There are a lot of fun things to do and see in the winter at Niagara Falls, make sure you have your passport ready and up to date if you are a US resident because the main attractions are on the Canadian side of the border.
The American side does have several attractions open as well, mainly through Niagara Falls State Park. One attraction is Cave of the Winds which is located in Niagara Falls State Park at the Goat Island Parking lot. The Tour starts with the “World Changed Here Pavilion“, an indoor multimedia experience and museum about the history of the falls. You then take an elevator down 175 feet (53 meters) to the viewing decks next to the base of Bridal Veil Falls on the American side. (Make sure to bring shoes that can get wet)
Behind the Cave of the Winds entrance is a nice viewing spot of American Falls and the top of Bridal Veil Falls.
Also at this location is a statue of Nikola Tesla a Serbian-American inventor, electrical engineer, and mechanical engineer. Nikola Tesla in 1896 proved that he could transmit electricity from Niagara Falls to Buffalo, New York, using his new alternating current (AC) induction motor. That marked the first long-distance commercial use of the AC system that is still used around the world today.
There are also hiking Trails at Niagara Falls State Park. Guided Niagara Gorge hiking tours are offered from mid-May through October. The guided tours are not available in the winter, also note that the freezing mist of the falls closes many of the trails and some fences are erected to keep you from getting too close to the falls in the winter due to the ice formation. This can restrict your views of the falls from the state park.
The Canadian side offers a variety of hotels, restaurants, and attractions. In the winter there is the “Winter Festival of Lights” set up for 101 nights from mid-November through early January. Stroll along the Niagara Parkway to see this marvelous display of lights. The Falls themselves are also lit up every night, which is quite spectacular in itself. They change the color every so many minutes, so it makes it very interesting.
Clifton Hill aka “The Street of Fun” is a great place to bring kids, there is so much to do, that you will want to stay for several days. Attractions include the giant Niagara SkyWheel, arcades, wax museums, Ripley’s Believe It or Not, mini golf, playlands, and haunted houses. There are also themed restaurants, bars, and nightclubs for adults.
Another area on the Canadian side is called Fallsview Boulevard, which has multiple high-rise hotels and also Skylon Tower with its famous “Yellow Bug Elevator”. It has two levels of dining, including a revolving restaurant and an observation deck with a 360-degree view of the city and the Falls.
One attraction that is quite a unique experience is the Niagara Parks Power Station. You start in the old Power Station above ground and see the massive generators in this large building.
Then you head down 180 feet (55 meters) in a glass-walled elevator down the same shaft that the water travelled down so many years ago. You stop at the bottom where the exit tunnel starts, and as per the Niagara Parks website: “The tunnel served as an exit point for the water used in generating hydropower for over a century. Your journey in the tunnel will take you along the same path travelled by water and lead you to a viewing platform where the tunnel emptied into the Niagara River. For the first time ever, the newly constructed viewing platform offers unprecedented access to a new perspective of the lower Niagara River with unparalleled views of both the Horseshoe and American Falls.” The Tunnel at the Niagara Parks Power Station is quite impressive at 2,200 feet (671 meters) long and to think it was originally “excavated in 1901 with only lanterns, rudimentary dynamite, pickaxes and, shovels.”
The Tunnel ends at an opening close to the bottom of the falls at the river level. The views are spectacular and you can really feel the power of the falls from this vantage point. See our Instagram reel here of the views: https://www.instagram.com/reel/CoABdSCA9Qj/
Also, you may want to time your winter vacation to Niagara Falls with one of the Niagara Icewine Festivals that is held at the Niagara Power Station including the Cool As Ice Gala, in which you can enjoy a full evening of premium VQA wine, Icewine cocktails and mocktails, locally-inspired culinary creations, and live arts performances.
When I first learned we were going to Niagara Falls in the winter I was reluctant and thought there would not be much to do there this time of year, but I was pleasantly surprised at how much there was to do and see in the winter. I would highly recommend a trip and hope to inspire you to do so as well.