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Greater Niagara
Located in western New York State between Lake Erie and Lake Ontario, Niagara Falls is one of the most outstanding spectacles on the North American continent. There are three main waterfalls, American, Canadian (Horseshoe) and Bridal Veil Falls, each in a different stream of the Niagara River. Other attractions in the region include Letchworth State Park, Buffalo, Lake Erie and Lewiston.
SPECIAL EVENTS: Each spring, the Festival of Gold celebrates the blooming of daffodils all over Niagara County. The flowers can be seen at Old Fort Niagara, Artpark and the New York Power Authority, as well as in extensive areas along the Robert Moses Parkway from Rainbow Boulevard North to Lewiston. The Festival of Gold began in 1992, when volunteers planted 405,000 daffodil bulbs across the county.
From Nov 20-Jan 4 2004, A Festival of Lights in Niagara Falls attracts more than 8.5 million visitors. Billed as ‘Niagara’s Holiday Gift to the World’, the festival is one of the nation’s premier winter attractions, combining hundreds of thousands of colourful lights, animated displays, professional and community entertainment and 44 days of events.
Other events to be held in 2003 include: Mar Annual Polar Bear Swim, Olcott Beach (near Lake Ontario); Mar St Patrick’s Day Celebrations, Niagara Falls. May-Sep Classic Car Cruise Nights (Saturdays), Olcott Beach. Aug Niagara County Fair, Lockport; 19th Century Faire, Old Fort Niagara, Youngstown; Annual Lewiston Outdoor Fine Arts Festival. Sep-Oct Annual Pumpkin Fiesta, (weekends). Oct Niagara’s Apple Country Festival, Lockport.
Niagara Falls
Ten million tourists visit Niagara Falls each year, making it one of the most popular tourist destinations in America. The Niagara River rapids, just above the Falls, and the Niagara Gorge, below the Falls, offer beautiful scenery and many opportunities for sightseeing. The price of most merchandise is lower in Niagara Falls than in most other parts of the USA and Canada. Within the city of Niagara there are two large factory outlet malls, a large shopping mall and several retail districts. The region offers good antique shopping. Niagara’s hotels are near to the Falls, attractions and shopping. Many of them are only a short walk from the edge of the Falls themselves.
The New York State Park that surrounds the Falls is the oldest State Park in the nation and has been restored to its original 19th-century design. Created by Frederick Olmstead to provide a natural setting for the Falls, it became a model for the uniquely American style of park. It includes many woodland islands in the rapids just above the Falls and a new visitor centre. The Viewmobile is a coach that tours the park. The Great Lakes Gardens outside the centre use grass, flowers and shrubs to depict the Great Lakes. Visitors can take the Maid of the Mist Boat Tour that travels into the spray of the Falls, or explore the Cave of the Winds, on Goat Island, in the middle of the river above the Falls. The Niagara Whirlpool, on the river beneath the Falls, can be visited by jet boat. North of the Falls is Old Fort Niagara – a restored fortress and park containing military buildings, including the 1726 French Castle, one of the oldest European-designed buildings on the continent.
Other attractions in the area include the Daredevils Hall of Fame with photographs, contraptions and memorabilia of the swimmers, tightrope walkers and others who braved the Falls (sometimes fatally); the Aquarium of Niagara, with more than 1500 aquatic animals including sharks, piranhas and sea lions; the Niagara Aerospace Museum, and the Amherst Museum at Amherst, which recreates life on the 19th-century Niagara Frontier.
TRAVEL: The Buffalo/Niagara Falls International Airport is only a 25-minute drive from the Falls and is served by many airlines. The Niagara Falls International Airport is just seven minutes away by coach or taxi. It can accommodate the largest jumbo jets and is available for charter flights. For people arriving by coach, Niagara Falls is located on a major Interstate Highway, less than a day’s drive from New York City and the eastern USA. The Falls are also accessible by rail. Amtrak offers two trains per day from New York City and Toronto. Greyhound provides a direct service from New York to Niagara.
Buffalo & Area
Standing at the eastern extremity of Lake Erie on the border with Canada, Buffalo is the State’s second-largest city, the gateway to Niagara Falls and the Finger Lakes, and within easy reach of Lake Ontario and Toronto. It is home to the State’s most important museum outside New York City, the Albright-Knox Art Gallery, which contains works by Picasso, Renoir, Van Gogh and Monet, among others. The Buffalo and Erie County Historical Society displays the inventions of Niagara Frontier residents, including Cheerios, cold remedies and pacemakers. Allentown Association is among the largest historic preservation sites in the USA. The area includes arts and crafts, Victorian-style homes, international food and galleries. The graves of President Millard Fillmore and Seneca Indian Chief Red Jacket can be found at the Forest Lawn Cemetery. Other attractions include the Burchfield Arts Center, with the largest collection of watercolours by American artist Charles F Burchfield; the Buffalo Museum of Science with a children’s discovery room; CEPA Gallery, devoted to photographic art; and the Naval and Military Park, where the World War II destroyer, USS Sullivans, is docked. Buffalo Zoo in Delaware Park has large enclosures with natural features and is home to Siberian tigers, gorillas and elephants.
EXCURSIONS: Artpark, in the historic village of Lewiston, is the only State Park in the nation dedicated to the visual and performing arts. The 80ha (200-acre) park includes a 2300-seat theatre, nature trails, free outdoor performances and workshops. Letchworth State Park is known as the ‘Grand Canyon of the East’ and offers visitors magnificent views of the Genesee River Gorge. Outdoor activities on offer include camping, hiking and picnicking. The only socialised wolf pack in the eastern USA lives at the Institute for Environmental Learning in Lyndonville, which also houses bald eagles and cougars. Full of houses and shops from the 1820s, Lockport is known for its five enormous locks on the Erie Canal. The Lockport Cave Tour takes visitors along the locks, through a tunnel blasted out of rock in the 1800s, and ends in an underground boat ride.
TRAVEL: There are limousine services from Greater Buffalo Airport (BUF) to the city, 14.5km (9 miles) away, or direct to Niagara Falls. Taxis are also available. There are Amtrak rail links from Buffalo to Niagara, and frequent local buses.
Copyright © 2003 Columbus Publishing Ltd.
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