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2023 NIAGARA FALLS & ONTARIO CANADA TRIP
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2023 NIAGARA FALLS & ONTARIO CANADA TRIP
I originally was planning a trip to a different area of Canada but with the news that my sister is moving out of the country in a few months, I knew I needed to go visit her first. So off to Buffalo, New York I went.
This trip was a little last minute, well not too last minute but I just didn’t have enough time to plan to much in advance. So like my other trip posts, here are my top suggestions and itinerary so you can plan your trip to this area as well. But feel free to read about my trip and the details.
Day 1: Flight
This day was pretty much just hanging out at the airport and on the plane. Because I live on the west coast, it was pretty much an all day event to get to the other side of the country. 6 hour flight later to Rochester (because the flights were a little cheaper to fly there than Buffalo), we rented a car and drove over to Buffalo area. It was about a hour to drive from one city to another. I didn’t mind the drive. We took the non-toll streets and just looked at all the old houses and building as we drove passed them.
Once we arrived in Williamsville, where my sister was currently staying in, we met her at a restaurant called Duff’s Famous Wings. Of course, I had to try the wings. I will say they were pretty good. I got the standard medium buffalo sauce kind. I wish they were a little more saucy but maybe because I was hungry, I didn’t care. My sister informed me that when I order buffalo wings to just call them “wings” and not “buffalo wings”. I guess it a huge sign of being a tourist. Just a little FYI.
DAY 2: NIAGARA FALLS
To start off our Niagara Falls adventures, we went to the chain coffee shop called Spot Coffee down the street from my sisters house. It was great. Of course I’m a hot chocolate lover so I had to try it, along with their coffee cake. The hot chocolate was creamery and smooth and yummy. The coffee cake was ok. Then we headed to Niagara Falls.
About a 30 minute drive to Niagara Falls State Park. When we first arrived, we headed to the Maid of the Mist, a boat tour that will take you right up to the falls, making a pit stop at the visitor center along the way.
My honest thoughts on Maid of the Mist, first the wait was only like 15 minutes when I was there. Maybe 30 minutes at the most. It was fast and not that long of a wait at all. Second, the cost wasn’t terrible. I do feel like you should definitely do this at least once in your life. It’s a totally unique experience. Feeling the water and the noise of how much water is going through that area. It was worth it. The boat tour itself was only like 20-30 minutes. It was an experience I will never forget.
After the boat tour, we went to the Observation Tower, which gives some great views to see the American and Niagara Falls from a distance. From there we walked over to Green Island, Luna Island, Top of the Falls, and Three Sisters Island. Lots of walking around and different angles and point of views to see the grand Niagara Falls and American Falls. After spending some time at the state park, I can now understand why this was a huge tourist attraction. It was amazing to see how powerful these waterfalls were and seeing that side of Mother Nature. Simply an aww moment for sure.
After spending quite some time at Niagara Falls, we took some back roads back to my sisters house. We made a pit stop at Hoover’s Restaurant and grabbed a quick snack or treat.
Later that night, we went to this restaurant called Smokey Bones, which I found out later that they have multiple locations as well. It was so good and they give you lots of food.
DAY 3: Traveling to Canada
Before starting our road trip to our Airbnb in Canada, we had some breakfast at The Original Pancake House next to our hotel. Lots of great pancake options to pick from.
Before officially crossing the border, we stopped at Devil’s Hole State Park. It was a great hike. I would say this hike is a mix of easy, moderate and hard. The hardest part would be the stairs going back up. It’s about 400 steps. The trail itself is fairly easy with some moderately climbing over rocks and such. We actually hiked from Devil’s Hole State Park to Whirlpool State Park. It was a great to start the day. It took about 2 hours from there and back. It was gorgeous to hike right along the Niagara River.
After finally crossing the border and starting our driving journey through Ontario, Canada, we stopped in Hamilton, Canada for some lunch at HAMBRGR King William. I would recommend this restaurant in a heart beat. I will say that it’s kind of in a rundown area but the restaurant itself was fabulous. A great burger joint.
After being on the road for a while, we stopped at Tim Horton’s to stretch our legs and grab a treat. Then got back in the car and finally made it to our destination in Williamsford, Canada over by McCullough Lake. Beautiful area. This area is very quiet, peaceful and also a dream. The lake house was in a nice, quaint area. I don’t know if I will ever have the opportunity to go back to this area but if I do, I would love to go back with my kids and enjoy this area a little more.
DAY 4 BRUCE PENINSULA NATIONAL PARK
We knew we didn’t care to go to Toronto, Canada and rather spending our time in the outdoor area. We started with breakfast at Dragonfly Cafe. I must say that little hole in the wall cafe had one of best french toast I’ve ever had. I’ll definitely try to mimic that recipe later.
Next we drove up to Bruce Peninsula National Park and stopped at The Grotto first. This was a pretty easy and moderate hike. The most difficult part was when you hiked over these areas filled with large rocks. I’m glad I had some great hiking shoes on but honestly you can avoid all that and just hike the easier trails there.
Next we drove over to Singing Sands Beach and hang out for a bit. We didn’t do the whole trail just like 5 minutes of it but I’m sure its beautiful. We just started to get hungry and wanted to grab some lunch especially after our previous hike in The Grotto.
We headed to the small harbor town called Tobermory, Canada. We grabbed some lunch from Shipwreck Lee’s and walked around the quiet little village. Grabbed a treat from Stella’s Gelato & Cafe and on our way out of the village we stopped at the visitor center lookout tower. Then headed our way back to the Airbnb.
DAY 5 1/2 DAY & FLIGHT
After leaving the Airbnb, we stopped at Tim Horton’s again but for breakfast this time. Then headed back to the border.
Of course we stopped on the Canada side of Niagara Falls. I will say it is a way better view of the Niagara Falls on the Canada side because you get the frontal view of both waterfalls. If you have the the opportunity to see Niagara Falls from Canada, you should definitely do it. You don’t each have to drive across the border, you can walk it. They also have a lot of great shopping and restaurants right there as well.
Niagara Falls on the USA side is great too, you get so close to the American Falls and can just feel how much power there is coming from that waterfall. You can also experience Canada’s “Maid of the Mist” called Hornblower. It’s the exact same thing as the Maid of the Mist but you just take off from the Canada side instead.
After getting one last view of the beautiful wonder, we headed back to Williamsville, New York and said our goodbyes to my sister and her family and headed back to Rochester to the airport.
Niagara Falls was breathtaking and our Airbnb in Canada was so dreamy. I can’t wait to see what else Canada has to offer and what my next vacation spot will be.
