The Whirlpool Aero Car, 3 miles north of the falls, at 3850 Niagara Pkwy. (tel. 905/354-5711), is a cable car that takes you high above the churning white water of the Niagara Whirlpool, created by an abrupt change in the river's direction. Admission is C$11 (US$9.75) for adults, C$6.50 (US$5.75) for children 6 to 12, and free for children 5 and under. The White Water Walk, 2 miles north of the falls, at 4330 Niagara Pkwy. (tel. 905/374-1221), is just a walk down by the white-water rapids on a boardwalk. If you're going to skip an attraction, this would be it. Admission is C$8.50 (US$7.50) for adults, C$5 (US$4.40) for children 6 to 12, and free for children 5 and under. Both of these close down in the heart of winter. The Botanical Gardens, 9 miles north of the falls, 2565 Niagara Pkwy. (tel. 905/358-0025), boasts 100 acres of formal and informal gardens. Admission is free. On the grounds you'll also find a Butterfly Conservatory, which has more than 2,000 free-flying tropical butterflies in a rainforest-like setting. Admission is C$11 (US$9.75) adults, C$6.50 (US$5.75) children 6 to 12, and free for children 5 and under. Both of these are open year-round.
On the American side, the small, year-round Aquarium of Niagara, 701 Whirlpool St., Niagara Falls (tel. 800/500-4609 or 716/285-3575; www.aquariumofniagara.org), lets you get up close and personal with penguins, sea lions, and sharks, as well as rare species of fish. The best time to come is just before 2:30pm; that's when they feed the penguins (quite a sight). Then stay for the sea lion demonstration at 3pm. Admission is $8 for adults, $5.50 for kids 4 to 12. On the Canadian side, Marineland, 7657 Portage Rd. (tel. 905/356-9565; www.marinelandcanada.com), is a lot more like SeaWorld (with prices to match) -- a huge, summertime-only park with killer and beluga whales jumping out of the water, a petting zoo, and amusement park rides. Admission is C$39 (US$34) for adults, C$32 (US$28) for kids.
Then catch "Niagara: Legends of Adventure," a dramatic 40-minute action film, on the new 45*25-foot screen on the American side, 1 Prospect Park (tel. 866/750-4629). Admission is $10, $6 for kids 6 to 12. Or see it on the Canadian side at the IMAX theater at 6170 Fallsview Blvd. (tel. 866/405-IMAX), where it costs C$14 (US$12) and C$9.85 (US$8.75) for kids 4 to 12.
On the American side, Old Fort Niagara, in Youngstown (tel. 716/745-7611; www.oldfortniagara.org), is a 17th-century fort on one of the most scenic (and strategic, of course) pieces of land in upstate New York -- right on Lake Ontario at the mouth of the Niagara River. The carefully arranged buildings form what's believed to be the longest continuously operating fort in North America. Used by the French, British, and Americans, it has cannons, living quarters decked out in the time period, and underground gunpowder-holding rooms. There's also a new $5-million visitor center to explain it all, featuring a preserved 24*28-foot 1812 flag that once flew over the fort. Open year-round; admission is $10 adults, $6 children 6 to 12. Over in Canada, Old Fort Erie, 50 Lakeshore Rd., Fort Erie, Ontario (tel. 905/871-0540; www.oldforterie.com), is a series of flint-stone buildings 17 miles south of the falls, which saw action only during the War of 1812. Interiors are reconstructed similar to Fort Niagara, with gunpowder storage, officers' quarters, and soldiers' living areas giving insight into the living conditions at the time. Open mid-May to mid-October. Admission is C$9 adults (US$7.95) and C$5 (US$4.40) kids 6 to 12.
For a boat ride you won't soon forget, climb aboard a 48-person craft with Whirlpool Jet Boat Tours (tel. 905/468-4800; www.whirlpooljet.com). Tours leave from 115 S. Water St., Lewiston, and 61 Melville St., Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario. Crashing along at speeds up to 65 mph, you splash along the Niagara River through the Niagara Gorge and into the Whirlpool on this 1-hour, 18-mile ride. With all the white-water splash, you'll get wet -- soaking wet, actually. (Bring a complete change of clothes.) You won't see the falls on this trip, but you do get to see what happens after the water goes over the brink and through the river canyon.
Kid Stuff in Canada's Clifton Hill
Set up to keep kids entertained all day and night, the Clifton Hill area on the Canadian side (www.cliftonhill.com) abounds with haunted houses, Disneyesque rides, and nonstop video game action. Walk down the strip and duck into whatever grabs your attention. Stop in at the Ripley's 4D Moving Theater, 4983 Clifton Hill (tel. 905/356-2261), and ride the virtual roller coaster (buckle up -- your seat heaves and pitches in sync with the roller coaster movie). You can skip the Ripley's Believe It or Not! Museum; the Guinness World Records Museum, 4943 Clifton Hill (tel. 905/356-2299), is more interesting -- you'll learn useless trivia like the largest collection of naval fluff (.54 oz.).
