Niagara Falls Vacation
Grab our tips and tricks for the best trip to Niagara Falls! If you are planning a family vacation we will share our recommended must-sees plus how to do this for less using credit card points.

We traveled to Niagara Falls on a family vacation this summer and here are our favorite things to do and recommended order of activities. Plus, how we flew there and stayed in a hotel for almost free because we maximized our credit card points!
Our trip was a total of four nights, but I would recommend cutting it down to 2-3 nights. Our experience was that you could see everything and do everything you wanted in a shorter time period, plus the main focus is on the falls without much else in the area. It would be perfect for a long weekend trip!
How to Get to Niagara Falls
If you are flying to Niagara Falls we recommend flying into Buffalo, New York which is about a 40 minute drive to Niagara Falls. Another option would be to fly into Toronto, Canada which is just over a 2 hour drive.
We fly a direct flight from Minneapolis/St. Paul to Buffalo, NY on Delta. To achieve five round trip tickets for only $56 we transferred our Chase credit card points to Virgin Red, booked a Virgin Atlantic flight which actually was a Delta flight because the are in the same airline alliance.
The reason we often times book Delta flights through Virgin is because Chase points transfer easily to this program and not to Delta, plus it takes less points to book a Delta flight through Virgin. The only problem is that there is a limited number of flights released to Virgin from Delta which limits you because they get booked fast and sometimes they don’t release any seats to Virgin.
With that being said, we were able to snag five one way flights to Buffalo from MSP and then Buffalo to MSP for a total of 88,000 Chase points because of a transfer bonus in the portal. We paid a total of $5.60 in taxes and fees per flight for a total of $56.
To be able to transfer our Chase points to Virgin you will need the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, which is the card we recommend starting with on your points journey!
Where to Stay in Niagara Falls, Canada
There is the option to stay on the US side of Niagara Falls or the Canadian side. We choose to stay on the Canadian side because there is a lot more to do on this side.
If you wanted to stay on the US side and/or maximize your Hyatt transfer from Chase we recommend staying at the Hyatt Place Niagara Falls. It is a short walk to the falls area on the US side or a short drive across the river to the Canadian side.
We choose to stay at Embassy Suites by Hilton Niagara Falls Fallsview. We knew we wanted to be able to book a room with a fallsview. Unfortunately, we didn’t have any Hilton points when we went to book this room, so I choose to use the Chase Portal and my points in there that I had on my Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card. I was able to book four nights in a suite, which is a must for our family of 5, for 143,000 points. A lot of times you are told to not book in the portal, but it worked just fine and free is free!
There is a free breakfast buffet in the mornings to help feed your family and cut down even more on costs. It is busy so if you want to beat the rush get there early! It has pastries, cereal, hot food like pancakes, potatoes, sausage plus an Omelet station.
In the early evening there is an evening reception where you get a coupon for a couple free drinks each night plus snacks like pretzels, snack mix and chips.
Pro Tip: The bar on the main level also has this and isn’t busy, so it’s easier to get served at the bar. There is a seating area outside that overlooks the falls partially! Plus, the drink tickets are redeemable until 10 pm!
Niagara Falls Adventure Pass
A pro tip for your stay is to get the Niagara Falls Adventure Pass. This is a great option to save money and hit the main attractions.
There are a few different options to pick from with one geared towards a 2-Day trip and one for a 3-day trip. The one thing we loved is that it includes the Falls Incline Railway which is right by the Embassy Suites if you are staying there and the perfect way to get back and forth from the falls to your hotel. A two way ticket is $7 per person and can add up fast!
Plus, parking is EXPENSIVE in Niagara Falls. Everytime you go do something you will pay $20-$35 to park. In this pass you get access to WEGO bus which has stops everywhere and is super handy. It will save you a ton of money.
Niagara Falls Itinerary (3 Days)
Day 1
A pro tip for your stay is to get the Niagara Falls Adventure Pass like we recommended above. This is a great option to save money and hit the main attractions.
On the first day of your trip start by going to the Niagara’s Fury. Discover the ancient story of Niagara Falls, then re-live the exciting experience at Niagara’s Fury! The temperature will drop. Water will bubble and spray while snow falls all around. The moving platform beneath your feet will help you understand the power of Nature, while you are surrounded by stunning visuals along the mighty Niagara River. It’s the perfect introduction to Niagara Falls and is located in the Table Rock Welcome Center.
After you are done with that you can do Journey Behind the Falls which is also located in the Table Rock Welcome Center. You’ll descend 125 feet and explore 130-year-old tunnels through the bedrock, and feel the thunderous vibration of the Horseshoe Falls long before you see them. The observation deck at the foot of this 13-storey-tall wonder will leave you breathless (and maybe a little bit wet), but don’t forget the viewing portals cut straight through the rock, offering a once-in-a-lifetime view of one-fifth of the world’s fresh water crashing down in front of you.
After that grab lunch at Table Rock Market which has many different options to choose from including cafe and deli favorites, mouthwatering comfort foods, fresh sushi and much more. Plus, you can overlook the falls while grabbing lunch.
A short walk from Table Rock Welcome Center is the The Tunnel At The Niagara Parks Power Station which is an educational experience where you learn more about the once-dormant power station come to life in a breathtaking interactive experience you’ll never forget. This includes descending 180 feet in a glass-paneled elevator and explore the 2,200-foot long tunnel, leading to an observation deck at the river’s edge. If you choose to do this at night, after exploring the power station’s 2,200-foot-long underground Tunnel, experience a visually stunning, nighttime encounter with one of the world’s most legendary natural wonders from an observation platform at the edge of the Niagara River–the illuminated Horseshoe Falls await!
Grab dinner that night at Skylon Tower Revolving Dining Room, which is a splurge but my kids thought it was the coolest thing. Make sure to request to be at a table next to the windows, which we did not and wish we would have! We grabbed an early dining reservation at 4:30 pm (there is also a 5:00 option) that came with an option for a limited dinner menu which included a salad, main entree and dessert at a fixed price. Note that the children’s menu came with huge portions and will fill the kids up. There is also an option for a buffet dinner on the level below the revolving dining room, but that floor does not revolved. Included in your dinner is a trip to their observation deck with 360 degree views.
After that we went to the Evolution Magic Show at the Greg Frewin Theatre which the kids loved!
Day 2
Start the day off by heading to the Whirlpool Aero Car where you will witness spectacular views of the swirling Niagara Whirlpool and the river’s Class 6 rapids as you soar 3,500 feet across the Niagara Gorge. This ticket is a timed entry so you will want to do this early in the day or be ready to hang out for a while waiting for your time. You can also go there and schedule a time at the beginning of the day and come back. This ride will last 10 minutes. You can grab lunch there at the cafe and sit outside at the picnic tables while you wait plus there is a gift shop.
Another great option is to grab a timed ticket to the Whirlpool Aero Car then head to the White Water Walk close by. It is a quarter mile boardwalk where you can experience Niagara River’s Class 6 whitewater rapids, some of the wildest in North America with many viewing decks.
After that head to the Clifton Hills area and have some fun! There are so many restaurants to eat at, grab snacks at and entertain the kids.
We loved the mini golf including an outdoor course and a few different indoor courses, the Niagara SkyWheel, Niagara Speedy way and so much more.
One tip is to grab a fun pass where you get multiple attractions included. We did the Upside Down House and that’s a big skip!
After you are done in Clifton Hills and the nights are growing dark make sure to head back down to the Table Rock Welcome Center or anywhere along the Niagara River to see the illumination of the Falls, plus the nightly fireworks at 10 pm, which last for four minutes each night.
Pro Tip: Grab ice cream in the Table Rock Welcome Center and enjoy it while waiting for the fireworks and viewing the illumination of the Falls.
Day 3
This day could also be reordered to Day 1 depending on how you want to structure you days!
On the final day head over to the US side of the Falls to experience the activities there. We recommend heading to the Niagara Falls State Park and spending the day there.
There are four different parking lots and we recommend parking in Parking Lot 1, this is by the Maid of the Mist, or by Parking Lot 2, by Cave of the Winds. Grab a ticket to use the Trolley all day and get a wrist band which will help you navigate between the areas and save on walking if you have children. If you don’t and want to walk you can save on this.
Depending on which parking lot you parked in you can do either Journey Behind the Falls or Maid of the Mist.
We started with Maid of the Mist on our day there. Be prepared to get WET and wear shoes that can get wet. This is an experience! I did not realize the boat stopped pretty much under the falls. They give you ponchos which helps a bit, but you’ll still be wet. We quickly dried in the summer heat. This is a blast.
Pro Tip: There is the option to do the same boat ride on the Canadian Side if you want to and that is called Niagara City Cruises.
After you get wet head on over to the Cave of the Winds. This is a timed ticket entry, but you can pick your time and come back later if you’d like. It starts with a short video of the history of the falls then you descend in an elevator, walk through a tunnel and come out almost under the falls. After a short walk you will be almost under the falls on different level platforms. You will get WET again, but this is one of my best memories of watching my kids pretty much play in the water from the falls!
We grabbed lunch at Top of the Falls restaurant and sat outside on the 2nd floor patio overlooking the falls. It had great food and is a fun experience.
On the other end of the park is the Aquarium which is little and geared towards younger kids. We went to this but I would say it’s an easy thing not to do unless your kids are really wanting too.
There are many hiking trails and observation decks in the park that will keep you busy, too!
Have Extra Time?
If you have extra time we recommend going just outside Niagara Falls to visit Humberstone Ranch. We did this on our fourth day and our kids loved it. In fact, they keep asking to go back and it quite possibly was the highlight of our trip.
They offer an immersive immersive farm visit that includes getting up close and personal with their mini goats, piglets, mini horse, bunnies and cows as well as have the opportunity to feed them. Gaze at our majestic horses and learn about their unique personalities.
We did not do this, but they offer Horseback riding experience, too. I wish we would have also booked this.
We highly recommend a quick trip to visit them. It was about 20 minute drive from our hotel and worth it.
Restaurant Recommendations
We enjoyed getting breakfast at the chain Stacked Pancake and Breakfast House, which is a Canadian breakfast restaurant. In fact we went twice. Their over the top pancakes were delicious along with they Home Fries.
One night we walked from the Embassy Suites to Zappi’s Pizza and had a few different types of pizza and we enjoyed the pizza on their patio. I would recommend this!
Another night we took a short walk to My Cousin Vinny’s and enjoyed dinner on their patio with live music. The pasta was delicious and the atmosphere was perfect.
The Wrap Up
We love our time visiting the Niagara Falls area and would totally recommend it as a quick 2-3 day vacation for families.
We were so glad we utilized credit card points to make this more affordable. We used 88,000 Chase Ultimate Reward points for our flights which we transferred to Virgin Red plus 143,000 more points for our hotel booked via the Chase Travel Portal.
To start your credit card points journey we recommend signing up for the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card to make both of these redemptions possible! A great article on our 3 Card Beginner Strategy will help you get started after that.
Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.
The comments section below is not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser’s responsibility to ensure all questions are answered.