Niagara Falls from the Canadian Side

Milli Thornton — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 23:48:51 +0000

Maid of the Mist, Niagara Falls

MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND was fast approaching. Living in a new city—no family here, no circle of friends yet—meant it was shaping up to be a boring, lonesome weekend if we didn’t think fast.

That’s when Brian remembered we’re less than four hours drive from Niagara Falls.

The inside scoop from various people—that the Falls on the American side are crass and commercialized—prompted the noble goal of venturing beyond Niagara and the usual tourist traps.

Searching for magic on bbcanada.com resulted in a cozy room at Bonnybank Bed & Breakfast in Vineland, Ontario, 20 minutes west of the city of St. Catherine’s. Exploring the Twenty Valley became our main focus (see Related Posts for Twenty Valley articles) and we did the Falls on the Canadian side on our way back to Ohio.

Visiting Niagara is one of those copycat things—like Disneyland—that everybody does. Commercialized? Absolutely. Tacky food, souvenirs and photo ops? You betcha. Canadian side not excluded.

The Whirlpool Aero Car

But never mind that. Mother Nature expressing herself with such beauty and force is unforgettable, even when crowded by diet soda guzzlers. The sheer volume of water crashing over the falls is mesmerizing. I couldn’t get enough of it.

When not obsessively attempting to frame the Falls in the ultimate photo, there’s plenty of adventure to be had.

A flotilla of busy boats, all christened Maid of the Mist, will take you as close as you can safely get to Horseshoe Falls by water. The Journey Behind the Falls, the White Water Walk and the Whirlpool Aero Car allow you to experience the Falls from behind, next to and above.

Across the street from the Falls is a statue of Nikola Tesla, the genius inventor who discovered AC current. The real father of electricity, Tesla’s becoming better known these days. But he still does not share the level of fame enjoyed by Thomas Edison, the man who discovered DC current—which, incidentally, did not prove to be economical for our massive populations.

Skylon Tower, the Space Needle of Niagara

Another visual fascination was our fellow tourists. The variety of ethnicity, clothing style and language was bewitching. Until you visit Niagara for yourself you cannot grasp how much this truly is a world destination.

Time was limited; with our precious remaining hour we opted to ride the elevator to the viewing deck of Skylon Tower. The view from up top was phenomenal.

If you’re planning a trip to the Canadian side, check out the Niagara Falls Great Gorge Adventure Pass. This gives you even more than I’ve been able to mention here. Spontaneity was our theme for that weekend, but advance planning is vital if you want to do it all.

When he heard I was going to Niagara, a friend from Washington said “That one’s on my bucket list!”

Yep. Should be on everyone’s.

The volume of water crashing over Horseshoe Falls is mesmerizing. Brian took this shot from the viewing deck of Skylon Tower.

Ball’s Falls, The Twenty Valley, Ontario

Milli Thornton — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 10:14:13 +0000

The forest at Ball's Falls

TWENTY VALLEY is a place chock-full of things to see and do—but if you do visit the Valley, please don’t miss Ball’s Falls.

At first I thought the name was rather silly (made me think of balls o’ fire) until Carla, our host at Bonnybank B&B, explained that it’s named after the Ball Brothers: George and John, the founders of the village.

The first thing we did was walk the trails to see the upper and lower Falls. Brian and I can never get enough of waterfalls so this was a treat all by itself. But as you can see in the photo, the forest is lush and looks stunningly ancient. Definitely food for the soul.

One of the mills at Ball's Falls

After visiting the lower Falls we were practically right in the village. We strolled through it, experiencing the original veggie and herb garden, modern-day smithies working in the blacksmith and the romance of the old mills.

Before the railroad came through—bypassing the village and eventually putting it out of business—the Ball brothers constructed and ran thriving wool, grist and saw mills.

The original homestead can be toured upon request but, darn, we missed that opportunity. I peered longingly through some of the the windows and could see heritage items, such as a wash tub and milk churn used by the founding family.

Apprentices taking a class at Ball's Falls

Walking the tiny village, you have to admire the industry and foresight of the Ball Brothers. Except for not being able to predict the railroad coming through, their choice of land to settle on was truly inspired.

Kudos to the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority for their dedicated restoration and maintenance work.

To give you some idea of the walking opportunities at Ball’s Fall’s, here’s a printable map.

To reach Ball’s Falls, exit the Queen Elizabeth Highway at Vineland, Ontario. Follow Victoria Avenue (Highway 24) south to Regional Road 24, where you turn eastward and travel to Ball’s Falls.

Millivers Travels » Nature’s wonders

Niagara Falls from the Canadian Side

Ball’s Falls, The Twenty Valley, Ontario