I spent the week in Niagara Falls. It wasn’t apart of my plan. Originally I was supposed to be on an all-expense paid trip to Virginia with relaxing and meeting some family for the first time. But that didn’t happen. That plan failed. Soon a number of things would fall into pieces that would leave me wondering if I should even go on with this March break weekend that I had in my mind for months. I mean you have no idea all the events that occurred before this trip. You would think about throwing in the towel too.
Road Blocks Before The Trip
In order to get the full picture. I am going to have to sum it up pretty quick. The first roadblock, was Virginia trips disappeared within days of the assigned trip. (and those days were already booked off at work!) My solution: Let’s go Niagara Falls and we will drive there to save some money.
The second roadblock, my ride got into a car accident (the night before the trip), my driver is fine, no one hurt but the car didn’t survive. My solution: We will rent a car.
Third road block, money transfer onto credit card won’t be able to go on until three business days (this day was a Saturday and also the day we are supposed to be leaving).
At this point. I am not even packed. Nor have I packed for my son. My stress levels are high because the hotel is already booked and I am on the verge of screaming cancel is trip. I may have even said this out loud. So, I uber home and sit on my bed just shaking my head. I mean I can’t catch a break. My solution: Bus it! Found last minute mega bus tickets for that day, slept the short travel there and arrived at the hotel.
At this point, I am pinching myself on if I actually got there. Did this really happen? Am I actually at the hotel that I booked? Indeed I was. I made it. No one stopped me. No roadblock truly got into my way because I made it! Please make a confetti canon shoot into the sky because I deserve it. I don’t get why I need to climb an entire mountain to get one family vacation away but I made it.
We stayed at the Ramada Hotel Niagara Falls Fallsview. I wasn’t looking for luxury since I was staying there for a week. Honestly, I wanted a comfortable hotel, family friendly, close to the activities and that is affordable but not a motel. Those were my guidelines and that is exactly what I got. I love finding hotels on Groupon!
Believe it or not, this trip ended up being the best trip of my life.
Here are a few reasons why:
1) Relaxation. For once I actually relaxed with no set plans and no responsibilities. Of course, I had dedicated 10 minutes to keep my blog live active but then back to relaxation. Out of all my vacations, relaxing has never happened. Awesome!
2) Family Bonding. Just no distraction but awesome family time spending time together and not on our devices all day. The fresh air along with building new memories together.
3) Fun. Simple plain old fun. I know am guilty of being stuck in a device tunnel vision sometimes but this time I really reframed and enjoyed every moment and second to laugh and smile and enjoy life itself.
Things to Do In Niagara Falls:
Sightsee
Skywheel
Food/ Dining
First place is the Rainforest Cafe! This restaurant is one of my favorite places to eat. I love the greenery to make you feel that you are in a rainforest. There are animals that move every few minutes with the sounds of thunder and rain. Little stars in the ceiling and a store for some goodies to buy. I’ve been going to this chain of restaurants since I have been little so it brought me great joy to bring my son there for his very first time. The food is pricey however so worth a night of dining.
Another place, I love to eat is Boston Pizza. I mean it is a classic place for the family to go and dine without breaking the bank. No, they don’t only sell pizza and yes your can get favorites like plates of pasta and spaghetti. The service is very nice and they are attached to the bowling place.
Activites
There is so much to do. Lots of museums like the Ripley’s Believe it or not and a wax museum. You know the ones that can take pictures celebrities. Kids and adults love the gaming areas, winning all these tickets and racing cars. My son loved all the car racing games and then I got him addicted to this fish game that spills out so many tickets if you get the right fish. I found myself joining in to get as many tickets as we could. So much fun. We filled up to five cups of tickets for the machines and got some goodies. One kid spent the whole day with their mom just filling cups like crazy.
There is also indoor and outdoor golf. This was the first time that I have ever done golf and had a great deal of fun. Who knew my little son was a mini tiger woods. The Go-Kart area was under construction and we didn’t make it to the indoor waterpark so we missed out on that. Things to add to if we go back again.
Mega Bus
I would hand down recommend the Mega bus. They are an affordable way to get to the city and they saved me out of a situation that could have ended with no smiles. Also, you don’t drive but can relax and really enjoy yourself. Put some movie on for the kids with headphones or watch them sleep. I used to go on buses all the time to travel to cities when I was young and love that there is a bathroom right there on the bus. If only cars had that option on long distance traveling.
Final Thoughts
