Niagara Falls, Canada is the perfect destination for a family-friendly vacation. It has natural wonder, adventure, water parks, arcades, history, and more. Teach your kids about the natural world and Canadian history, and then spend the evening relaxing with mini-golf and arcade games. Let us take a look at some of the area’s best attractions for families with kids:
Clifton Hill
When you arrive in Niagara Falls, the first thing you will want to do is see the Falls themselves. But after your family is done oohing and ahhing over the spectacular view, hit up Clifton Hill for a family-friendly night on the town. Your kids will not be able to resist the lure of the Clifton Hill district, which begins about one block away from the Falls.
Here, you will find some of the most exciting attractions in Niagara Falls. Experience the adrenaline thrill of go-cart racing at the Niagara Speedway, a four-acre, 2000-linear-foot go-cart racing track. Try your luck at the Great Canadian Midway, a 70,000-square-foot arcade featuring more than 300 games. Fight for the future of mankind at the 6D immersive Zombie Attack experience. Other attractions include two mini-golf courses, a wax museum, a Ripley’s museum, the Niagara Skywheel, a Wild West-themed roller coaster, and more.
Hornblower Niagara Cruises
The Hornblower Niagara Cruise is the Canadian counterpart to the iconic, American-run Maid of the Mist cruise. This hair-raising boat tour will take your family as close as it is possible to get to the famous Niagara Falls. Make sure you wear sensible footwear, like sneakers or hiking boots, and don your rain poncho — you are going to get wet! Choose the regular daytime tour or enjoy overhead fireworks on the nighttime tour. One thing is for sure, your family field trip to Niagara Falls is not complete without a boat tour to the base of the Falls!
Journey Behind the Falls
Journey Behind the Falls gets you as close to the Falls as you can get without leaving (relatively) dry land. You will feel the heart-stopping thunder of hundreds of thousands of gallons of water roaring over the Falls as you climb down 125 feet through tunnels first carved into the rock of the Niagara Escarpment 130 years ago.
As you go, you will get the chance to peer through viewing windows to see the might and fury of the Falls passing by inches from your eyes. You will be seeing 2,800 cubic meters (739,681 gallons) of water falling over the Horseshoe Falls per second at a rate of 65 kilometers (40 miles) per hour. At the bottom of the tunnels, you will find the Lower Observation Deck, where you will need to don your souvenir poncho to keep dry as you marvel over the size and strength of one of the largest waterfalls in the world.
Fort George
Fort George is a living history museum located in Niagara-on-the-Lake, just 22 kilometers (14 miles) from Niagara Falls. Learn what daily life was like for British soldiers stationed here during the War of 1812. Eat 19th Century-style cuisine cooked over an open flame and rock out to some of the era’s most popular tunes played by the Fort George National Historic Site’s Fife and Drum Corps. You can even learn how to fire a musket! And when you need a minute to relax, kick back in some of the red Adirondack chairs provided at scenic locations around the park. Kids under 17 get in free.
