The ultimate guide to enjoying Niagara Falls

What’s affordable?
Travel tip: The closer you are to the falls, the better the view you will have, but you will also have to pay higher rates for accommodations. If budget is a concern, many hotels are situated approximately 10 minutes from the falls, and offer good rates and comfortable amenities.

The good news is that much about Niagara Falls is free. The falls are lit up at night (a must-see). And on Friday and Sunday nights, you can see a fireworks display. In cold months, the Winter Festival of Lights illuminates the season with more than 2 million lights in Queen Victoria Park, which surrounds Niagara Falls proper. There are also free outdoor concerts and first-run movies, festivals and parades. Niagara Falls’ newest attraction is a performance by Jay Cochrane, is a tightrope artist who walks the tightrope over the falls twice each day.

Other must-visits:

Daredevil Museum, 303 Rainbow Boulevard; (716) 282-4046. Open daily in summer 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. Admission is free.

This museum features exhibits on the people who have challenged Niagara Falls, and has a collection of barrels, giant rubber balls and other devices used by the daredevils. 

Journey Behind the Falls, 6650 Niagara Parkway.  (905) 356-2241. Admission is $12 for adults and $7.20 for kids.

On this guided tour, you descend in an elevator 150 feet through bedrock to tunnels leading you to the Upper and Lower Observation Decks at the foot of the falls behind the Canadian Horseshoe Falls. Here, you can stand in the falls’ mist and see one-fifth of the world’s fresh water crashing from 13 stories above you. During the winter, the mist from the falls freezes in ice formations.

Niagara Gorge Discovery Center, (716) 278-0820
The Niagara Gorge Discovery Center offers self- and naturalist-guided walks into the gorge. The guided walks range from one to three hours and cost $1 to $4 dollars. The guides will discuss how the falls were formed, geology, flora and fauna, local history and much more.

Over-the-top options:

Niagara Helicopters Limited, 3731 Victoria Ave. (905) 357-5672
The Niagara Helicopters Limited tour follows the Niagara River from the Whirlpool area and flies over the Whirlpool Rapids and the Rainbow Bridge. You will see Queen Victoria Park, the American Falls and the Skylon Tower. The helicopter also follows the Canadian Horseshoe Falls, where you will see many rainbows appear and disappear. Tickets are about $100 per person.

Niagara Helicopters also offers flights to several different wineries in the area. One of their tours flies over Niagara Falls and to the Peller Estates, which boasts a European-style chateau and a five-star restaurant. They offer free tours and wine tastings; the flight costs about $240 per person.

The Embassy Suite’s Fallsview Room. Imagine sitting in a Jacuzzi with a glass of champagne in your hand, overlooking the falls and seeing bursts of fireworks. The rates for this room start at about $335

Best time to visit
Not surprisingly, summer is busiest time of year, but it is also when all of the attractions are running. All water attractions are closed in late fall and winter, but during winter, the mist that rises above the falls freezes on the trees, and this is truly a spectacular sight. And one final note: Please leave your barrel at home!

Peter Greenberg is TODAY's travel editor. His column appears weekly on TODAYshow.com. Visit his Web site at PeterGreenberg.com.

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