OT: Niagra Falls area vacation ideas

Hi New York OHers...

I'm planning a trip to the Niagra Falls area in late June/early July this year.  I'm looking for hotel recommendations and not-to-be-missed attraction recommendations. 

Is it possible to get a nice hotel for $100-$150 a night? or am I looking at spending more?

I have AARP or AAA discounts available to me....  I will have a rental car....

I have Maid of the Mist and the big ferris wheel on my to-do list, what else do you recommend?  I'm not really a "casino" person but plan to a least check it out....

We have passports so the Canadian side is a possibility....anything over there?

Thanks in advance for any information you can give me.....

I would plan on staying on the Canadian side, the hotel rates are much cheaper, and there is about 150% more to do over there than the american side.  Have a great trip!!

Canadian side is prettier- they have tons of flowers and lots of shopping, restaurants.
But- I would recommend the american side for the Maid of the Mist ride and the Cave of the Winds.  You can get a combo ticket that gets you both with possibly  a couple more things, like a trolly type tour.  Cave of the winds is an experience you wont forget- you take an elevator down and get to walk right at the base of the falls- so cool.

http://www.niagarafallslive.com/cave_of_the_winds.htm


Enjoy!

PS The casino on the US side has a nice hotel and is walking distance to everything- but I don't know their rates

you can definitely get a hotel in that price range. def do the maid of the mist and cave of the winds...that is aesome. the canadian side is prettier, i hate to say. some things to do in canada are the butterfly conservatory, niagara on the lake is a beautiful town with lots of shopping. there are also many wineries if you are into that

I guess I'm in the minority, but I prefer the American side. It's more natural. I like to pack a picnic in the summertime and eat by the falls.

I would visit the Castellani Art Museum at Niagara University for their Underground Railroad exhibit: http://www.freedomcrossingniagara.com/. There are also Underground Railroad tours led by Motherland Connextions: http://www.motherlandconnextions.com/tours.html.

Will you be heading into Buffalo? It's about a 20 minute drive. There is the Albright Knox Art Museum, the CEPA Gallery (a free photography museum), Frank Lloyd Wright House, The Wilcox Mansion where Teddy Roosevelt was inaugerated, row boat rentals at Delaware Park, shopping along Elmwood Avenue, ect. There are also reasonably priced tours of the city: http://www.preservationbuffaloniagara.org/page/buffalo-tours /. And ghost tours at night: http://www.masonwinfield.com/.

Yay I saw a news reprot of the motherland underground railroad tours.  THey were doing a re-enactment and it was profoundly moving.  It would be so cool to do it in person!