The Niagara SkyWheel is located in the Clifton Hill area. Are you sensing a theme here?
The SkyWheel offers unique views of Horseshoe Falls and American Falls. At 175 feet (or 53 metres), it is said to be the largest observation wheel in Canada.
Below is the description from the Clifton Hill website:
“The Niagara SkyWheel is a world-class ride featuring fully enclosed gondolas, each equipped with heating and air conditioning for year-round comfort and enjoyment. You can ride day or night, in any season.
The ride duration varies from 8 to 12 minutes with spectacular aerial views for miles in every direction. Evening rides offer dazzling views of the glittering lights of Clifton Hill and the surrounding Niagara skyline.
With a bird’s eye view of the Niagara River, Niagara Parks and Clifton Hill, there’s no better way to snap incredible photos and quickly get the lay of the land.”
To get the best photos, consider the time of day you take the SkyWheel. We tried to catch sunset but the skies were overcast and our boys were running out of steam. We visited during the summer, so sunset was much later in the day (around 9:00 PM). Our boys didn’t make it. They started to get very cranky and tired, so we ended up taking the ride about an hour too early.
If you plan to ride the SkyWheel, consider purchasing the Clifton Hill Fun Pass.
Views of the American Falls from the Niagara SkyWheel.
Related – 10 Family Travel Mistakes (and how to avoid them)
Zombie Attack
Because you bought the Clifton Hill Fun Pass – that’s why!
Our youngest was too scared to do this one, but our oldest boy loved it. He still talks about the time he “shot a bunch of zombies” at Niagara Falls. That wasn’t exactly the happy memory we were hoping for, but at least he had fun, right?
Wizard’s Glow-in-the-Dark Mini Golf
The Clifton Hill Fun Pass gives you the option to do either the Glow-in-the-Dark Miniature Golf or Dinosaur Adventure Golf.
We originally planned to do the outdoor Dinosaur Adventure Golf but it was really busy at the time we showed up. Our boys don’t have much patience for mini golf, so we decided to do the Glow-in-the-Dark option instead.
It’s a fun 18-hole course with brightly coloured exhibits of Wizards, Trolls, and Dragons. It’s not a very challenging course so it’s ideal for little ones.
Games, Games, Games!
You won’t get far in Niagara Falls before you find an arcade or entertainment room. We visited the Great Canadian Midway twice during our visit to Clifton Hill. It’s a 70,000+ square foot facility with over 300 games, including the popular Wild West Coaster Motion Simulator and the spooky Ghost Blasters Dark Ride.
We like the vibe of the Midway. It has many of the old games we enjoyed playing when we were kids. Many of the games dispense tickets that can later be redeemed for small toys and souvenirs. If our boys had their way we would have stayed there for hours every day.
You can also visit one of the many casinos in Niagara Falls if you like to gamble. But note, kids are NOT allowed in the casinos.
Movieland Wax Museum
Niagara Falls has a few different wax museums, including the Movieland Wax Musuem. If you like wax museums, this is an easy addition to your Clifton Hill experience.
Below is the description from the Clifton Hill website:
“A walk through Movieland is a like a walk through entertainment history. Snap a selfie next to your favourite stars! You’ll see everything from classics like ‘Indiana Jones’ and the ‘Terminator’, to current hits like ‘The Hunger Games’ and ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’.’
We didn’t end up visiting this wax museum because our youngest boy freaked out when he saw the Joker character in the window. He literally went running down the street screaming.
It was quite comical – until he went running towards the street traffic.
Big Top Amazing Mirror and Laser Maze
Right across the street from the Great Canadian Midway and Movieland Wax Museum is the Big Top Mirror and Laser Maze. This is one of the newest attractions to the Clifton Hill area.
I think you get the point. There are endless games, entertainment and attractions at Clifton Hill.
Give yourself two days to explore Clifton Hill. Or one very long day.
MistRider Zipline to the Falls
If you’re looking for a heart pumping adventure you should definitely check out the MistRider Zipline to the Falls. The zipline starts at the Grand View Marketplace and travels down the gorge towards the base of the Canadian Horseshoe Falls.
The line is 2,200 feet long (670 metres) at speeds of 70 km per hour (40 miles p/h). This is a guided experience. Kids aged 13 and younger must go with a responsible adult. Minimum age is 7 years old.
Watch this video to see what the zipline experience is all about.
Bird Kingdom
Bird Kingdom is said to be the World’s Largest Free-Flying Indoor Aviary. It is home to hundreds of exotic birds and animals, including parrots, lorikeets, bats, owls, snakes, tortoises and lizards. Here is the list of species at Bird Kingdom.
Bird Kingdom is located on the north side of Rainbow Bridge, which is about a 10 minute walk from Grand View Marketplace (the place where you catch the Hornblower boat cruise and/or the MistRider Zipline).
We spent about an hour inside Bird Kingdom. It’s a good size facility; not too big, but enough variety to keep things interesting. The full tour takes you through a series of different rooms, each with different animals and birds. Our boys had fun feeding the lorikeets (an Australasian parrot) at Lorikeet Landing.
If you like this attraction, you may want to visit the Butterfly Conservatory.
Inside Niagara Falls Bird Kingdom.
Great Wolf Lodge
We spent two of our four days in Niagara Falls inside the Great Wolf Lodge. If you’ve never been to a Great Wolf Lodge before, it’s a family-oriented hotel that has a massive indoor water park INSIDE the hotel.
Your kids won’t want to leave the hotel. Plan accordingly.
We wrote a detailed post about Great Wolf Lodge in Niagara Falls.
Related – Read this if you plan to visit Great Wolf Lodge
Indoor water parks
You don’t have to stay at the Great Wolf Lodge to have an epic indoor waterpark experience. The Fallsview Indoor Waterpark is located in the heart of Niagara Falls and is connected to Falls Avenue Resort.
The Fallsview Indoor Waterpark has 16 water slides, several play areas and a large wave pool. The facility looks similar to what you would get at the Great Wolf Lodge.
Rates depend on the season. Off-peak general admission is approx. $45 per guest. Children under 2 years old are free. This can add up quickly if you have a big family, so it’s best to book a package that includes your hotel accommodation.
Search for Niagara Falls hotels here.
Marineland Canada
Marineland is one of Niagara Falls top tourist attractions. It’s a themed amusement park and zoo for both marine and land animals. It first opened its doors in 1961, so it’s been around for a long time.
The park is conveniently located a few kilometers south of the Fallsview Tourist Area in downtown Niagara Falls.
It is open during the summer months, from May to October. Closed for the winter.
I visited Marineland once before, when I was a young boy. When we re-visited Marineland it had been over 30 years since that visit. It’s interesting re-visiting an amusement park so many years later.
Unfortunately, not a lot has changed at Marineland in 30 years. The rides and décor have a strong retro vibe going on.
Marineland puts on daily shows at the King Waldorf Stadium
Feeding the smiling beluga whales at Arctic Cove was a highlight for our boys.
Braydon loves the family rides. He continually wants to show us his “no hands”.
This was my favourite ride when I was a boy. Still fun.
Braydon’s first roller coaster!
The kid rides at Marineland are just the right size for a 5 year old.
Niagara Brewing Company
It can’t be all about the kids – right?
After a full day of sightseeing and attractions, head to the Niagara Brewing Company for some tasty craft beer and food. It’s centrally located 200 metres from the falls, at the base of Clifton Hill.
Rainforest Cafe
Have you visited the Rainforest Cafe? If not, you should. At least once. But only if you have kids. If you don’t have kids, it might get weird.
The food is decent, but you don’t go to the Rainforest Cafe for the food.
You go for its unique jungle experience. The restaurant is decorated to feel like you’re inside the rainforest. It has a bubbling volcano that comes alive with animatronic snakes, elephants, and gorillas. Every half hour the restaurant experiences an indoor thunderstorm – I don’t want to be a spoiler, so I’ll leave it at that.
The Niagara Falls Forest Cafe is located beside the Niagara Brewing Company – so you can do both!
Observation Deck on Skylon Tower
The Skylon Tower Observation Deck offers the best views of the falls in all of Niagara Falls. The elevator takes less than one minute (52 seconds, to be exact) to reach the observation deck, which sits 775 feet above the falls.
From this vantage point you can see the Great Gorge, Niagara wine district and city skylines of Buffalo, New York and Toronto (weather depending).
If you’re looking for a one-of-a-kind dining experience you should consider the world-famous Revolving Dining Room Restaurant or the family-affordable Summit Suite Buffet Dining Room restaurant.
Admission to the Ride-to-the-Top and Observation Decks attractions are free when dining.
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