Niagara Falls, Canada

International Boundary between the United States and Canada The word "Niagara" is derived from the Iroquois Indian word "Onguiaahra" meaning "the strait".

It may seem cheesy, particularly given the blue ponchos that guests wear, but it is absolutely worth doing. The term "mist" is a bit of an understatement, in my opinion. This is a very wet boat ride.  The boats leave from both Canadian and American shores. Cost: $15.50 per adult and $9 for kids 6-12, those 5 and under are free. There are lines of people for the boat ride but it moves quickly.  After stopping for the obligatory souvenir photograph we were loaded onto the boats with about 600 other participants and taken out to the falls.We were lucky to have a very still morning for the trip so we managed to stay relatively dry.The ride takes you close to the falls with the mist floating over you. The water is very powerful and the boat takes you right up to first the Amercian Bridal Veil Falls and then further down to the Canadian Horseshoe falls.

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View from observation deck at
Journey Behind the Falls

Visitors can also, as the name promises, see Horseshoe Falls from tunnels inside of the rock, that give you a view of the well, behind the falls. No false advertising here! Going in, I wondered if it was really worth doing both the Maid of the Mist and Behind the Falls. It was. None of us were sorry that we did both. Journey Behind the Falls is on the Canadian side of the falls. There are ponchos here, too, this time in a stylish bright yellow. Before going on  Cost: $15.95 Adults (13+ years), $10.95 kids 6 to 12 years, children 5 and under are free. You can walk from Maid of the Mist on the Canadian side to the Journey Behind the Falls, and enjoy being next to the falls the whole time.I loved the different slogans these companies used. Maid of the Mist goes with "Explore the Roar" and Behind the Falls says, "Feel the Thunder." These feel like they are targeted at tween boys, and they are both true.

 
Evening Illumination  The falls are lit up at night, and it is beautiful. The lights change colors, and are strangely mesmerizing. My tween and I could both just site and watch the falls and lights, for a lot longer than tweens usually sit still in a hotel room with their mom. On Fridays, there are fireworks at the falls. In the summer, they take place on Friday and Sunday nights.