The Glennons at the Whirlpool Jet Boat Tour in Lewiston, NY

You know the saying “why bother to enter a contest, I never win”…well…these were my thoughts but I entered anyway as I was browsing the website for Niagara Falls information, contemplating a future trip there. I learned an important lesson…winning is possible!!!!!

Having the opportunity to take my family to Niagara, New York and see the sights was something that I was very excited about. Upon arriving at our hotel, the gorgeous Seneca Niagara Casino and Hotel, my excitement and expectations were completely blown away thanks to the Niagara Tourism and Convention Corporation’s amazing winnings package! Two thoughtful gift bags, with little goodies for all four of us, were left at the front desk. Our room was located on the twenty-sixth floor with an outrageous view of Canada’s downtown Niagara and the Falls. We could hardly wait to drop our stuff and begin our trip! The cool weather and slight rain didn’t stop my family and I from enjoying the breathtaking views of the Niagara Falls. Whether it was standing from various lookout spots, riding the Maid of the Mist or walking along the Cave of the Winds (my sons’ personal favorite area was the aptly named “Hurricane Deck”) we took advantage of every angle (and splash of water) the Falls had! After traveling all morning and spending all day at the Falls, a hot shower, filling meal at one of 5 restaurants in the hotel (we ate at three of them during the weekend… all fantastic!) and a little bit of wandering around the hotel and playing in the casino was a perfect way to end the day.

The next morning, we traveled to Youngstown for a great, quick breakfast at this quaint little restaurant called The Village Diner. Afterward Fort Niagara awaited us and it was incredible. The weather was perfect and we took advantage of every tour and demonstration the Fort had to offer. A few hours later we were off to our Whitewater Jet Boat experience. A twin-turbo, jet engine propelled us in a “open air” boat along the rapids of the Niagara Falls. To say we got wet would be an understatement, but it was well worth it! Our day was not over yet, thanks to Niagara Tourism and Jennifer, our host! Needing to refuel ourselves, Jennifer recommended this great barbeque place just down the road called the Brickyard Pub and BBQ. Food was fabulous! Fully charged, the next thing on our agenda was to visit some of the wineries nearby. Again, the weather was gorgeous and allowed us to really get an up-close look at the vineyards (something we don’t have in Florida). Sampling wine and speaking with individuals from the wineries was a great way to finish off the afternoon.
Later that night we traveled over the border to see the Falls illuminated from the Canadian side. Again, breathtaking views. The best part was we were close enough to the hotel that we were able to spend a couple of hours in Canada and make it back to our hotel within minutes. Though Niagra USA still had tours and events for us to attend, we were exhausted from the weekend’s events and only had enough time to pack up, visit Jennifer at her office to say thank you and catch our flight.

Needless to say, my family and I had a tremendous time in Niagara Falls. We did everything we wanted to do and our expectations were more than met. A special thanks to Jennifer, who was in constant communication with me to make sure that we took advantage of everything we could during our stay in Niagara Falls, New York. From itineraries, to reservations, to restaurant recommendations to weather reports…she was awesome! From the hotel to the sights, everything was great and my family and I thank you for an amazing and memorable weekend!
Sincerely,

-The Glennon Family
Fla.

This entry was posted on Monday, October 5th, 2009 at 12:34 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.