While relatively close to NYC, I’d never been to Niagara Falls. It’s been on my to-visit list for a while and with our move to the West Coast, I figured I better get a visit in quick (it was one of the failed items on my 30 under 30 list). Fortunately, it didn’t throw our intended road trip route too off course, so we made it our first stop.
The drive from NYC is a little under 7 hours. If you’re headed to Niagara Falls, head for the Canadian side, perhaps a slightly longer drive, but the views are much better. Because we were packing up our apartment and doing final pre-move errands, we got a late start and didn’t arrive in Niagara Falls until about 2am. A bit of a rough start to 17 days on the road! After a drive through customs, we quickly settled into our hotel so we could wake up and hit the falls. We stayed at a cheap motel that isn’t worth recommending, but considering we spent about a total of 8 hours there, I’m glad we didn’t opt for a more expensive hotel.
Niagara Falls is gorgeous. The expansive falls almost don’t seem real. The little town around Niagara Falls? Well, that’s another story. We drove through quickly but it’s a bizarre little tourist trap. Take my advice, head beyond all of that and go straight to the falls.
You don’t need too much time there, take in the views, snap a few pictures and you should be good to go. I’ve heard the boat ride Maid of the Mist is cool but with Ollie, we opted out. The views from land were amazing enough. We probably spent a total of 1-2 hours at the falls. I’m not sure what else you’d do in the area (perhaps a hike?) if you created an entire weekend out of visiting Niagara Falls; I suggest making the falls a quick stopover as part of a trip elsewhere.
I mean really, doesn’t that look like a tiny fake boat?
Next Stop: Ann Arbor, Michigan!
