Helicopter rides, Imax Theatre featuring Niagara, Movieland Museum of Stars, Ripley's Believe It or Not, Ride Niagara (virtually down the rapids and over the falls!), Whirlpool jet boat tours, Nightmares Fear Factory (over 52,000 have chickened out!), Skylon Tower (observation deck and revolving restaurant), museums, Maid of the Mist (boat ride below the American and Canadian Falls), Minolta Tower (revolving restaurant), Casino Niagara, Marineland, Spanish Aero Car (over the whilrpool), Oh Canada Eh! dinner theatre, Journey Behind the Falls (elevators and a tunnel take you down and directly behind the Falls), Great Gorge Adventure (elevator takes you down to a 305 metre/1000 foot boardwalk in the Niagara River gorge), Botanical Gardens (100 acres divided into different kinds of gardens), Niagara Parks greenhouse and miles of parks, golf (three 18-holers, one 9 holes and one par 3), 56 km Niagara River Recreation Trail (follows the Niagara River from Fort Erie to Niagara-on-the-Lake; great for cycling or walking), Butterfly Conservatory (over 2,000 free flying tropical butterflies), Niagara Glen (hiking in steep and rugged terrain) and of course, shopping. In addition, the Falls are illuminated at night time and every Friday night there are fireworks.
Further afield but well within a day's activities are over 40 wineries, some of which produce the best icewines in the world, the Welland Canal, numerous historical sites related to the War of 1812-14 and the Fenian Raids of 1866 such as Ridgeway, Queenston Heights, Fort Erie and Fort George. The town of Niagara-on-the-Lake is so popular for its history, old time looks, boutiques and shops, it is on the verge of imploding; see it now before it does. If you wish to visit Toronto, it's best to plan for a day trip.
Crossing Over & Ontario's Highways: the following sites may be helpful in regards to U.S. citizens entering Canada.
Bringing Goods into Canada for Personal Use. http://www.cdnconsulat-la.com/eng/trade/travgood.htm
Information for Visitors to Canada. This site originates in British Columbia. Except for the reference to B.C.'s provincial tax, the information applies across Canada.
http://www.bctravel.com/travel2.html
For U.S.A.-Canada: Tourist Border Crossings & Customs Tips. http://www.lockport-ny.com/Tourism/customs.htm
***NEW***Also: http://www.tourismniagara.com/online/ has links to the Spring Festival (May 17 - June 20) and Canadian and U.S. Border Crossing Wait Times. (More ***NEW*** below.)
Border crossing points from the U.S.A. into southwestern Ontario and the Niagara Peninsula: Port Huron (MI)-Sarnia, Detroit (MI)-Windsor, Buffalo (NY)-Fort Erie, Niagara Falls (NY)-Niagara Falls (ON). If you are going to cross at Niagara Falls, only the Whirlpool Rapids Bridge crossing puts you into downtown Niagara Falls and a direct link to Lundy's Lane and the KOA.
***NEW*** Rainbow Bridge Crossing: off the bridge onto Roberts. Roberts becomes the 420. Ignore the Lundy's Lane signs and take the Dorchester exit. Turn right onto Dorchester, then right onto Lundy's Lane and the KOA. If you miss the Dorchester exit, take the Montrose exit. Left onto Montrose then right onto Lundy's Lane.
Whirlpool Bridge Crossing: Off the bridge to Stanley. Turn left onto Stanley. Take it to Lundy's Lane then turn right.
Buffalo Crossing: take the QEW and exit at McLeod Road (Hwy 49). Left onto McLeod Road. Right onto Montrose. Left onto Lundy's Lane and the KOA. If you miss Montrose, turn right at Kalar Rd., to Lundy's Lane then turn left.
Queenston-Lewiston Crossing: too complicated and out of the way. You''re likely to end up in Toronto than not.
Coming from Detroit-Windsor, Port Huron-Sarnia. You all end up on the 401 then take the 403. From the 403 you can either go to the QEW to Niagara Falls and exit at any of the street names familiar to you from reading the directions above, or you can exit the 403 at the Lincoln Alexander Parkway (about 20 minutes east of Brantford) and take it to Dartnall Road. Exit to the right to Hwy 20. At Hwy 20, turn left. Follow Hwy 20 to Smithville, Bismarck and Fonthill to Niagara Falls where it becomes Lundy's Lane. The KOA is the third campground to your left. Your choice. End of ***NEW***
Ontario's 400 series highways and the QEW to Niagara Falls are 4-6 lane divided highways with very good road surfaces, services centres (no SC on the 402 between Sarnia and London however), excellent (accurate) signage and the shoulders are NOT paved. All of the 400 highways in southwestern Ontario and the Niagara Peninsula, plus the QEW, are major truck routes, meaning the traffic is heavy all day long. (The QEW, (Queen Elizabeth Way), runs from Fort Erie to Burlington.) Map sites on the 'net (i.e. MapQuest, Map Blast, etc.,) are an excellent means of locating the KOA in relation to the different highways from wherever you will be crossing.
Paved, two-lane highways less travelled, generally good road surfaces and slower are Hwys, 2 & 3 from Windsor. Hwy. 2 should be left and the 401 picked up at Brantford. Hwy. 3 takes you through the Carolinian Zone where the ecology is like that of the Carolinas; tulip trees, shagbark hickory, 'possums, etc.. Hwy.3 takes you to Fort Erie where you can catch the Niagara Parkway into Niagara Falls. If anyone is crossing over at Cornwall or Gananogue, Hwy.2 is also a paved, two-lane highway but the road surface varies from very good to satisfactory. (I originally said "mediocre", but that came from my bicycle touring log book.) If taken, switch to the 401 at Port Hope. Another option: if you want to miss Toronto area traffic completely, especially if you think you'll get there around rush hour, stay in the U.S. and cross at Niagara Falls, N.Y.
If you are going to be around a few days before and/or after the rally and thinking of going to Toronto, it's easy enough to do. Not far from the campground, you can access the QEW which takes you right to the downtown via the Gardner Expressway. You can see the CN Tower and the Skydome long before you get there, so use them as a beacon. Take the Yonge Street exit where you will find parking a walk away from the Skydome, CN Tower, the Hockey Hall of Fame and southward towards the waterfront, the Harbourfront and Queen's Quay complex of antique shops, bookstores, cafes, clothing stores, etc., a great place to take advantage of your $1.45 U.S.dollar! If you are With Children, there are attractions for them on Toronto Island, accessible by a short ferry ride. Ontario Place, a great place for the whole family, is further west on the Lakeshore and I believe, beyond walking distance from Harbourfront. As a matter of fact, you'll pass it on your way to downtown.
If any Torontonians or others even more familiar with this area of Toronto than I am, have anything to add or corrections to make, please let me know so I can edit this site.
Last update: March 5, 2002
j_m
