Home to one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World, Ontario receives a flux of families wanting to visit its impressive Niagara Falls. Nearby, its most populous city, Toronto, has been called the New York of Canada. The one-two combination of a beautiful city break and an outdoor getaway to the falls makes Ontario tops for a family vacation.
Direct flights all year round to Toronto can be acquired from most U.S. airports.
Ontario is home to Niagara Falls, with the best views of Horseshoe Falls.
Ontario is home to Toronto, the largest city in Canada.
Ontario is easily accessible via the northeast and midwest.
Ontario is the most visited Canadian province with nearly 9 million visitors to Toronto and 60 percent of Niagara Falls’ 30 million annual visitors staying in Canada.
Niagara Falls attracts tens of millions of international visitors each year. Even though it’s a relatively modest 176 feet tall, the sheer volume of water draining the Great Lakes is awe-inspiring. Over 150,000 gallons per second flow from Lake Erie over the cascade via the Niagara River on its way to Lake Ontario and the sea.
Toronto is the largest city in Canada and the fourth-largest in North America. As the entertainment and tourism hub of Canada, there are plenty of family friendly activities in our neighbor to the north.
The iconic 1,815-foot-tall tower was the tallest free-standing structure in the world until 2010. Take glass elevators to the observation deck, where you may see all the way across Lake Ontario on clear days. You can also clip into a harness and go for an open air walk outside, on the edge of the CN Tower, 1,100+ feet above Toronto – if you’re brave enough.
A theme park with more than 70 rides, Wonderland is the largest and most popular amusement park in Canada. Located just north of Toronto, the park is owned by the same folks who run Ohio’s Cedar Point. Canada’s Wonderland is especially known for all its roller coasters.
Perhaps the best known of all Niagara Falls tourist attractions, the Maid of the Mist has shuttled tourists to the base of the falls since 1846. Boats depart full of rain poncho-clad tourists every 15 minutes, and take you right into the spray of the falls.
The main viewing area for the falls is home to the Table Rock Visitors Center. Here, you can go on the “Journey Behind the Falls,” descending 150 feet into century old tunnels through the bedrock to Horseshoe Falls.
This tourism center features the 175-foot-tall Niagara Skywheel, Skylon Observation tower, minigolf, wax museums, interactive rides, video arcades, theaters, bowling, Ripley’s Believe It or Not, indoor waterpark resorts and new attractions opening every day.
If you’re visiting Toronto, you won’t need a car, but if you’re exploring near Niagara Falls, you may want a car to visit all of the sights the area has to offer.
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