Canada Archives - Floradise

10/17/2017

Toronto and Niagara Falls Trip Tidbits

I already recapped the highlights of our Canada summer road trip, but I left out three more tidbits I wanted to share about our trip. We found that we needed much more time to really experience Toronto and Niagara Falls, but we are glad we visited when we could!

We were starving when we arrived in Toronto, but we had not made any reservations for lunch. Many restaurants around the harborfront had long waits, and we even tried going to Amsterdam BrewHouse only to be told they were no longer accepting dining parties — for the weekend. We walked around the area near Rogers Centre, opting for lunch at an arcade restaurant named Rec Room simply because it was one of the first suitable places we saw. It ended up being a perfect place to go with a toddler because we played games while we waited about 20 minutes for our table. The only non-toddler-friendly part: They gave us V’s drink in a glass cup, which she knocked over and broke during the meal. You would think they would give a child a plastic cup. This reminded me I should bring a cup and toddler flatware to restaurants while traveling, but it wasn’t that big of a deal. The outside of the restaurant is an old train depot also shared by a brewery. It was a popular spot before the Toronto Blue Jays game.

The food was decent, but I really enjoyed the blueberry mojito! Our appetizer was calamari, and we ordered chicken and salad for Victoria.

We stopped by a park called Col. Samuel Smith Park on our way from Toronto to Niagara Falls to fly the drone. Most of the Harbourfront area was a no-fly zone, so we decided to find a park that allowed use of the DJI Mavic Pro. The park was beautiful. If we lived in the Toronto area it would be a nice place to walk your dog and spend time with family.

I also want to share our amazing hotel accommodations at Niagara Falls (Canada side)! We stayed at the Radisson Fallsview and our 13th floor room had an awesome view of the Falls. We couldn’t stop staring at it! I would highly recommend booking a waterfall view room if you stay at this hotel. Note: Part of this stay was paid for with complimentary points I earned as part of a campaign I did with Radisson over the summer.

Have you been to either Toronto or Niagara Falls?

Trip highlights:

08/21/2017

SkyWheel at Clifton Hill Niagara Falls

After our morning cruise to Niagara Falls, we had a whole day to spend in the area. We wanted to check out the conservatory, but V spotted the SkyWheel from our hotel room and wouldn’t stop talking about it, so we wanted her to experience it. Plus, we wanted to see the view of the falls from the top.

We paid $15 to park at Clifton Hill, but we could have paid less across the street. (We don’t always make the best decisions on the spot. Ugh.) Tickets to the SkyWheel were reasonable at $11.99 per adult and $6.99 per child. That came out to $24.97 in U.S. dollars. (In comparison, the Navy Pier Centennial Wheel in Chicago is $15 per adult and $12 per child. The Centennial Wheel is taller, though, at nearly 200 feet vs. 175 for the SkyWheel.) You can also buy a fun pass if you’re planning to do the other touristy attractions in the area, but we passed on that. Some of the other options were the Zombie Attack and Wild West Coaster, which we were not interested in/were not appropriate for toddlers.

When we arrived, we took a couple of photos of V with the dinosaurs in the mini golf area, and then we spotted a balloon animal artist. Of course we spoiled V with a couple. We visited on a Friday afternoon and only had a short wait in line for the SkyWheel. Because it wasn’t too crowded, what we thought would be three rides around turned out to be five. No complaints here!

It was a bit rainy and sprinkles dotted the glass and hindered my photo taking, but we still had a nice view of Niagara Falls and Clifton Hill.

Clifton Hills has tons of quirky attractions, which you’d expect from such a tourist destination. I was surprised to see so many advertisements calling it the honeymoon capital of the world. That’s interesting! If you have kids or enjoy Ferris wheels, you might enjoy this. Otherwise, Journey Behind the Falls seemed like a great option for getting another view of the falls. We didn’t have a chance to do it but would like to in the future.

After our ride we explored Clifton Hill for a while before heading back to our hotel room for a much-needed nap.

Have you been to Niagara Falls? Did you ride the SkyWheel?

CN Tower | Toronto

Niagara Falls Cruises

08/18/2017

Niagara Falls: Day and Night Cruises

Hands down the most fun we had on our Canada trip was on the Hornblower cruises to Niagara Falls. Our 3-year-old hasn’t stopped talking about it and I know she will not soon forget the memories we made.

I purchased the day and night cruise package, which includes a 40-minute fireworks cruise that started at 9:30 p.m. and a 20-minute Voyage to the Falls day cruise. When I bought the tickets it wasn’t clear how I would purchase the package, but all you have to do is pick the date you want for the night cruise and then you can go to any day cruise as well. (They leave about every 15-20 minutes throughout the day.) We decided to go around 9 a.m. to space out the cruises and hopefully avoid huge crowds around the falls. In case you’re wondering, Hornblower leaves from the Canada side, while Maid of the Mist is on the U.S. side.

The line moved quickly when we arrived. If you already purchased tickets online, head straight to the walkway and elevators. After you take your photos, you keep walking until you get to the snack bar tent area, where your tickets are scanned. (I just pulled up the barcodes on my phone to avoid printing them out.) Then you continue walking down the ramps and receive your rain ponchos.

FYI: Adult tickets for both the day and night cruises were $55.90 (Canadian; about $43 U.S.). Victoria didn’t have to pay because she is under 5 years old, so that’s nice! If you just want to do the 20-minute Voyage to the Falls it will cost $25.95 (Canadian; about $20 U.S.).

The closer you move toward the falls, the more drenched you become. It’s actually a ton of fun. You can stand anywhere on the boat, and we chose the front. The upper deck area seemed to be a popular spot for most people.

The ponchos don’t really do much, to be honest. You will still be soaked but it’s fine! You could always bring your own. Also, be sure your phone and camera are secure from water damage.

After our cruise, we headed back to our hotel and explored Clifton Hill before returning around 9 p.m. We figured parking would be difficult to find on this Friday night, and it’s expensive near the falls, so we opted for a short taxi ride instead. (Earlier that morning we paid $15 to park for about an hour and a half. Yikes.) Crowds line up early for the evening fireworks, so plan accordingly.

I liked the morning cruise more than the evening cruise, but we did both because V would get a kick out of the fireworks. (Although, the evening cruise had a bar, so decide which is better for you.) You get more wet during the daytime cruises because the boats go closer to the mist. Also, I find the illumination of the falls to be quite gimmicky, but kinda cool, I guess. The entire town is a tourist trap, so just know what you’re getting into and have fun!

Check out our videos of the Niagara Falls cruises below and subscribe to my YouTube channel!

Have you done a Niagara Falls cruise? What did you think?

CN Tower | Toronto

08/16/2017

A Visit to CN Tower in Toronto

** We received complimentary admission to CN Tower. All opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate product links. I make a small commission on purchases made through these links at no additional cost to you. Thanks for supporting Floradise!

One of the items on my list for our brief Toronto trip was visiting the CN Tower. For someone who is terrified of heights I sure am obsessed with tall buildings. …

On our second day in Toronto, we headed to the Harbourfront Centre area to find parking near the tower. We went with a structure on Queens Quay that charged $15 a day. (The garage was also listed on Parking Panda, which I did not use but was listed on the gate.) That allowed us to explore as long as we wanted and it was just a short walk to the tower. We had been advised to arrive early to avoid long lines, and that’s the best advice I could ever repeat to anyone planning to visit. We arrived around 10 a.m., but getting there at opening would have been even better. On this particular day the next-door Ripley’s Aquarium was experiencing a power outage, so many would-be visitors were instead heading to the tower. Our line wasn’t too long at about 30 minutes to get to the elevators. Besides, you are distracted by photo taking and entertainers along the way. (We already had tickets waiting for us, though. If you need to stand in line to buy tickets it will take longer.)

Once you make it into the elevators it’s just a short ride to the observation level. From there we went directly to the next elevator to get to the SkyPod, which requires an additional admission charge of $12 per person to access. It’s best to go to the SkyPod first if you buy these tickets to avoid crowds as well.

While circling the SkyPod we saw the brave souls who were trying out the EdgeWalk, which like the name implies means you free walk on the edge of the OUTSIDE of the tower. It requires advance reservations and costs about $225. Graham was certainly interested for our next trip; in fact, he wants to plan a vacation to Toronto just to do this. I would never ever ever ever do this, but it was fun to watch others embark on the thrilling adventure.

I was even nervous to walk around the SkyPod, to be honest. But I loved that you can get a 360-degree view of Toronto, an impressive city. It’s just SO high, taller than the Sears Tower and the Hancock Building in Chicago. Victoria was not afraid at all, though. She’s braver than I’ll ever be. We brought her along in an umbrella stroller, which we had no problem getting around in.

Once we got to the glass-floor level we parked it in a corner to get around more easily. By then the tower was becoming a bit more crowded.

Looking down from the glass floor.

Glass floor view.

You can have souvenir photos taken on the glass floor, or do as so many others did and take your own selfies. The photographer has lots of ideas for poses if you want to go that route. One package of the best two photos taken of you was around $30 when we inquired.

You’re free to spend as much time as you want upstairs before you can board the elevator to return to ground level. Take your time and soak in the views! Once you’re on the first floor you can browse the gift shop or look at and purchase your souvenir arrival photos. We continued our tradition of buying Christmas ornaments from every new place we visit. We also picked up a Canada 150 teddy bear plush for V.

Next to the tower are the Ripley’s Aquarium and the Rogers Centre, where the Blue Jays play, in case you’re wondering what other attractions are around. It’s easy to plan a visit that incorporates all of these activities.

We had such a fun time at the tower and hope to be back someday so Graham could experience the EdgeWalk.

Have you visited the CN Tower? What did you think?

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Filming gear**

09/23/2016

Our Canada Road Trip Itinerary + a Radisson Giveaway!

Graham and I have been planning a trip to Canada for a while. I recently read an article about amazing places to go in Ontario and I became inspired to plan a 2017 road trip from Chicago. The destinations we want to check out in Ontario are only about 7-8 hours away, and since we are pros at road trips — we have done three 1,700-mile road trips! — the distance doesn’t seem far at all.

One of our cross-country road trips in 2015.

We will save 20 percent on our Ontario hotels when we stay at Radisson and book with Radisson’s Advance Purchase Rate.

Our road trip would go to Niagara Falls first, where we would stay at the Radisson Hotel & Suites Fallsview, Ontario. We would try to book one of the rooms with a view of Horseshoe Falls.

Then we would head to Radisson Admiral Hotel Toronto-Harbourfront. Its SPLASH Pool Patio and Terrace overlooks Lake Ontario and the CN tower.

Our last stop in Ontario would be Kitchener Waterloo, where we would stay at the Radisson Hotel Kitchener Waterloo. Its location makes it easy to check out some of our ideal destinations below.

What we will do at each destination:

Toronto: Check out the views from the CN Tower. We’d also go to a baseball game to see the Toronto Blue Jays play at Rogers Centre. (If visiting all major league stadiums is a goal of yours as well, print my ballpark checklist below!) Lastly, we’d shop and dine at local businesses.
Kitchener: Day trip to Webster’s Falls, one of 100 waterfalls in the Hamilton area. We’d also explore the Huron Natural Area for a hike. The hotel also puts us close to historic St. Jacobs Village, which has river trails and charming shops.
Fallsview: I’ve always thought it would be fun to do a Niagara cruise, and the Radisson Hotel & Suites Fallsview is just six minutes from this activity! I’d also like to check our Journey Behind the Falls, which takes you through bedrock tunnels to see water crushing down in front of you. We could also have lunch or dinner at Skylon Tower to get a different view of Niagara Falls.

Want to go on a Canada vacation? Create your own dream Canada trip with Radisson and take advantage of savings of up to 20 percent by visiting the website. Also, to help you plan your next Canada getaway, I’m giving away an e-certificate for a stay at a Radisson hotel!

Enter to win a Radisson e-certificate:

Check to see which Radisson is near your favorite Canada destinations and share where you would go in the comments for a chance to win a certificate that’s valid in U.S. or Canada! Winner will be randomly selected on Oct. 3 at noon Central Standard Time. Winners must be 18 or older and live in the U.S. No purchase is necessary to win. There will be one winner and the winner will be chosen via a random name generator. Winner will receive the e-certificate via email. I will reply to the winner below to notify that he or she has won. If winner does not respond within 24 hours with an email to send the prize to, another winner will be chosen. Good luck!

Want an extra entry? Sign up for my newsletter with the toolbar at the top of this page.

UPDATE: WINNER HAS BEEN CHOSEN AND NOTIFIED.

Toronto and Niagara Falls Trip Tidbits