Are you going to Campobello Island when you do Bay of Fundy?

Have you been to Niagara Falls? I wouldn't recommend very much time there at all. There is very little to do once you see the falls and it is very tourist-trappy in the worst possible way. U.S. side is downright seedy IMHO, Canadian side is better but still not much to do.

I will be watching this thread w/ interest b/c we are doing New England this summer too (rented a house in Whiting, ME for a month and planning to do day trips).

Beagles, Yes! We haven't planned it yet but we wanted to do that, and also we really wanted to stay in a yurt. (no joking)

No, I've never been to Niagara Falls, but I feel like we sort of have to? We have taken our kids many places internationally, and we just decided last year to plan out a way to take 4 US trips with just each region's highlights, so they could see the US, too. How could we not do NF....?

Im glad this thread might help you too!

Wow you are much more adventurous than I am w/ the yurt!

Yes, I would think you do have to see NF but just really don't plan more than a day there. You can see the falls, do the Whirlpool Jet Boat tour (more fun than Maid of the Mist, I think) and do Skylon Tower in a day and then get out of there. I wouldn't even bother to go to the U.S. side at all (views are better from Canada) and other than the things I just mentioned in the state park, there's really nothing to do in Niagara Falls Canada except casinos, bars and stuff like Ripley's Believe it Or Not (tacky tourist stuff).

You'll be pretty close to Niagara on the Lake when you are in Niagara Falls and I would recommend stopping by there. It is a very cute little village w/ quaint shops (fudge, homemade jelly, tea) and pubs (Old Angel Inn is great!) If your family likes to go to the theatre, you could also do the Shaw Festival in Niagara on the Lake, not sure what is playing there this summer but it is worth checking out.

Yes, DH does not believe me when I saw I want to stay in a yurt. But we stayed in a cave and on a houseboat last summer! (I will probably make back up reservations just in case....LOL)

I will check out the Shaw festival!

We've been to Acadia which is fabulous, but haven't been to that part of Canada. However, as a suggestion, you might want to take a look at Tauck Tours. Not to take the tour, but to see the places they go and the places they stay so you can get an idea of what the key highlights are and how much time you might want to spend there or how much time to allow to travel between the spots. Since they do this all the time and they are always tweaking their tours, they've nailed it down pretty well to the "don't miss this"...

We've taken 5 tours with Tauck and they are fabulous but we have also used their trip itineraries to help plan our own vacations and that's been very helpful too.

Here is a link that might be useful: Tauck Tour Eastern Canada

We stayed in a yurt once, in upstate NY -LOVED it!

I have to concur about Niagara Falls. We went, and it was fun for the kids -especially the ride on the Maid of the Mist. But other than that few hours, I'm not sure it's a worthy destination.

Just a little bit further away is a place called Thousand Islands, which I'm really, really looking forward to visiting some day soon. Friends told me about it, and then other friends stopped by on a trip they made to Toronto, and they fell completely in love.

Here is a link that might be useful: 1000 Islands

My kids loved Niagara Falls too. Maid of the Mist is a touristy blast. Despite all the tackiness, it was worth staying overnight in Niagara Falls just to stay in a high floor room at the Embassy Suites with the falls right outside our window.

If you are heading up to Canada, I would look into stopping in Lake Placid. It's a lovely place with some very nice hotels, outdoor activities, Olympic attractions plus great energy from the Olympic training center activities.

This post was edited by deee on Mon, Jan 28, 13 at 9:21

agree, that niagra is super touristy in a very tacky way, but, you gotta go anyway!! the falls are awesome! (my kids used to love the 'maze' that they had there--- a timed maze they ran thru- agree, the canadian side was nicer- stayed a couple of days there twice- but it's been years since we have been...)
the maid of the mist is ok, but i would recommend the cave of the winds walk over the MOM- much better, imo.

love acadia!! but, it can be much more than some light hiking!!! be prepared for some really awesome hikes there if you really explore the trails! if your kids are good hikers and love it, you could spend a decent amt of time there! next time we go there, i would love to bring bikes!

i remember going on a 1,000 island boat tour when i was a young kid with my family and liking it, but haven't done that as an adult, so can't give any input...

One of our favorite family vacations was the maritime provinces of Canada, and our particular favorite was Nova Scotia. After traveling along the breathtaking coastline, we visited the Maritime Museum in Halifax (terrific display about the Titanic--3 ships from Halifax participated in the rescue/salvage operations) and the Halifax Explosion (WWI), somewhat lost in the mists of history, but an amazing display and story. We hiked bogs in Cape Breton, spoke French in Cheticamp, saw moose and eagles, ate the best seafood ever, toured the Fortress of Louisbourg... PEI was very tame and the topography much less exciting by comparison (though still lovely!). We loved the Bay of Fundi. Our month-long journey eventually took us to Montreal and Quebec, where we attended a friend's wedding, but Nova Scotia was by far the highlight of the trip, and a place I look forward to returning to.

I will be interested in your reactions to Niagra Falls. Several times I have been on the cusp of planning a trip there just to see it, but the negative comments kept me away. Then, the last time I went someplace just to see it I found myself thinking, "this is just a really big hole in the ground, why am I here?" Yes, it was the Grand Canyon :-)

DH and the other couple we were with were entranced--- and the other folk had been there before! I should have let them go and booked another spa day for myself. After that I have resolved never again to be sucked into a trip for that reason.

LOL, KSWL.

For my own purposes, I would never go to Niagara Falls. I would think of going to Angel Falls, Iguazu Falls, Victoria Falls, but not Niagara.

But here is the context. We love to travel and DH and I have almost literally seen the world. We also decided years ago that, as a family, we would travel to all seven continents and see as much as we reasonably could in each one, albeit that really means a sampling. We only have Antarctica left ... probably not until 2015 as we would go over xmas and we just missed xmas at home this year.

Anyway, what's kind of funny is that, as adults, we often get inspired to take trips based on places we here about from friends. And you know what, kids, even in elementary school, are the same way. So my kids hear more about their friends going to Disney or the Grand Canyon or Steamboat or Cancun, etc. My DD asked to go to the Grand Canyon last year, and I was glad she did. (more on that later). And it made me realize that i was being pretty dismissive about travel right here in the US. So we added to our "bucket list", trips to all four regions of the US.

A NE trip is sort of odd since we live here, but that's what we want to do this summer. As a kid I have already done PEI, NS, Bay of Fundy. As an adult I have been to Portland and Montreal. Never to Acadia or Toronto or Niagara.

There is a Sheraton Niagara that has its own waterpark. My kids are really good about never having been to Disney and about things like sitting through Tosca at the Santa Fe Opera, so once in a while I like to bow to their wishes and I think they will really like the waterpark. As for DH and, we will keep the Niagara portion short!

PS I was sooooo not interested in the Grand Canyon. I was surprised that I did like it, very much. But I have no idea why you'd need more than one day there. And the "fancy" EL Tovar? Oh my, what a dump. We got the "pres'l suite", and i can't really believe a prez would stay there. At least not without shampooing the carpet. For my purposes, I much preferred Lake Powell. But I would say overall, our SW trip, which included everything from a cave to a houseboat to a Four Seasons, and from ranching to opera, was very memorable and fun. It belongs right up there with any of our international trips.

Forgot to say thanks to everyone else. Annie, good idea to see where Tauck goes, thanks.

I haven't read all the responses but wanted to pitch in and say how much we loved staying in yurts while on vacation. I wanted to put one on our property and toured a company that manufactured them.

Sounds like a great trip. I lived in Amherst for a few years and did travel a bit but still haven't seen enough of the NE-- especially Maine and the Maritime provinces. We just decided that this summer we'll do Montreal and Quebec City. I'd love to add Toronto too but we'll likely save that for the fall.

I've never been to NF either but friends of mine who are pretty serious travelers took their sons there for a long weekend. They had a blast-- key to their stay was a hotel overlooking the falls.

Love your plan to see all 4 regions of the US. I really value my childhood trips to the off the beaten path locations as well as the tourist stops (even the tacky ones lol!)

We did a vacation in Portland one year then the next we went to Acadia. Loved both of those spots. Don't forget to stop in Camden ME. I grew up in Bflo so NF was commonplace to me. You have to go. We took our 5 year old Grandson on the Maid of the Mist and when we got off he declared the "that was quite a storm!"

The finger Lakes are beautiful as are the 1,000 islands.
Good luck with your trip, sounds like fun.

Niagara is probably worthwhile doing though my trip remains with bittersweet memories...I was probably about 7 at the time and the family was to go see the lights on the falls at night...except I got sick as a dog. So Dad and brother went to see the lights on the falls while mom was in the room with me while i was barfing my guts out. Of course being as sensitive as they were, Dad and bro came back and raved to mother about how beautiful it was and too bad she missed it.... She never did get to see it, thanks to me.

It is ticky tacky but fun for kids....the maid of the mist, the whirlpool, wandering through all the tunnels where you go behind the falls, the museum with the barrels in it of all the crazies who have gone over the falls. And of course the fabulous movie with Marilyn Monroe and Joseph Cotten is not to be missed whether you make it to the falls or not...probably the most famous walking scene ever filmed.

Still, as falls rank, I'd put yellowstone pretty high on my list...

Don't know if you'd take a spin through NH or save it for another trip, but it's fun to take the cog train up Mt Washington, or hike through Franconia Notch...it's really pretty up that way.

This post was edited by AnnieDeighnaugh on Tue, Jan 29, 13 at 7:35

Thanks, Annie, I will add those to my "investigate" list.

It's funny how many of these suggestions are places I went to as a kid (Mt. Washington, !,000 Lakes). The one thing I worry about is variety. I need to mix it up between city and country, or they will get laked and mountained out, I know I did at their age!

Well, you know, if you like waterfalls, the ones at Letchworth State Park (about 60 miles south of Buffalo) are very, very nice, if not as enormous as Niagara. The Glen Iris Inn is right next to the middle falls and an interesting historic building. While there are a lot of tourists around during the day when the weather is good, it's really cool to be there at night, like having your own private falls. (Food there isn't what it used to be, though.)

EDIT found a site with better photos and videos of the falls:

Here is a link that might be useful: waterfalls at Letchworth

This post was edited by writersblock on Mon, Jan 28, 13 at 22:22

Thanks, Writersblock. But I think the kids will only want to see one Falls, and it will probably have to be the NF. Pretty place though.

I have been looking on line and I really want to add in Cape Breton, probably flying from Montreal to Halifax to do that. I also want to go to Burlington VT because they have a great Rails to Trails there I've always wanted to do.

I have a question about cities. Toronto is so close to NF I think we may as well stay there, and drive to NF. Can we do NF as a daytrip from Toronto? I notice the Four Seasons Toronto (i think it is their HQ) mentions daytrips to Niagara on the Lake but not NF; is that due to distance or preference?

Next question --- Montreal, Quebec City, or both?

The last and only time I was in Niagara Falls was in 1980 for the Superman 2 premiere :-). We spent two nights there but only because we had flown in from Los Angeles. Otherwise, I would have been happy with just one night. You can take a day trip from Toronto.

Since you're going to be in Montreal, I would go to Quebec as well. When we were in Montreal, we skipped Quebec and I've regretted that decision. We headed down to New England to Lenox. As natives of Los Angeles, we couldn't get enough fall foliage....but I digress.

The Four Seasons headquarters is in Toronto. I remember sending them a letter after we stayed at our first Four Seasons in Georgetown (I think it was the first FS in the US). What a wonderful experience. We've been FS'ers since!

I envy you and your family for sharing such wonderful experiences. I know I remember each and every vacation I took with my parents and that was over 40 years ago.

The only downside I could see to just doing a day trip to the falls is that you will miss the lights over the falls at night, which are very pretty and a nice experience, probably worth seeing if you are only going to visit the falls once in your life (which trust me, will be enough). Of course the hotels in Toronto are going to be way better than the hotels in the falls so there's that to consider.

Were it me, I'd probably spend most of the day in Toronto or Niagara on the Lake. Then I would either eat an early dinner in Niagara on the Lake (preferable) and then go up to the falls to get there around night time and see the lights. Alternatively, get to the Falls around dinner time, have dinner at the 21 Club at the Fallsview Casino resort (fancier restaurant, pretty good but not as good as Toronto or Niagara on the Lake restaurants) and see the lights then.

Stay overnight, do the falls activities the next day in the morning/afternoon and head on to your next destination or back to Toronto that day.

We did an Acadia, PEI, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick tour a few years back and spent 2 wks on holiday.

If you are adding on all the other things, I think you're biting off too much...assuming you stick with 2 ish wks.

If you do fly within eastern Canada, look into Porter Airlines. I'm on my monthly trip to Toronto now, having arrived yesterday on Porter at Island Airport. in Toronto, Island is right downtown- it's a huge time saver not having to fly into Pearson...traffic in/around Toronto is horrible.

If you're heading to Niagara, another sight that was fun was to see the locks at the Welland Canal...they have both the current canal and the tiny historic one to see.

Harraseeket Inn, Freeport, Maine, is a lovely place to spend a night or two. Its restaurant, Maine Dining Room, is superb, and, all in all, the inn is a gem. Open around the clock, the L.L. Bean Store is fun. Be sure to check out Bean's Discovery Series in advance; it offers short classes to try out a new outdoor activity. Penobscot Marine Museum in Searsport, Maine, has activities for children and a wonderful maritime art collection; Maine Maritime Museum, Bath, Maine, is another good museum; Fort Knox State Park is worthwhile and a good outdoor attraction especially for children. Consider a daysail in Belfast as well as eat wicked good lobster and other seafood until sated!

If you stay an extra day at N.Fs. you could take in the spectacular botanical gardens. I and my friends stayed in Toronto for five days and were busy the entire time, I loved every bit of it. Take in the Minolta building and you can see the most spectacular views from the roof for no money, we loved that. There are many Italians in Toronto so check out one of their restaurants, wonderful. I took the cable car across the whirlpool in the waters from the fall, terrifying but fabulous.

Don't underestimate the distances in the Canadian Maritimes or anywhere else in Canada. I don't think you can do everything on your list in 2 weeks.
We have taken two vacations to the Canadian Maritimes recently.The first one we flew into Portland and then rented a car and drove to Campobello Island and then took the ferry over to New Brunswick and the Bay of Fundy and PEI. The spectacular side of the Bay of Fundy is from the New Brunswick side. WE were up there 10 days.

Nova Scotia was our second trip up there. I think to do justice to NS, you need at least 10 days, two weeks would be better, It's a long way from the southern tip of the island up to Cape Breton.
If you go to Montreal , do not miss going to Quebec City.
If I had to choose between Montreal or Quebec City, I'd choose Quebec City.

Niagra on the Lake is lovely . It reminds me of some of the little towns in the California wine country.
We did see a play at the Shaw theatre there .
If I did Niagra Falls again , I would just make it a day trip and stay elsewhere.

Thank you all, this has been so helpful in shaping our itinerary.

For one, I won't be spending a single night in a subpar NF hotel ... there is a delightful inn and spa some 20 minutes away at scenic NFOTL.... thanks for that idea alone!

I also added in Cape Breton and ditched Montreal for QC (other than as a lunch stop).

Oh and it's 3 weeks now. When its final I will post FWIW. We are all excited about the trip!

Wow, it's funny how people have such different ideas of what is worth seeing. I've been to Niagra five times, with and without kids. I could stare at those Falls endlessly. Every time I go I do every possible "tour" of the Falls. The Cave of the Winds is not to be missed. Sometimes I get off the MOM and get right back on the next trip, and the next. I'm mesmerized by those Falls and the closer I get to them the better.

I'm not fond of the cable car over the whirlpool, but I do it if the others in my group want to do it. I heard the cave that goes behind the Falls is closed now and if so I'll be heartbroken as that is a fantastic experience.

I am told that Goat Island is the best of all the attractions in NF, but somehow I have never managed to get over there.
There is a safari/amusement park between NF and Toronto...my whole family loves that place.
The only thing I've really enjoyed seeing in TO is the "castle" that is there.
I spent a week at 1,000 islands once. It was a long week, lol. The highlight of that trip was also a castle built on a privately owned island.
NF does have a horrible area full of mini golf, funhouses, ripleys, etc.

Our trip is now planned, plotted, mapped, and booked. I am pretty excited about the variety of things we will do an see on our New England/Canada trip.

I have opted not to do certain things, and added in other things, in part thanks to the collective wisdom of this board. Thank you!

We are going for 21 days. We will be busy, but that's the way we travel.

We will got to Burlington, Montreal, Quebec City, Toronto, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Cape Breton, PEI, Bay of Fundy, Campobello, Bar Harbor and Ogunquit (some of these just for lunch and on the way).

We are staying in luxury hotels, one with a spa, one golf resort, a tiny purple lakeside cottage, BnBs, a grey seaside cottage, a yurt, and a working lighthouse.

We will do a Rails to Trails bikeride on Lake Champlain, jetboat, see a Shaw play, golf, kayak, hike, and walk the beach.

We hope to see Campobello, Old city Quebec, Niagara Falls, the tides of Fundy, Anne of Green Gables countryside, and whales, seals, and moose.

When I research vacations this thoroughly, I always feel like I've already been there by the time I'm done. BTW, lots of places are booked already, it's not too early to plan...