This could be the most iconic natural wonder in the US outside of the Grand Canyon and it really doesn’t disappoint. However, if you’re looking for other activities, you should probably find something else to do. I spent one night there in total and stayed on the US side so I view on this is fairly skewed vs. someone visiting on the Canadian side.
To get here, you fly into Buffalo. This isn’t a bad thing except for the fact that the airport is a good 45 minute drive from the border. Once you’re there, there really isn’t much to do outside of seeing the falls. The US side is actually fairly desolate in terms of things to do. Outside of a Hard Rock Cafe and the casino, the area itself is fairly devoid of attractions.
At the falls, there are a few attractions that can easily be done in a few hours. My first advice is to go down the stairs to the American falls since they’ll give you a pair of flip flops with the price of your ticket. I stupidly gave the flip flops back without thinking about how wet I would get on the ferry ride that takes you to the mouth of the Horseshoe falls and pretty much regretted that decision for a few days. Then walk around the observation deck for a bit and you’re basically done…bing, bang, boom. The Canadian side clearly has more to do as you can hear the general excitement across the river so I would strongly recommend going to that side if you have the time. However, know that prices are going to be more expensive on the Canadian side vs. the US side.
I really can’t recommend staying for more than a day here if only visiting the US side. I would have preferred staying in the Buffalo area and just making a day trip to the falls to be honest. Don’t get me wrong, it’s definitely a magnificent site and worth the trip if you’ve never seen it. But I’m certainly not going to stand there and look at a waterfall for hours on end…