Legends of the Falls

A GIANT gushing wall of white water approaches, cold spray douses your face, mist swirls all around; a thunderous roar rings in your ears.

A trip to Niagara Falls on the US/Canadian border is not complete without this experience — the Maid of the Mist boat ride, probably the best falls attraction going.

The trusty boat company has been ferrying people through the churning waters since the mid-1800s and though it has competition from all sorts of other activities, you can’t beat this one for getting up close and personal with the mammoth torrents. Rain jackets are provided.

Those with a flair for all things geological already know there’s actually three falls at Niagara, Horseshoe, Bridal Veil, and the American Falls.

The Horseshoe Falls, also known as the Canadian Falls, is the most spectacular, so for starters, make sure you’re on the right side.

The falls plunge about 57 metres into the lower Niagara river, a natural outlet from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario.

Astonishingly, Niagara Falls has moved back seven miles in 12,500 years and may be the fastest moving waterfall in the world.

About 500 other waterfalls in the world are “taller” than Niagara, but it’s the sheer volume of water that makes these falls so spectacular.

Niagara has long been held up as a romantic lovers getaway, a honeymoon destination complete with heart-shaped hot tubs in your hotel-room-with-a-view. Really though, such gimmicks aren’t needed here, and you could spend hours standing mesmerised by the gushing waters, soothed by the white noise they generate, loved one in tow or not.

But be warned, while the Falls themselves do not disappoint, if its old world charm you are seeking, the town of Niagara itself does.

Think Disney meets Vegas, albeit on a much smaller scale.

A minor town right on the border (you can walk across a bridge from the US to Canada and vice versa), Niagara the town has over the past 20 years grown up as an industry around the falls and is now complete with casinos, nightclubs, amusement arcades, haunted houses and trinket shops. It all happens on Clifton Hill, where there’s a giant wheel, mini-golf with lifesize dinosaurs and more than 300 games to choose from at Canada’s largest entertainment complex. Topping it all off is a huge Frankenstein towering over the hill leading down to the falls, lest you try and forget.

Youngsters from the US cross the border in the their droves to play at one of the town’s many hotel casinos, a huge draw for the area. Indeed one of the most prominent features of the Niagara skyline is the Fallsview Casino Resort, a $1 billion complex overlooking the falls.

Gambling isn’t new to Niagara though, and if you want to hear some real tales of taking a bet, visit the town’s Imax cinema which plays the Niagara Falls movie: Legends and Daredevils.

From the tragic to the utterly unbelievable and plain madcap, it’s worth it just to hear some of the daring feats that have taken place over the years.

Just some of them include 15 people who tried to go over the falls in some version of a barrel, nine tightrope walkers, two swimmers and another who jumped off a diving board.

Perhaps the most incredible of them all is the story of Annie Taylor, a 63-year-old schoolteacher who decided a trip over the falls in a wooden barrel was her way to fame and fortune. On October 24, 1901, assistants strapped her and her cat in and sent them on their way. Seventeen minutes after plunging over the falls, the barrel was close enough to the Canadian shore to be hooked and dragged onto the rocks as planned. Both she and the cat survived and Taylor found the fame she sought so desperately. But fortune was a bit more elusive. Twenty years later, she died destitute.

If this doesn’t float your boat, you might be more inclined to jump into some of the more tangible to-dos that have built up around the natural phenomenon. The Journey Behind the Falls is well worth a visit. Here, elevators descend 150 feet through bedrock leading to a cavern of tunnels behind the wall of water, visible and almost close enough to touch.

There’s also an observation deck right at the foot of the falls.

Another natural wonder in the area has to be the ‘Oh Canada Eh?’ dinner theatre show. The two-hour show features all-Canadian music; from maritime folk songs to modern pop.

It’s cheesy and somewhat 1950s, but there’s pitchers of beer and a four-course meal to help you through, and it’s just plain good old-fashioned fun, a welcome escape from the nighttime casino culture and monstrosities of Clifton Hill.

Perhaps the only thing more beautiful than the Falls by day is their illumination by night. High-octane rainbow-coloured lights shine down on the gushing mysterious waters, demonstrating that despite a truly tacky underbelly, this really is a magical place to be.

Flights

Flights to Buffalo or Toronto (about two hours from Niagara) from €950 return.

Accommodation

Midweek stay at the Courtyard Marriot from $99, weekend from $119.

What to do

Maid of the Mist boat trip, ticket booth on the Niagara Parkway across from the American Falls, $20.

Journey Behind the Falls, $15.95.

OH Canada Eh? Dinner Theatre: 6.15pm – 9.00pm; at 8585 Lundy’s Lane, from $60.

Food

Eat overlooking the falls at fabulous Elements restaurant — the restaurant is located next to the Horseshoe Falls and has a year-round viewing gallery. Who cares about food when the sights are this good?