family trip Archives

On a resent trip to the Northeast, we decided to stop at Niagara Falls, a great family vacation site. We had stopped at the Falls a while back but did not get to stay long because of a in coming snow storm. The Falls is a great place to visit and we wish we had had more time to spend there. Seeing the size of Niagara Falls will really surprise you.

The picture above is from an island in the river looking at the US side but there is about that much or more behind me.

You can walk to different islands in the river such as the Three Sisters which offers a good view of the water as it approaches the Falls. We enjoyed seeing the change in the water as it got closer to the edge.

Niagara Falls a great family vacation site — River before the Falls

As I said we wished we had been able to stay longer, because there are so many things to do. In the picture below you can see the boat Maid of the Mist. The boat takes you to the bottom of the Falls where the falling water hits.

Niagara Falls is also beautiful to see at sunset when the sun light passes through the mist making different colors in the air above the falls.

If you go, the United States side is a state park with lots of parking and paths leading to the different areas. There are lots of places to eat just across the street from the park. We ate at a food truck and really enjoyed the food. So if you are in the area remember Niagara Falls a great family vacation site.

My third post in the series is the Ringling House or Ca’d’Zan. In other post I have written about the Ringling Art Museum and the Grounds around the Ringling House and Museums. But the house of John and Mable Ringling is the center piece of the Ringling’s and is open for tours. Because the price of the house tours is as different as the tours, you may wish to give it some thought before deciding which tours to take.

If you are getting a museum tour you can add on a self guided tour of the house for ten dollars. For twenty dollars plus museum admission you can take the Mable Tour, which is a forty minute guided tour of the first and second floor. Another option is John’s Tour. This forty-five minute tour takes you to the game room, fourth floor and the tower. The price for John’s tour is thirty dollars. Finally the last option is the John and Mable tour which combines the two. The price of this tour is forty dollars.