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Niagara Falls – growing up, I always thought they were
a Canadian attraction (it being important for Canadians to
have things that are Canadian)
– of course, they straddle the Canada – US
border, between the Province of Ontario and the State of New
York. I have
seen them not as a tourist who plans the visit as a
destination, but rather, as one of the many things to visit
in the Niagara Peninsula.
If this makes me a bit irreverent, be forewarned –
to me, Niagara Falls belong in a southern Ontario context.
Niagara
Falls, one of the most famous waterfalls in the world, lies
just an hour and a half from downtown Toronto.
Every year, more than 14 million visitors flock to
the two separate waterfalls, each more than 50 metres high.
The only waterfall higher than Niagara Falls is
Victoria Falls in Africa.
At night they are floodlit and you get a really
good view from the revolving restaurant at the Skylon Tower.
Looking
at the falls from the shore creates a powerful impression,
but it is even more dramatic to look up at the falls.
At the bottom of the falls,
“The Maid of the Mist” takes visitors on a boat ride to
remember – the tumultuous water crashing down
creates a perpetual mist and the experience brings home the
power of nature.
Visitors can also don big heavy rain slickers and rubber
boots, then take an elevator to the base of the falls and
walk through a series of tunnels to see the water cascading
down.
In the early 1900s, crowds of spectators lined
the banks of the river to watch daredevils vie for fame and
fortune walking a tightrope over the falls or even going
over them in wooden barrels!
One
hundred years ago this October 24th, Annie Taylor
became the first person to survive a trip over the falls (in
a wooden barrel). Despite her words of warning (she is reported to have said,
on emerging, “No one ought ever do that again”), another
fourteen people have intentionally gone over the falls, most
of them surviving. (It’s
now an offence to try it; since 1961, survivors have been
promptly arrested and fined).
“Modern”
society seems to have identified Niagara Falls
as a
honeymoon spot as early as the early 19th century – one of the
stories has Napoleon Bonaparte’s brother taking a stagecoach with his new
bride up from New Orleans, starting the boom.
In reality, the tourist attraction aspect of Niagara Falls began in the
1920s ,
when transportation made access more readily available.
There’s no doubt about it though, Niagara Falls has a lot of the
trappings of a wedding and/or honeymoon destination – it’s not quite Las
Vegas, but, in some ways, seems to be aspiring in that direction.
The town has countless attractions, including a wax museum, a butterfly
conservatory, and assorted strange things like a “mystery maze”.
I’ll admit right now, I haven’t been to any of these, despite having
been to Niagara Falls more than once. The
natural beauty of the parks surrounding the falls are much more of a draw, along
with the rest of the region, that Southern Ontario context I mentioned earlier.
The
Southern Ontario context?
Well, just 20 minutes down the river at Niagara-on-the-Lake,
a history-laden little town with a lot to offer a tourist.
Their web site – www.niagaraonthelake.com
– will tell you how a tiny strip of land was
purchased by the British from the Mississauga nation in
exchange for 300 suits of clothing more than 220 years ago.
The colonists built homes and a community, which was burned
by the Americans in the War of 1812.
Lots of history here.
Lots of amenities for tourists too – lovely old
hotels, bike and wine tours.
Yes, wine tours, because this is good wine country,
with some very impressive wines being produced in the
Niagara Peninsula. A
perfect day, touring some wineries, then coming back to the
hotel and (perhaps after a brief nap) getting ready for the
theatre.
Niagara-on-the-Lake boasts The Shaw Festival
– one of the North America’s largest repertory theatres,
offering plays of, obviously, George Bernard Shaw, along
with his contemporaries.
The season runs from April through November in three
different theatres, with lots of choices – for the serious
playgoer, a weekend could offer seven different plays.
When you go, make sure to leave time to wander up and down
the main street, where shops are pleasantly decorated,
making shopping for souvenirs relatively painless.
A
few more web sites to check out:
http://www.infoniagara.com
http://www.shawfest.com
http://www.strewnwinery.com
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