City of Niagara Falls

Niagara Falls is a complete tourist town, as others have noted. The prices on everything are completely ridiculous and overpriced, you’d be hard pressed to find any type of bargain here. I spent 4 days in Niagara Falls which I think is a bit more than most tourists so I really got to see different sides of the city.
They have a complete tourist area which as an Illinois resident reminded me of Wisconsin Dells meets Vegas. Full of haunted houses, cheesy spots, shops, lights and clubs. They have the Fallsview Drive area full of hotels and extremely overpriced shops, but fabulous views. Niagara Falls has a gorgeous and fun to visit wine country which may just be the best kept secret at The Falls. Then of course The Falls themselves. They are breathtaking and there are many activities centered around them to make for some entertaining days.
So the worst thing about the City of Niagara Falls on the Canadian side is the overpriced… everything! The people are some of the friendliest I’ve ever encountered. Take the city for what it is and you’ll love it as much as I did.

We stayed on the Canadian side of the falls for a few days and the only thing that stood out about the place were the ridiculous taxes and fees they attach to everything. In NY, I can go to an IHOP restaurant and pay $ 25 – 30 for breakfast for two. In Canada, that went up to almost $ 50 for the same exact meals (partly due to the overpriced food). I resent having to pay a tax to pay for promotion of the tourism there. I was also a bit miffed that so many of the vending machines required US dollar bills but gave change back in less valuable Canadian money.

This is not a review for the city government but more so on what I’ve experienced outside the tourist area. Ya it’s known for the Falls tourist area including the Falls itself and the casinos. But man does the place need some sort of makeover. Lundy’s Lane, the Canada One Outlet Store and the outskirts are just horrible. I think when your economic development and Parks & Rec are focused in one industry, you planners tend to forget other parts of the City. You think driving through Niagara Falls, NY is bad, Niagara Falls, ON is pretty bad too. Then again, is it no different than going on a resort in the Caribbean where no one dares to venture outside the resort area. Sad for an Ontario, let alone Canadian city, to let its residents live in such deplorable conditions with horrible roads.