The Hornblower Excursion

Niagara from the US

Large tree along our walk

The old Niagara power company along our walk

First of all if you ever decide to go for yourself, study the options. There is a movie (cartoonish) explaining the history, the Hornblower Cruise (boat ride), Behind the Falls Tour (takes you through the tunnels and to the base of the Falls and behind the Falls), plus many more options like the White Water Walk, the Floral Showhouse, the Whirlpool Aero Car, the Butterfly Conservatory, and the WEGO bus. You can purchase an Adventure Pass for $49.95 Adults or $36.95 children which includes the Hornblower Niagara Cruise and several other options PLUs the WEGO bus. We chose to pay just for the movie and the Behind the Falls tour separately and spent almost that much for just two options.

What we did right; however, is parking at the city park about 2 1/2 miles up river and walking the pathway along the river to the Falls. This gave us a much better idea of how the water moves along its journey from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario. The Pathway actually extends 35 miles from Lake to Lake and would be a great bike ride. But the roundtrip 5 mile walk was plenty for one day.

We had another nice lunch at Edgewaters Restaurant, which included the bonus of “people watching” with the cascading Falls in the background. The Behind the Falls experience was well worth the cost. The movie and Niagra’s Fury excursion was designed for kids, so while it gives a basic understanding of how the Falls came to be, we found it a bit hoaky and a waste of tine and money. I am certain the Hornblower Cruise would be a highlight, but we were already wet enough for one day.