The saying about the days being long and years short has never felt more true now that our oldest is in high school. Having the kids currently on two different school calendars restricts our travel times, but I have a spreadsheet (shocking to few who know me – I love a good spreadsheet) and we’re taking advantage of any little overlapping time off we can for family adventures. Thus came my crazy idea of taking a weekend trip to Canada in mid October. Which then quickly evolved into not just a visit to Toronto but also Buffalo, NY, and Niagara Falls as well.
From North Carolina to Toronto
Our trip plan changed a couple of times as we researched various methods of travel. Obviously, the simplest is round trip direct flights. But we love a good way one road trip which led us to considering a path that took us to Buffalo, driving to Toronto, and then flying home. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find a one way car rental option so that nixed that idea.
Instead, we booked round trip direct flights on AirCanada from RDU to Toronto Pearson. We left on Friday evening and returned on Monday afternoon. In between we crossed the border two additional times by vehicle and saw sights in Buffalo, Niagara Falls, and Toronto.
Buffalo
We found several fun places to visit in Buffalo, but only made it to a few (a sure sign we need to visit again!). Not wanting to rush too much on our first morning, we were a little later leaving Toronto than I originally planned. Not a big deal. We were on vacation. I had pre-booked exactly one tour in Buffalo and one tour in Toronto for this reason. Everything else was as we felt drawn.
Our first stop after crossing back into the US at Peace Bridge was Veterans Park. We found street parking nearby and took the time to enjoy the fall weather, stretch our legs, and see a few of the ships, planes, monuments and memorials from the walkways. You can purchase tickets to tour the ships. I opted not to due to time. We had a tour at the Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site booked at 12:30pm.
Visiting National Parks is always high on our list when we travel. My husband found the Roosevelt Inaugural NHS when we were researching for our trip and we quickly added it to our plans. The tour was fantastic. The guide clearly enjoys his job. He was very animated and detailed in his story telling.
Part of the home is look, don’t touch, but there are areas where visitors are encouraged to touch, interact, and learn more. The tour wasn’t very long leaving us time at the end to look at our leisure. All in all – even our youngest (not quite 10) was entertained. We all learned a good bit too.
Afterwards, we were ready for lunch. Before the trip, I had asked a coworker from upstate New York for recommendations. She gave me a few restaurant suggestions for the “best Buffalo wings.” We opted to try Gabriel’s Gate as it was just a couple of blocks away. Truly, I might have missed this local establishment without the suggestion. We were glad we went. It was fun, friendly, and the food was delicious. Perfect to fill us up before we headed back to Canada.
When traveling, don’t forget to pack your Travel Laundry Kit! Super helpful whether you have a small spill to deal with or just want to travel with less.
Niagara Falls
Knowing that Niagara Falls was our next destination and wanting to change up the scenery a bit, we headed northeast. This path took us across Grand Island and into Niagara Falls, NY, where we crossed the border at Rainbow International Bridge. We drove slowly down Niagara Parkway where the kids got their first glimpse of the falls.
I hadn’t visited Niagara Falls since college when I remember taking a Maid of the Mist tour. My husband visited once during a quick visit on a work trip. We wanted to do something fun and close to the falls with the kids. After reading a number of reviews and weighing options pre-trip, we decided to purchase tickets for the newest Niagara Parks attraction – the Power Station. (Tip: you can purchase your tickets and parking online beforehand. I did this from my phone as we approached but you may want to plan further ahead during busier times.)
Traveling with kids and a 5 year age gap, adventures can be a hit with one and miss with the other. This was a big win. We were all equally intrigued by the exhibits. We arrived a little after 4pm and, wanting to see the falls while it was still daylight, we headed first for the elevator to take us 180 feet below ground to the tunnel that leads to the river viewing platform. It’s a long walk (2,200 feet) but it doesn’t take too long especially when you can tap into stories in the included audio guide as you walk. Our favorites were the ghost and dynamite stories (if you go, let us know what you think).
And the view at the end? Amazing.
After taking in the view, we walked back through the tunnel to the elevator and upstairs to explore. Exhibits cover the history of the power plant as well as power in general (Edison, Westinghouse, and Tesla). There were plenty of artifacts to see, details to hear on the audio guide, and hands on exhibits as well.
The kids chose our final destination in Niagara Falls – a game of dinosaur mini golf in Clifton Hill. We walked along the sidewalks down the Niagara River enjoying the views of the falls to make our way there.
Admittedly, we were tired by the time our mini golf game ended. Instead of walking a mile back to our car at the Power Station, we hired a Lyft driver to take us. It was a worthwhile expense. From there, we loaded up and drove back to our hotel in Toronto to rest.
Toronto
We spent Sunday exploring Toronto. My husband used to visit frequently for work, but hadn’t really done any touristy things. I hadn’t visited since I was in college. It was a first for the kids so we opted to start downtown with a tour at the CN Tower. I booked the very first entry of the day to get us going and visit with lower crowds.
We enjoyed the views of the city from the main and lower levels. The OverView options where you could hold onto rails and lean forward over angled glass was new to me and so fun. The kids also got a kick out of the glass floor. It gave me chills just as it did nearly 30 years ago, but was still neat to see.
We spent nearly 2 hours in the CN Tower. Our next plan was to head east to St Lawrence Market for lunch. Thankfully, I double checked hours before we did and realized they were closed due to Canadian Thanksgiving. We quickly switched plans and found food nearby instead. Then enjoyed a bit of time at Roundhouse Park – checking out the train cars and the kids took a ride on the mini train.
We began our journey back toward our hotel north of the city with a stop at Nathan Phillips Square to see the various public art pieces and the large Toronto sign.
This trip was part of a birthday celebration for our daughter and one of her wishes was to swim. We made a point to end our day a bit earlier so we could do just that at the hotel’s indoor pool. It was the perfect way to cap off our final day of touring and relax.
Homeward Bound
We intentionally booked a midafternoon flight to return to Raleigh so we wouldn’t be rushed on our final morning in Toronto. We had breakfast at our hotel, finished packing, and arrived at the airport rental car return 4 hours before our flight departure. General rule of thumb is 3 hours early for international flights, but we wanted a little extra time.
Our process through security and US Customs were both quick. For the first, we were able to take advantage of TSA PreCheck in Terminal 1 (pay attention for this with the Global Entry and Nexus line) which allowed us to skip the longer standard security line. We then utilized the Mobile Passport Control app to access a shorter line at Customs.
Once we completed Customs, we found the US Customs Border Patrol interview waiting area. Our son has had TSA PreCheck for a few years. I still think it’s a great idea, but with Global Entry now free for kids and we’re traveling more, I wanted to try to get both kids enrolled. I completed their applications a week before our trip in hopes of completing their interviews via Enrollment on Arrival at YYZ. This is where having extra time paid off. We waited 2 hours before being called. The interview process was quick, but had we not gotten to the airport early, we might not have been able to do this.
We had just enough time afterward to grab sandwiches to go and board our flight home to Raleigh. Our weekend trip to Toronto and Buffalo complete, kids approved for Global Entry, and our travel hearts full until the next adventure.
