eventful than expected as it was literally in the dead of winter and freezing cold. The Niagara river was strewn with ice chunks and the view under the falls was just a solid sheet of ice. No Maid of the Mist, but no crowds either. Nevertheless, the view from the Canadian side was stunning. This definitely made me want to return in the summer to see Niagara in full bloom.

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Second trip to Niagara

Unfortunately, my next trip to Niagara Falls didn’t occur for over 15 years. I was now living in Maryland and during my son’s spring break we decided to use up some Marriott points and take Matthew and my daughter, Kerry, to see the Niagara. This time the weather was beautiful, the flowers were out and we had 3 days to enjoy ourselves.

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The Marriott was located direct north of horseshoe falls and the check-in desk clerk was very nice giving us a 17th floor room with a falls view. Every evening, the falls is lit up in stunning colors and going to bed one night my daughter asked, “Do they run the water all day and all night?” It is so much fun seeing the sights through the eyes of children.

Maid of the Mist

The next day we boarded the the Maid of the mist for our adventure to the falls. Getting prepped in our blue plastic rain covers we boarded the boat and enjoyed views of all three falls, American, Bridal and Horseshoe. Looking back at the pictures I swear I took a lot more. Even with digital cameras I find that many sights I take in only with my eyes. This makes for good memories but isn’t as good for sharing. The kids had a great time getting wet, seeing the falls and generally zipping around the boat.

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The rest of the day we went zipping around town and visited the Niagara Falls History Museum learning about who made it over the falls, who lived, who didn’t, and a great history of the falls. I would highly recommend going to the museum as it gives you a great perspective of the falls that you may not get by just soaking up the scenery. Finally, we grabbed the elevator at the Skylon tower going up to look down at the whole falls complex. My kids loved it, but I didn’t. I am not as good with heights and feeling the tower sway was more than a bit unnerving. Still, I pressed on getting the pictures to prove we did it! Now time to head home.

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Third Time a Charmer

My third time to the falls was nearing 10 years later where a business colleague and I made a quick stopover on our way to Toronto. We found it much less expensive to fly to Buffalo airport and rent a car compared to flying directly to Toronto. The bonus of this was the ability to stop by Niagara Falls, and this time it was my first time to go to the American Falls side.

It was once again winter but not nearly as bitter cold as my first visit. Driving out to Goat Island we parked in the almost empty lot and made our way to the falls edge. We were rewarded with some fantastic vistas free of the in-season crowds.

I am always amazed at how sharp the edge of the falls is. Now with much of the water diverted for hydroelectricity, the falls has less water going over the edge than it did previously. By doing this not only is there a cheap source of electricity for the Toronto area but the edge of the falls only moves back about a foot a year versus the 3 feet. Someday it will reach lake Erie, but not in my lifetime. My colleague and I quickly took a few more photos before heading north to our final destination.

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Next time?

Would I still go back to the falls a fourth time? The answer is yes, yes and yes. I hope to take my wife of 20+ years to Niagara Falls in the spring, so we can enjoy all the sights together. Of course, my other daughters who haven’t seen Niagara would likely want to come as well.

I hope you enjoyed a look back at my trips to Niagara Falls and it has inspired you to plan visit whether spring, fall, summer and, yes, even sometimes in winter. I look forward to any comments and corrections.