We can't get enough of Niagara Fall in the Wine Season. For the past 5 years my wife and I have spent a weekend
in the Niagara Area in October. There are many advantages for going in the so called "OFF SEASON". One
of which is the reduced crowds, but there is also the cheaper hotel rates, and most important is the grapes are
in season. This means that when you take a tour of the local wineries they will be in full production.
Our Hotel
This Year we stayed at The Brock Skyline. This is the oldest hotel
in Niagara Falls and I would say that it is one of the nicest. The Brock has an elegance that the newer hotels
cannot match. The Brock is also the only Hotel connected to Casino Niagara.
While we were staying at the Brock we enjoyed their swimming pool, in house shopping and the famous Rainbow Room
Restaurant
.
Our Arrival
We arrived at about 6:00 pm and checked in. We placed our bags in our room and admirered the view from the room.
Tearing ourselfs away from the floor to ceiling windows, we went down to the Rainbow Room for dinner. If you decide
to stay somewhere else than The Brock you still should eat in the Rainbow Room. It has the best view of the Falls
in town and a fantastic dinner buffet. Our hotel package included a room with a view of both falls, one dinner
and two breakfast in the restaurant, and a drink for both of us in the piano lounge.
After Dinner we tried our luck in the Casino. The casino was full of
noise, lights and people. I appreciated the act that the casino was devided in to smoking and non-smoking. We didn't
stay long because we are not very big gamblers and were having no luck on the slots. So we went back to our room
for a night of cards and watching the street below. From our window we could see the bridge to the USA and the
coloured lights on the Falls. It was quite a breath taking sight.
Our Saturday
After a buffet breakfast in the Rainbow Room we left the hotel for a walk around the town. The weather was warm
and dry, with on sign of rain. Our walk started on Clifton Hill just around the corner from the hotel. Clifton
Hill is the main street for tourist to Niagara Falls, with most of the museums and gift shops locate all in one
area. The other tourist street is Lundy's Lane, located at the top of Clifton Hill. From Lundy's Lane we went on
to the Skylon Tower. There is more shopping at the base of the the tower and
a there is also a large arcade on the lower level. The Tower also has a revolving restaurant at the top of it.
Across the parking lot of the Skylon Tower is the Niagara Falls Imax
Theatre & The Daredevil Museum. If you have never seen an Imax film then you are in for an experiment.
The fly over of the Falls is so realistic that you will not need to spend the money for a helicopter ride. While
we waited for the show to start we had time to take in the The Daredevil Museum located in the same building.
Probably the best find of the weekend was the Rossi Artistic Glass Studio.
The studio was located beside Imax Theatre. They were open for free selfguided tour of their Glass Blowing Studio.
The artist were blowing glass into molds and the working it into bowl and vase by hand (not bare hands ouch!).
The colours and styles of glass the they were producing were amazing.
Next we walked back down the escartment to the head of the Falls called Table
Rock. The mist from the Falls keeps the area constantly damp (wet) and cool (cold). At Table Rock you can once
again shop (we didn't) or you could take a tour of the tunnels behind the Falls (we didn't do that either) or you
can just take in the fantastic sight of the water rushing over the top of the Falls. Table Rock is also the starting
point for the People Movers.
The Niagara Parks People Movers travel daily from April to October, along one of the prettiest drives in the
world... the Niagara Parkway. One low fee allows you to travel all day along the 30 kilometre (19 miles) loop running
from just above the Falls to Queenston Heights Park and return. You may get on and off different People Movers
for no additional fee. The weekend that we were in Niagara Falls the People Mover was free.
We boarded the People mover and took a 
guided rider to the Niagara
Parks Botanical Gardens.
The grounds of the Niagara Parks Botanical Gardens is home to one of North America's largest collection of free
flying butterflies. 
This year
round exhibit showcases a wide variety of butterflies from around the world living in a lush, rain forest like
environment. A 183 m (600 ft.) network of pathways provides access for the physically challenged throughout the
1,022 square metre (11,000 square foot) conservatory, allowing visitors a rare opportunity to watch numerous species
of butterflies floating majestically among nectar producing flowers such as lantanas, pentas, and passion flowers.
Returning to the Hotel on the People Mover we were dropped off under the Rainbow Bridge infront of the Ride
Niagara While we are not big on the museums in Niagara, we did take in this one of the many rides available.
Ride
Niagara is a virtual Journey over the Falls, located under the bridge to the USA . The Ride Niagara adventure
begins with a film on a superwide screen where you have a breathtaking look at Niagara and the Welland Canal .
. . its history, opportunities and challenges. This presentation prepares you for the ride ahead. I found the film
to be very interesting, but I was disappointed with the ride. Now I did take my two sons on the ride this summer
and they thought it was the best part of their holiday, so I guess that adventure is in the eye of the beholder
aswell.
Our Sunday
Our Sunday began with another buffet breakfast in the Rainbow Room and then it was off to the Wineries
. This Year we visited the Hillebrand
Estetes. Located in the heart of 
NIAGARA-ON-THE-LAKE'S WINE REGION, HILLEBRAND
ESTATES offers wine lovers the rare opportunity to experience the art, craft and passion of wine and wine country.
At HILLEBRAND ESTATES, visitors are free to do much more than just taste the wines. You are encouraged to walk
among the vines, visit the cellars brows the rare and special vintages in the wine boutique, and enjoy spectacular
regional cuisne at HILLEBRAND'S VINEYARD CAFÉ.
After spending the middle part of the day at the winery we left the Niagara Regiaon. The reason we can return every
year to the same area is because you can't possibly take in all that the area has to offer. Next year we will try
to get to some of the other attraction in the area.
