Our Niagara Falls Vacation

Next time I will spend the extra money on a hotel with free internet service so that I can get my blogging in every night. Looking back, I wish I had at least typed it all into B's laptop each night so I could just transfer it over when we got home. Happily, I do still remember it all though. I've got to get it all down before it starts slipping though. Old age is not agreeing with me...

We had utilized the TripTik function on the AAA site to plan our trip. Very very cool. If you are taking a driving trip and are looking for things to do along the way, I highly recommend it.
The green pushpin represents our starting location, the red represents the finish, and the yellow our stops along the way.

First stop on Saturday: The Springfield Museums in Massachusetts. We've been here many times and have always enjoy it.
No matter what's going on inside these four museums though, our favorite thing is always interacting with all of the Dr. Seuss statues outside.

We had dinner at Calamari's Seafood Grill in West Springfield. I found it on the AAA site. I'm so glad I did, because it wasn't the best looking place from the outside, so we never would have chosen it otherwise. But the food was absolutely fantastic.

We spent the night in West Springfield too. A Days Inn. Which didn't have a pool. Big mistake on my part.


Morning two (Sunday) found us driving 45 miles to the Norman Rockwell Museum, which in terms of seeing things, was a definite highlight of the vacation for me. I have wanted to go here for a long time, and am so glad I had the opportunity to do so.

I have made a habit of keeping "picture books" on individual artists in the back seat of our car, for the boys to look through during time spent there. I found a hardcover Norman Rockwell book at the Glastonbury Book Sale for $3 a couple of years ago, so the boys are very familiar with his work, which is incredibly detailed and realistic looking.

The museum offers free guided tours every hour, but it was crowded so we skipped that. Instead, R and I paid for the audio tour, which was excellent, while B and E enjoyed the well-done scavenger hunt flyer they so thoughtfully provide for younger kids. I even bought myself a print. I wanted to spend the $80 on a framed one, but I went for the print only, for $20 and will frame it myself.

We had lunch out of our cooler in the parking lot. I'm so glad I packed that thing; it came in so handy. I didn't even care so much about the money we were saving, but it saved an awful lot of time. Sitting, being served, waiting for a check, etc. can take a chunk out of the day.

After lunch we drove 82 miles to Howe Caverns.
I couldn't gauge reaction to this place while we were there, but when we came home R explained about all the different kind of rocks to Nagy Papa, so I guess he got a lot out of it. He was more enthusiastic explaining it later than when we were there. E got bored half way through, but I wasn't really paying attention because I had my own problems.

The most exciting part of the day for me was when, about half way through the tour, I dropped my eye glasses into the depths below. Our tourguide said he'd inform maintenance about it when the tour was over, but I have to admit it made it difficult for me to enjoy the rest of the tour. My glasses had been in my pocket with my camera (I know I don't take very good care of them) and when I pulled out my camera the glasses came flying out and down. It worked out fine though. One of the off-duty tourguides walked back down with me later, and climbed down to look for them. Luckily they were found!

After all that excitement we drove to the next town over, Cobeskill, and found an excellent pizza place where I had one of the best eggplant parmesan subs (grinders, hero's) I've ever had. Our waitress explained that her grandmother makes and freezes all their food every Sunday. Boy, it was good. Then we drove 118 miles to our Super 8 motel in Syracuse.

Morning three (Monday, Labor Day) we drove 46 miles to the Women's Rights National Historical Park. I had wanted to visit this place ever since we studied the Women's Rights movement with our Time Travelers Club several years ago. This was definitely another highlight for me. We started at the Wesleyan Chapel and then made our way into the visitor center. Not so fun for the boys, but B kept them busy while I absorbed it all. It was powerful stuff; a place every woman should get to in her lifetime.


We skipped the National Women's Hall of Fame right down the street, which had been on the schedule. I couldn't be that selfish. Instead we had our lunch and played some soccer in a park nearby. Then we drove 67 miles to the Jell-o Museum. Yes, there is such a thing, and B had been the one to insist I put it on the schedule. I'm glad I did. It was "cheesy" but it was fun.


After that we drove 70 miles to the Days Inn in Ontario, Canada. When we got there we found a message from some friends. They had gone to Buffalo for a family function and headed to the falls for a couple of nights before heading home. Turns out they were staying in the hotel right across the street from ours!

After checking in, and checking out the pool, we drove around and found a place for dinner. We found a place with a parking lot packed with Ontario-plated cars, but once we ate there we wondered why. Outrageous prices for poor food. Anyhow, after dinner we joined our friends for our first look at the falls. Not all that impressive at night. But it was a great beginning, and we did get to spend some time with friends before they headed home the next morning.

Next morning (Tuesday) we headed across the street for breakfast. The hotel had given us 20% off coupons for the all-you-can-eat buffet. We ate there again the next day too. Food in the area is outrageously expensive, and frankly not worth it.

After breakfast we went to the Skylon Tower which offers a gorgeous overhead view of the falls. We don't have a panoramic camera, but here's two photos put together. It sure was breathtaking, and elicited the oohs and aahs which had been missing from the contrivedly lit falls the night before.

We were very glad that the incredibly crowded streets from the night before, which was Labor Day, had completely emptied. Other than that hour or so that night, we had everything almost to ourselves, just as we homeschoolers love it. And the people we did share space with were all well-behaved adults. It was awesome.

After the Skylon Tower, we headed to the Journey Behind the Falls, which is exactly what its name implies. We walked along the man-made caves behind the horseshoe falls, and looked out open "windows" to the water flowing down.
Next was the Whirlpool Aerocar; an 11-minute cable car ride back and forth over the section of the Niagara River which turns sharply and makes a huge whirlpool in the area where it does. The view was spectacular and we learned about fishing in the area. Apparently fishermen fight for the best spots here.

We headed back to the hotel for a swim and a rest before heading to the dinner theater we had scheduled. Oh Canada, eh? (pronounced aye) was expensive and worth every penny. We had great seats and the boys were the center of attention more than once when the cast came down to interact with the audience. It was goofy and fun and the food was excellent. Going to Niagara Falls? This is a don't miss. However, wait till you get there to purchase tickets so you can utilize the kids-get-in-free coupons in the hotel lobby for a substantial savings. Call or stop in for tickets as soon as you have those coupons though because seating is based on who buys tickets first.

We rushed back to the hotel and watched Rockstar Supernova. R and I had been enjoying it for several weeks, and were disappointed that we couldn't vote. We were happy to have found it to watch though.

On Wednesday we took a break from the falls and spent the day at Marineland, which is Canada's answer to SeaWorld. The marine life was amazing.
We saw a very entertaining dolphin /seal /walrus show, extremely large amounts of Beluga whales being fed and touched by those willing to pay large amounts to do so, and our favorite, the killer whales, who went around their tank splashing spectators. We liked that event so much that we saw it twice. The Beluga whale photo came out the best though. There were so many of them!

We also enjoyed the rides. E especially, who we discovered is a daredevil and is not afraid of anything. R on the other hand, congratulated himself on making it through the very conservative rollercoaster with no minimum height requirements.

There were a couple of animal exhibits that I did not feel good about. One was the black bears who I couldn't help feeling sorry for. I hate seeing animals having their dignity taken away from them, and it especially hurts when those animals are otherwise so independent and proud.

The other group which disturbed me was the deer "petting zoo". Check this out, it is only about a fifth of what was there. I mean, how could this not be disturbing? Even the boys seemed surprised and not sure how to react. It was incredible to see all the deer attack anyone who purchased food to feed them. The whole deer experience was quite bizarre, and when B wanted to go back to videotape it because he had missed it earlier, R and I agreed that it wasn't necessary, that we'd remember it just fine without the video.

We skipped the elk exhibit since we have a season pass to the Bronx Zoo, and because it was so darn far away. Everything was so darn far away. Final crappy thing about this place is that it's way too spread out. Way way way too spread out. In the summer when it is packed with millions of people it probably doesn't feel quite so sparse, but when we had the whole place to ourselves we could definitely see it needed some more attractions between the ones they have. Their website says they are working on new stuff, but until they have that stuff up and running you should just be aware that if you go, you will be doing a lot of walking for three good aquarium shows and some very spread out, but adequate rides. And in the end you will be exhausted from all the walking.

However your children will have a wonderful time if you do not point out the negative aspects.

We were thrilled to find a restaurant called Zappi's Pizza and Subs at the corners of Stanley Avenue and Dunn Street. We finally managed to feed the four of us for less than $30 (and we're talking every meal,) and the food was excellent. B and I split an Italian Veggie sub and a Chicken Parm sub, and the boys had pizza. We were tired so we took our food "home" to the hotel, where we enjoyed it while watching some TV.

Thursday the 7th, our sixth day, we headed over to the New York side. We went up to the Power Vista, which is a must-see for any self-respecting homeschooling family. It is all about how the power of the river is harnessed for hydro-electricity at that site. The woman who normally gives schools their tours was dying to give us a personal tour once she found out we were homeschoolers, and it was exceptionally cool when she brought E and R up in front of a small lecture area and made E's hair stand on end, and R make a handful of styrofoam peanuts fly away when he let them go. It was even cooler when a group of seniors walked by and joined in the fun. What an awesome place and a terrific visit. No photos though; it's all on video.

We headed down to Goat Island next, and all agreed that Three Sisters Island was one of our favorite spots. You could go right up to the river and touch it and really feel the power of the river at its peak before it hits the falls. Extra clothes for E would've been a smart move.

Lastly on Thursday we went to the Cave of the Winds. This is where you can go down beside the falls and actually stand within 15 feet of them. Lots of splashing going on here. Wear the outfit they give you and roll up your pants as high as you can. In fact, do the Maid of the Mist first and keep their slickers to wear here, since those are longer.

This was my and E's favorite activity at the falls (R's was the Skylon Tower, and B never decided) since you could actually stand close enough to feel like you were really under them, and get down "directly" beneath them to feel them beating down on you. Fifteen feet away the power was enormous. It was very cool.

While on the island we also enjoyed the trolley ride which was dirt cheap. In New York the falls are actually a state park, so things they were in charge of were reasonably priced. Had I known that the American side was so nice, we would have planned for more time there. The state park is lovely and we could have definitely enjoyed that more than we did. We wished we had our bikes.

We finished up the New York side with dinner at a place called Jade Garden. Someone on TripAdvisor had recommended it, so we checked it out. Well apparently the person who recommended it has never had good chinese food, because to call this good was a huge error in judgment. Or given the benefit of the doubt, a complete lack of experience. Steer clear of this place.

In the midst of all this fun, during the course of the week we were also enjoying the hotel pool quite a bit. Someone had put bubbles in the jacuzzi, and the boys were just loving that. Bubbles and goggles are a fun set of tools.

They also enjoyed playing some pool of the table sort, since there was a pool table right outside the swimming pool room. Along the way one night we got to see a few fireworks from our room too. R heard them first and we had a nice surprise when we looked out the window. It was a nice surprise since fireworks are only scheduled for Fridays and Sundays.

On the seventh and final day of our journey, we went for a swim and packed up the car. We checked out, but left our car in the (free) Days Inn Parking lot while we walked down Clifton Avenue on our final trip to the falls. R chooses not to read well yet, so he had no idea that he was walking past the Guiness Book of World Records museum, Brick City (a lego "museum") and a museum of criminals. We did enjoy Indiana Jones in front of the wax museum, and some other thing with a giant head which spoke to us as we walked by. The boys also enjoyed perusing through an incredibly well thought-out children's souvenir shop. We did manage to escape without buying anything. Boy that one block is a huge money pit. I'm so glad we had managed to avoid it our whole trip thus far. It must look cool all lit up at night though.

We reached the Maid of the Mist tour right when it opened and were the second boat to go out. Again, no waiting. (This homeschooling thing rocks.) Here is a photo of the boat before us; it had departed from the New York side (they alternate). This tour was a really good one for us to finish on. We saw a beautiful rainbow down there, and the mood was definitely a nice reflective one as we discussed our favorite activities during the week, and why they were.

We walked back up Clifton Avenue, luckily saving gawking-time by returning on the same side on which we had come down. Picked up our car and made our last stop before the bridge back to the USA; the duty free shop to get our tax refund, where we not only got $9 in cash back, but E also picked up a fine camera which shows photos of the falls when you look into it.

The drive home was very long. On the way to Niagara Falls we had alternated time with the DVD player and without, but on the way home we just let 'er rip. I have to admit, the drive there had been quite lovely. I had truly enjoyed seeing miles of corn. And soybeans (I think). I noticed the hawk sitting on the fence post beside the highway. I enjoyed seeing cows the likes of which I had never seen before. And The Goo Goo Dolls and Tom Petty were very appropriate accompaniment. But the drive home was long. Very long.

We actually stopped back at Calamari's in West Springfield for dinner again, and were not disappointed in the food. It was crowded though since it was 8 pm instead of 6 pm as last time. We got home late enough for the boys to have fallen asleep in the car.

All the photos are posted. Check out the links on the right. They all go to the same place, but you can at least see what you're looking for. They are here for you too. Hopefully the links here will work. If not, use the one on the side.

• 9.06 Niagara Falls
• 9.06 Jell-o Museum
• 9.06 Women's Rights National Historic Park
• 9.06 Howe Caverns
• 9.06 Norman Rockwell Museum
• 9.06 Springfield Museums

All-in-all we had a wonderful time. It was the perfect vacation for our family. And since we did not spend money flying, and saved an awful lot on hotels by going off-season, it looks like we will be off on another vacation next year, instead of alternating years the way we had been. Woo hoo!