A Niagara legacy: A 140-year tale of two countries preserving a natural landmark
Dynamic and constantly modernizing, Niagara Falls in Canada and the U.S. look to the future of travel
As a child of Korean immigrants in North America, a trip to Niagara Falls was a symbol of recreational leisure my family aspired to. Making that trip and seeing Niagara with your own eyes equated to a certain level of achievement. Not only did you tick off a quintessential North American experience from your bucket list, but you can say that you got to experience something that many others in the world can only wish to see in-person.
In the 140-year (and longer) history of Niagara Falls welcoming visitors, its status as a bucket list destination hasn’t waned. But as is common for an oft-visited locale, there’s a tendency to think these places are static.
But, at risk of a somewhat cliché analogy, Niagara Falls as a destination is just as dynamic as the Falls themselves, changing over time to offer something new to see year after year.
As the Niagara Parks Commission and Niagara Falls States Park reflect on their 140th anniversaries, we explored the areas’ most beloved attractions and newest projects that are sure to welcome a new generation of aspiring travellers.
A history of Niagara Falls
Some 12,000 years ago, melting ice caps filled what became the Niagara River, eroding away a rockfall until the Falls were born. For centuries, Native American communities called the region their home, but by 1678, early European colonists from France made contact, and Niagara Falls became a popular tourist destination in the following century.
Celebrities of the day from Jérôme Napoléon Bonaparte (yes that Napoléon’s brother) and Theodosia Burr (yes, that Aaron Burr’s daughter) holidayed at the Falls, firmly establishing the natural wonder as “a place to see” and be seen.
But as its popularity grew, the privatization of Niagara Falls made it increasingly inaccessible to visitors and negatively impacted the area’s ecology.
Jim Hill, senior manager of heritage at the Niagara Parks Commission in Ontario described that by the 19th century, local property owners set up fences along the river and the gorge so visitors couldn’t see the water. Tourists had to pay an admission fee to either enter or exit the fenced area.
"It was aggressive, … the privatization of the Falls needed to be rectified,” Hill explains, and thus Niagara Falls State Park in New York and the Niagara Parks Commission in Ontario was founded in 1885 to manage the lands and waters of the area.
The Niagara Falls State Park, the United States’s oldest state park, and the Niagara Parks Commission went to work to reverse the private commercial effects of these local property owners. Government intervention at Niagara Falls didn’t mean the end of popular tourism, but rather led to the opposite.
What to expect in the Parks today
Today, the Parks could offer accessible, safe, and preservation-minded activities for visitors. While some of the earliest iterations of these attractions are still in operation, both sides of the border have expanded their offerings and continue to add new projects to its pipeline.
On the Canadian side, history buffs will relish in some of those traditional attractions.
The Whirlpool Aero Cars, for instance, elevated cable cars that cross the Niagara Gorge over the Niagara Whirlpool, have operated since 1916. Table Rock House Restaurant with its world-class culinary team and curated menu, sits in Table Rock Centre a 1920s art deco building. And Journey Behind the Falls, an attraction that’s been in existence for 130 years, takes visitors down 125 feet into the gorge and through tunnels right up behind the Horseshoe Falls.
Tradition doesn’t come at the cost of progress, however. The Niagara Parks Commission is consistently updating attractions, but their newest draw also holds an enticing promise for the future.
The Niagara Power Station and Tunnel, which opened early last year, is a modern and incredibly engaging education centre that tells the story of Niagara’s hydroelectric legacy (including the Tesla-Edison Wars), housed in the 115-year-old power station. An adjacent building, also associated with the historic plant, may also holds promise. The Niagara Parks Commission hopes a new hotel that pays homage to the building’s history may be on the horizon.
With several additional attractions added to the park’s roster in recent years—the Butterfly Conservatory and Zipline To The Falls among them—the Niagara Parks Commission sees their work as anything but static.
The American side of the Falls also leans into its classic offerings. Operating almost four decades before the state park was founded, the Maid of the Mist boat tour brings visitors as close to the Horseshoe and American Bridal Falls as you can get on Niagara River. The iconic Cave of the Winds, meanwhile, brings visitors right to the front of the Bridal Falls via wooden staircases. It’s a vista point that’s been popular with tourists for centuries, whether by staircase or simply by traipsing over fallen rocks.
Niagara Falls State Park unveiled a new welcome centre, complete with shops, cafes, and eventually, new exhibitions of the Falls’s history. The Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Welcome Center is the modern face of a park seeking to modernize for the sake of visitors and to improve the environment. The Maid of the Mist joins this charge, with new electric boats aimed toward the region’s green initiatives. They are the first of its kind on the continent.
Venture into town: Niagara Falls, Ont., and Niagara Falls in the U.S.
Let’s not forget that the towns of Niagara Falls, Ont., and Niagara Falls, New York have offerings and projects much aligned with the parks’ preservation mission and modernization initiatives.
On the Canadian side, the town of Niagara Falls is embracing modernity in its food scene. While yes, there are plenty of those chain spots in town, boutique restaurants in the area highlight the region’s local, seasonal ingredients and its growing craft wine scene.
Weinkeller, located near Casino Niagara, proved to be the best of both, topped with extremely personable service. Back at the park, Table Rock House Restaurant takes a fine dining route, showcasing the region’s stellar flavour.
Where To Stay, Niagara Falls, Ontario: Embassy Suites
Where To Eat: Weinkeller; Flour Scratch Kitchen; Table Rock Restaurant
While the Canadian side embraces food and heritage, Niagara Falls in the U.S. brings a community-focused flare to the table.
The Niagara Power Vista, a historic, mid-century power station home to the largest dam east of the Mississippi River, provides free programs and exhibitions for the public and provides museum space for the Tuscarora Nation to organize exhibitions.
Similarly, Old Fort Niagara in Youngstown is actively working towards incorporating Indigenous stories in its displays and interpretations.
“This site was a crossroads historically for indigenous people,” executive director Bob Emerson explains.
Old Fort Niagara wishes to educate their visitors about it, alongside the site’s 18th century history of French, British, and American military occupation.
The Niagara Falls Underground Railroad Heritage Center is a small but mighty museum located inside Niagara Falls train station. This powerful museum expounds on Niagara Falls’ integral geographic location for enslaved peoples’ escape to Canada. The Center’s hope is to expand in size and scope in the future.
The Aquarium of Niagara is also an unexpected treasure in Niagara Falls, and they too look forward to their own expansion with the Great Lakes 360 project. Adding a newly renovated state park building to its campus, the new 370+ square-meter facility includes more exhibitions space and improved wheelchair access.
Where To Stay, Niagara Falls, New York: The Giacomo Hotel
What To Do: Niagara Power Vista; Niagara Falls Underground Railroad Heritage Center; Old Fort Niagara; Aquarium of Niagara
Gateways to Niagara: Toronto and Buffalo
Both Toronto and Buffalo, New York historically are linked to Niagara Falls in many ways. The 18th century forts loomed over Lake Ontario on both sides. Both cities benefitted from their respective power stations and were at the centre of the electric current wars in the 19th century. The enslaved and formerly enslaved crossed borders between the two cities to find or facilitate freedom.
For Canadian travellers looking to visit Buffalo in addition to the U.S. side of Niagara Falls, once one of the wealthiest cities in America, the historic “city of lights” now rebuilds its legacy with a new definition of what is “American.”
On the culinary front, Southern Junction BBQ redefines “New American” cuisine, crafting a fusion menu of traditional barbecue mixed with South Asian flavours. Cornelia’s at the Buffalo AKG Art Museum, a newly renovated space itself, offers a fresh take on café dining with international influence. Meanwhile, the Westside Bazaar, an business incubator training and supporting aspiring restauranteurs, introduces a new generation of diverse chefs to the world.
Where To Stay, Buffalo: The InnBuffalo
Where to Eat: Southern Junction BBQ; Cornelia’s; The Gypsy Parlor; Westside Bazaar
While the Niagara Falls region celebrates 140 years of the parks, and centuries more of history, visitors should be excited about what’s to come. Dynamic and ever-changing, Niagara Falls will surely maintain its bucket list status for another century and a half to come.
