Guest Blog Written By: Julie
Travelling with kids can be a challenge and frightful for many which is why we had put it off. Just the thought got my heart racing faster haha. Niagara Falls had been something that we had wanted to do for a while but thought we would have to put off until our little one was a bit older. We did find a really good deal online though, one that was too good to miss really, so we did some research into how feasible it was travelling with a toddler to see the falls. There seemed to be plenty of people that had made the trip with no disasters so we decided to give it a go.
One of the things that we were concerned about was food options around the falls as our little one is quite fussy with what she eats. However, we were able to take a picnic with us that we could eat at Queen Victoria Park. There was plenty of room for her play and my husband loved it as he was able to get some really good shots of the falls from different points around the park. Although it was busy and we weren’t able to get a picnic table there was plenty of grassed area around where we were able to sit and eat. It absolutely great and a must do (maybe not in the winter though haha)!
The Maid in the Mist was something that a lot of people recommended we do but we were unsure about taking our little one out on a boat as she has never been out on the water before and we didn’t know how she would react to it. Something I’m sure all you Mammas could relate to plus the thought of trying to keep her entertained in the queue was also something that we found a bit off-putting, especially as we had been told that you need to get their early to be guaranteed a place.
Instead we tried the Journey Behind The Falls which takes you down in an elevator to a viewing platform where you can see the water falling. They provided us with ponchos to protects us from the mist but our daughter didn’t mind getting wet and I think we probably would have gotten a lot wetter on the boat trip. We didn’t have to pay for her either because children under-fives are free so that was a bonus. There is plenty of information about the history of the falls which was interesting for us, and our daughter enjoyed looking at all the pictures on the information boards. There’s even an opportunity to buy a family photo which is taken on your visit which makes for a great souvenir for those of you who like to have a little keepsake of times like these.
As for strollers we didn’t bring ours as our daughter is happy to toddle along. From what I could see though there was nothing that we did on the day that we wouldn’t have been able to even if we did have one with us. There were plenty of families there with children of all ages and it was definitely more accessible than I ever thought it would be.
We also stayed at a new hotel by Niagara Falls which was fantastic! This was really useful because it meant we didn’t have any long journeys to contend with to get there and then come back again. She was so worn out by the end of the day that I think she would have fallen asleep if the trek was longer, which I was glad she didn’t because that would have did a number on her routine for sure.
All-in-all we can’t recommend the trip highly enough, whether you have children with you or not. We’re certainly, pleased that we took the plunge and visited The Falls when we did.