How to Spend 24 Hours at Niagara Falls, Canada, on the Perfect Multi-Gen Getaway

We joined the 12 million annual visitors to Canada’s Niagara Parks, which showcase the three mighty cascades of one of North America’s Seven Natural Wonders.

Everyone had different goals: a helicopter ride (my father), gourmet dining amid spectacular scenery (my mom), and getting acquainted with the region (their best friends from Washington, D.C.). I needed to balance all that with my thirst for immersive experiences, like allowing the mist to envelop me on a boat deck. Yet our dreams knitted together into 24 perfect hours, highlighting how underrated this destination—77 miles southwest of Toronto’s Pearson airport—is for family and multigenerational travel.

Our group set up basecamp at Sheraton Fallsview Hotel, across from the Canadian and American falls, in Ontario’s Clifton Hill, the heart of the tourist district. Neon lights blaze on this promenade, known as the “Street of Fun.” It doesn’t disappoint either, with everything from a SkyWheel to adventure golf below 30-foot-tall dinosaurs and Ripley’s Believe It or Not!, a museum of curiosities (now with a selfie studio).

We checked into our Juliette rooms, named for the petite balconies that reveal breathtaking, unobstructed vistas of the falls. With the window open, the water’s roar resembled soothing white noise. I was happy that the hotel had accessible rooms for people with mobility and hearing impairments. Everyone should be able to experience these intimate views.

Fresh from a $50 million renovation, the hotel boasts amenities like the city’s best spa and luxurious rooftop cabanas. The VIP one includes a private plunge pool and offers the best vantage point for firework displays. Nightly, from mid-May to mid-October, these illuminate the cascades and churning mist at 10 p.m. Visitors can watch from their Juliette rooms and also reserve premium seating—plus sparkling wine and a charcuterie board—beside the Sheraton’s rooftop pool and bar ($99 for two adults).

9 to 10 a.m. — Cruise along the Falls

We started strong with the classic Voyage to the Falls boat tour. This 20-minute journey skims past Niagara Gorge and the site’s two smaller cascades. Then, it lets guests feel the largest spray—the iconic crescent-shaped Horseshoe Falls—on their skin. High as a 13-story skyscraper, this ferocious cataract stretches 2,200 feet wide as 90 percent of Niagara’s water shears off its rim, flowing up to 68 miles per hour.

Passengers receive recyclable souvenir ponchos to protect themselves from the spray but consider layering on extra, tighter-fitting waterproof gear to stay bone-dry. Alternatively, opt for a “light mist” sailing after dark or a seat behind the glass door, which is also a good vantage point for people who have difficulty standing and families with strollers.

My parents and their friends appreciated escaping the flying froth while I reveled in getting soaked and being part of the action. The falls channel outflow from the Upper Great Lakes—Michigan, Huron, Superior and Erie—represents almost one-fifth of the world’s fresh water. Around 3,160 tons of it crash down every second (think “the weight of two Sierra redwoods”), and I wanted to experience that with all my senses. I left awestruck and slightly damp but with no regrets.

1 p.m. — Lunch over the Canadian Horseshoe Falls

One of the area’s newest eateries, Table Rock House Restaurant, offers a menu of locally sourced cuisine at the brink of Horseshoe Falls. We indulged in the crispy vegetable samosas, perfectly paired with creamy coconut yogurt with fresh mint and wild mushroom cannelloni topped with tangy pickled honey mushrooms and aromatic truffle shavings. And, of course, we had to finish with dessert: caramel apple cheesecake and triple chocolate mousse.

Chef Matt Krupa trained at a European restaurant with three Michelin stars, and it shows. He deftly blends classic French elements with international flavors, catering nicely to groups like ours with diverse tastes. I especially appreciated his emphasis on regional and seasonal ingredients, from peach lemon mimosas to Lake Erie pickerel fritters and Niagara honey butter with the artisan breadbasket.

2 p.m. — Discover Niagara Parks Power Station

After lunch, we visited Niagara Parks Power Station, a pioneering hydropower plant that has generated electricity since 1905. Although this destination may sound dry, it wound up being (ahem) illuminating and a hit with all the ages in our group.

We entered the rustic stone building, admiring its arched windows and Romanesque features, where kids swirled around the interactive exhibits. Then, our group descended 180 feet in a glass elevator. Long ago, workers excavated a 0.4-mile tunnel by lantern light here, using only shovels, pickaxes and rudimentary dynamite. Today, the smooth, flat, wheelchair-accessible walkway is part of the new Underground Experience, which ends in a riverside observation deck providing a never-before-seen perspective on Horseshoe Falls.

Bundle up to best enjoy this journey, as the tunnel averages 60°F. And bring a waterproof layer, or borrow a rain poncho, to fully soak in the river-edge views, where sunshine can paint rainbows in the mist. Comfortable shoes are also a must, though the power station has five “first come, first served” wheelchairs for unexpectedly weary guests with mobility challenges.

4 p.m. — Soar in a helicopter over Niagara Falls

A 12-minute jaunt with Niagara Helicopters ended the afternoon perfectly. The company has a fleet of four Airbus H130 whirlybirds that seat seven passengers each. They depart every two to 10 minutes, depending on the demand, as this attraction doesn’t accept reservations. However, the staff strive to keep visitors waiting just 15 minutes or less.

As our group took off, the dynamic landscape revealed some of the secrets behind its misty veil: fierce whirlpools, rapids that can churn waves up to 20 feet high, and the edge of Lake Erie tumbling into Niagara Gorge and onto Lake Ontario. We got to peer over the Rainbow Bridge, a graceful steel archway linking the U.S. and Canada, and caught a glimpse of Bridal Veil, the smallest of the area’s three waterfalls. Everyone loved flying in a helicopter and the aerial views, even me, which was surprising given my fear of heights. But I was distracted by the exuberance of soaring above waters that looked incredibly powerful and like delicate lace at the same time.

8 p.m. — Dine beside Illuminated Cascades

After a full day of activities, our group craved relaxation and a two-hour nap. Thankfully, we didn’t even need to exit the Sheraton at suppertime: we just headed to Massimo’s Italian Fallsview Restaurant, where floor-to-ceiling windows revealed Niagara Falls, flooded with spotlights.

Old-world tradition meets new-world style there, thanks to Chef Massimo Capra, a Canadian culinary star. The early service features a three-course prix fixe menu, but after 6 p.m., diners design their meals a la carte. We ordered the gnocchi amatriciana (potato and parmesan dumplings in a spicy tomato sauce with locally sourced crisp pancetta). The sous vide Ontario lamb rack gave us different insights into this striking landscape’s bounty, along with the cavatelli ai funghi (cowrie shell-shaped pasta with mushrooms, Swiss chard and caciocavallo cheese).

Dine later like us to cap your Niagara multigenerational getaway, watching fireworks bloom and shower light onto the roaring waters below. Romance may still be in the air—just look at Hallmark’s 2024 flick “Falling in Love in Niagara,”—but happily, it turned out that the rest of us had plenty to adore, too.