For some corny, unexplainable reason, I’ve been wanting to go to Niagra Falls for a long time…

The New York TimesJune 26, 2005

A Classic Honeymoon Spot Welcomes the Family
By SUSAN CATTO
THERE is more to Niagara Falls than rushing water and honeymoons.

In a single trip, you can see one of the great natural wonders, treat your kids to a lifetime’s worth of haunted houses and wax museums, visit historic battlefields and wineries, and see plays by one of the best repertory companies in North America.

While the New York side of Niagara Falls has been repositioning itself as a family destination in recent years, it still has trouble competing with the Canadian side, where hotels cater to families and the Clifton Hill entertainment district has all the soft-serve ice cream and fun houses your offspring could possibly desire. The Canadian side also offers the quieter, more sophisticated pleasures of Niagara-on-the-Lake, 17 miles north of the falls up the Canadian side of the Niagara River at Lake Ontario. Between the two towns, you’ll find nature preserves, parks and 35 miles of bike trails. (Information at www.niagarafallstour….)

Many Niagara Falls hotels bill themselves as "within walking distance" of the falls, but keep in mind that most routes involve a steep hill or stairs. Parking is available on the Niagara Parkway (it is River Road in places) in front of the falls ($9.85, at $1.26 Canadian to the U.S. dollar) and the Falls Shuttle, (905) 356-1179 ($4.90 for an unlimited day pass; two children 12 and under free per adult) loops past the Lundy’s Lane and Fallsview hotel districts and stops at major attractions. Niagara-on-the-Lake is navigable by foot.

HISTORY AND CULTURE

Today, Canada’s Niagara region embraces American visitors, but the area is full of historical sites from the period when the two countries were at war. Atop a tall column in Queenston Heights Park, 14184 Niagara Parkway, Queenston, a few minutes drive north of Niagara Falls, a statue of Gen. Isaac Brock gestures antagonistically toward the United States. The statue commemorates one of several local battles between American and British, Canadian and Indian forces during the War of 1812.

Smaller monuments at the site of the Battle of Lundy’s Lane, Drummond Hill Cemetery, commemorate soldiers from both sides who perished in the bloodiest battle on Canadian soil.

Fort George, at Queen’s Parade, Niagara-on-the-Lake, (905) 468-4257, www.pc.gc.ca, is a fully restored British garrison offering a revealing glimpse of 19th-century military life. It has a prison, officers’ and enlisted men’s quarters, defensive artillery bastions and demonstrations of musketry, cooking, blacksmithing and carpentry. Admission, $6.50; ages 6 to 16, $4.

Older children may appreciate Niagara-on-the-Lake’s Shaw Festival, which runs from April through November and specializes in works written or set during George Bernard Shaw’s lifetime (1856 to 1950). This year (the 44th season) includes Shaw’s "Major Barbara" and "You Never Can Tell," the World War I drama "Journey’s End" by R. C. Sherriff and the musical "Gypsy." Youth tickets (18 and under) are half price with the purchase of a regular ticket ($34.50 to $67.50); (800) 511-7429 or www.shawfest.com. No show on Monday.

EXPLORING

The best view of the Falls from above is in front of the Table Rock tourism complex, on the parkway beside Horseshoe Falls, where the water seems close enough to touch as it starts its plunge. But you can get even closer on the Maid of the Mist, (905) 358-0311, www.maidofthemist.co…, which leaves several times an hour from River Road at Clifton Hill (and the Observation Tower on the American side) for an invigorating steamboat ride into the churning waters at the base of Horseshoe Falls. Amid the din and violent spray – raincoats are provided – the tour guide’s stories of falls daredevilry seem even more astounding. Tickets: $10.70, $6.50 ages 6 to 12, 5 and under free.

Compared with many of the garish offerings on Clifton Hill, the Ripley’s Believe it or Not Museum, 4960 Clifton Hill, (905) 356-2238, www.ripleysniagara.c…, is positively highbrow. Cabinets display hundreds of artifacts, both genuine (a kitten with two faces)and hoax (a fur-bearing fish), and a new interactive area has brain teasers and optical illusions to stump adults and children alike. Admission is $10.70, $4.90 for children 6 to 12 and free for 5 and under.

In the Niagara Falls Aviary (also called Birds of the Lost Kingdom), 5651 River Road, (866) 994-0090 and www.niagarafallsavia…, toucans, mynahs and hundreds of other tropical birds fly in a multistory recreation of a rainforest canopy. You may wish to buy your children cups of nectar ($1.60) in the lorikeet enclosure and watch the bright birds jostle for feeding spots on little hands and arms. Admission is $12.25, $8.20 ages 5 to 12.

A comprehensive tour of the Niagara region’s more than 60 wineries may not be in the cards, but if you’ve taken the children to Clifton Hill, they should not protest when you stop at a few. At Inniskillin Wines, 1499 Line 3 (Service Road 66) off the Niagara Parkway, Niagara-on-the-Lake, (888) 466-4754 and www.inniskillin.com, the free self-guided tour includes enough fun facts and agricultural and winemaking equipment to hold most children’s interest. The winery is noted for its ice wine; a tasting of four costs $20.50.

DOWNTIME

The cliffs, parks and gardens lining either side of the Niagara Parkway provide ample opportunities for rest or quiet recreation. Small parking lots offer quick access to the Botanical Gardens, 2565 Niagara Parkway, or the cliffside McFarland Point Park, a perfect spot for picnics, hikes or Frisbee games.

Simcoe Park, at the corner of King and Queen Streets in Niagara-on-the-Lake, is a perfect picnic locale, with tree-shaded tables, a playground and a splash pad where small children can cool off.

WHERE TO EAT

The cozy, low-beamed Olde Angel Inn, 224 Regent Street, Niagara-on-the-Lake, (905) 468-3411, is said to be haunted, but the rumor hasn’t hurt business. A steak, Guinness and oyster pie ($8.15) is among the pub fare; children’s meals, like chicken fingers, are $7.40, including dessert and a drink.

The Stagecoach Family Restaurant, 45 Queen Street, Niagara-on-the-Lake, (905) 468-3133, has a $2.85 breakfast special, deli sandwiches ($4 to $7.50), macaroni and cheese ($4) and an old-fashioned ice cream counter. They’ll also prepare picnic meals.

With vineyard views, a high-ceilinged dining room and a menu featuring local produce, Hillebrand Estates Winery Restaurant, 1249 Niagara Stone Road, Niagara-on-the-Lake, (800) 582-8412, is sophisticated but not stuffy. Seasonal entrees ($10.50 to $20.50 at lunch; $19.75 to $34.50 at dinner) might include cabernet-braised oxtail or caribou loin, though the chef will improvise child-friendly options. The whimsical desserts include a Rocky Road sundae ($10).

WHERE TO STAY

The Americana Resort, Spa and Water Park, 8444 Lundy’s Lane, (800) 263-3508, www.americananiagara…, is about 10 minutes from the falls, assuming your children want to leave the water slides and wave pool in the hotel’s indoor public water park. Kiddie Suites have two queen beds and a cubby with bunk beds and cost from $130 to $245; family suites, with separate bedrooms, range from $205 to $410. Both include admission to the water park.

At the 402-room Sheraton Fallsview Hotel, 6755 Fallsview Boulevard, (800) 618-9059, www.fallsview.com, upper-floor suites with wall-to-wall windows seem to hover over the cascade. Rooms with two queen beds go for $122 to $335, depending on season; family suites with two bedrooms and a view range from $235 to $55.