Tuesday Talk (Niagara Edition)

It's time for Tuesday Talk with Ashley and Erika.

I am linking up with them HERE 

Today I decided to talk about Niagara!

We are getting ready for our first road trip- I mean we drive to various New England beach locations every year BUT this is a serious road trip- 8.23 hours to be exact!

When deciding what to do for our Spring Break, we had some offers from friends that we were contemplating but nothing got me as excited as thinking about a family road trip, and specifically, to one of the destinations that I went to with my family when I was a child.

Some of my favorite childhood memories include our summers.  They are not limited to our vacations but our vacation adventures are some of my favorite to reminisce about!

I approached Rob with the idea and he got just as excited as me.  So we are going!  Yes we are driving.  I think that will be half of the adventure!

We think this is also a budget-friendly idea.  We can't afford big trips right now so driving anywhere cuts down on airfare costs.

Another way we will be saving is by packing breakfast foods.  For our travel days and even the days we are there.  It will save on money AND time.  We are packing our cooler full of fruit, cheese sticks, crackers and granola bars along with tons of water!

I also have some things planned for our stay but we welcome any suggestions and advice and "must-sees" from all of you!  Feel free to comment or email me at hbinda@yahoo.com.

Here is what our loose itinerary looks like

We will be leaving home around 5:30am.  Our plan right now is to stop for lunch in Upstate New York somewhere.  Any suggestions?

With a stop, we think we should arrive to Niagara Falls around 2:30-3:30pm.  We will then check into our hotel

Four Points By Sheraton, Niagara Falls

Check them out HERE 

After checking in and changing, we will be walking to dinner.  I made us reservations at Canyon Creek.  Check them out HERE 

Get us to the falls already!

We plan on taking the Maid Of The Mist boat tour to the falls on our first morning there.  The 20 minute tour is very doable with a 2 year old in tow (yes I know she is turning 3 while we are there but geesh I need to keep her 2 for as long as I can!)

Check out the famous Maid of the Mist HERE 

After our boat tour, we are going to look into another tour- there are a few walking tours to consider but we want to talk to the staff and find out how doable they are with a stroller.

Once our educational part of the day is over, we plan on heading over to Clifton Hill so the kids can enjoy all of the amusements, games and candy.

Check it out  HERE

We have plenty of time to spend the late morning and afternoon there as I made us a later dinner reservation at Watermark.  Our reservation is set for 7:45pm because the falls are lit up in different colors after 8:30pm and I want the kids to be able to enjoy that!

Check out Watermark HERE 

A Day that will make Mama Happy

Niagara On the Lake

Yes...yes....I need to get there.  I remember when my family went when I was a child, my mom was so excited about all of the shops and gardens and scenery.  When I started planning this trip, I googled Niagara On The Lake and found that now the area is known for their wineries?  Seriously?  FTW!

I am SO EXCITED!  We will have to drive over there but then we can walk everywhere and I am really excited to tour a winery or two.

We plan on stopping for lunch at either one of the wineries or in the center of town.  This area has the best options.

There are so many options; I have some tips from a friend and some online suggestions but if you have a suggestion for a winery that we must see, please let me know!  Right now, it is a toss up between Peller Estates, Two Sisters Vineyards and Ravine Vineyard Estate Winery.  

and then Day 4 is our day to travel home.  I am sure I will be sad on this day, however, we will have Eva's birthday party to look forward to and more quality time with family and friends....and that's what I am talking about today!