My boyfriend Tom and I had a great trip to Niagara Falls a couple weeks ago. Thanks to those of you who provided input (I think of the U.S. board) before we left. Quick recap:

We flew from Baltimore to Buffalo on Southwest, left around 8:00 and were there by 9:30. Picked up our Hertz rental car and were at Niagara Falls around 10:30. Got our first view of the falls - wow - then did Maid of the Mist. Our timing was great because the line was short. We donned the yellow ponchos and only waited about 10 minutes. It was fun, but crowded and didn't get as close to the falls as I'd hoped. Still, we enjoyed it and would definitely recommend it.

Afterwards, we headed for Cave of the Winds and both agreed we liked this better. The boardwalks/stairs at the base of the American Falls (newly constructed every year) give you an incredible feel for the power of the falls. Hurricane Deck is aptly named! We rolled up our pants legs under the ponchos but still got wet. Lucky for us, the weather was really nice for early May.

By this time, we were ready for lunch and stopped at a stand just outside the entrance to Cave of the Winds for hot dogs and fries. We had no trouble getting a picnic table, but I suspect it's much, much more crowded during the summer.

We then walked over to Goat Island to take in the views from there, including the Canadian Falls. Flowers, especially tulips, were everywhere. Tom teased me about how many pictures I took of the tulips! They were so pretty I couldn't resist.

Afterwards, we were ready to check into our hotel, the Four Points Sheraton on the American side. It was a Groupon deal, so the price was right. The hotel was decent, but it was about 4 or 5 miles from the falls, out of town - not a great location. We upgraded to a suite, which was nice for the oversize jetted tub, king size bed, and sofa, but it wasn't really much of a suite (just a room with small kitchenette on one end). We had a view of the river, which was wide and calm-looking this far from the falls.

I can't think of the restaurant we had dinner at that night. It will come to me later, but it was on the Canadian side and we really enjoyed it. Plus of course, the view from the Canadian side is incredible! We loved it.

The next day we drove up to Niagara-on-the-Lake. Had a wonderful day - browsed the shops, walked along the lake, sampled a winery (Caroline's), and had a nice lunch on an outside patio. Beautiful town and well worth the drive.

That evening, we returned to the Canadian side for dinner at Johnny Rocco's - it was decent but not outstanding. Afterwards, we rode the big Sky Wheel. Tom's afraid of heights, so he didn't like it much, but he was a good trooper for me. We finished off the evening with a romantic walk along the promenade overlooking the falls, which were lit up in pinks, blues, yellows, and greens.

For our last day we slept in, packed up, and headed back to Buffalo for a quick overview of the city before heading home. We had a delightful stroll and a nice lunch. Then back to the airport for the trip to Baltimore.

It was a great trip. Would highly recommend going slightly off-season to avoid the summer crowds.