Niagara Falls, located along the New York-Ontario border, makes for a great weekend trip, even in winter. Although colder temperatures bring snow instead of an opportunity to venture behind the falls or onto Niagara River, the best time to go on a vacation is when you have the time.
The Falls
The falls themselves can be experienced on either the American or Canadian side, but we stuck with Ontario on our weekend in Niagara. At night, a light show is projected on the falls, while daylight hours bring more tourists, even in inclement weather, trying to get the best shot possible of the wonder that can produce 4 million kilowatts of electricity.
Beyond the Falls
The main tourist street in Niagara Falls, Ontario, is Clifton Hill, where Rainforest Cafe; funhouses; and the Niagara SkyWheel, the 175-foot ferris wheel with panoramic views, can be found.
Along Falls Avenue, past two Starbucks, is Canada's only Hershey's store. It's worth visiting for the intoxicating aroma alone, but the chocolate covered strawberries are particularly good. A couple doors down, in Crowne Plaza, is the Rainbow Room, which has an extensive and delicious breakfast buffet. We enjoyed made-to-order omelettes and waffles with the best view imaginable.
Ice Wine and Ice Cream
Personally, I don't feel that any trip is complete without quality drinks and ice cream. A 20-minute drive north of Niagara Falls is Inniskillin Niagara Estate, which is featured in Lonely Planet's Wine Trails book. Among other wine tastings, there are a number of ice wine tastings.
Ice wine is made by harvesting wine grapes when they are frozen. This allows for the ice to be pressed completely out during processing, resulting in a sweeter wine with higher sugar content. Ice wines are typically white wines, namely Riesling, but Inniskillin also has red, and sparkling, ice wines. Sometimes, in order to prevent the skin of the red grapes from breaking in the cold, Inniskillin will place fans between the vines to regulate the temperature.
Driving up Niagara Parkway to the north another ten minutes, you'll find yourself in the town of Niagara-on-the-Lake, which is a bit quieter than Niagara Falls, Ontario. We stopped in the town only briefly, popping into a few of the shops and bakeries and ending the day at Cows Creamery. The birthday cake ice cream was so good that we debated stocking up on multiple containers to take with us. The only thing that held us back was our realization that the ice cream would all be polished off before the next morning.
I typically plan trips far in advance, but this one came as a bit of a surprise. Having an organized schedule is great, but it's important to have the ability to be a little spontaneous and go on an adventure every once in a while. Adventure, in my opinion, is always worthwhile.