Considering that the beauty of Niagara Falls is the great outdoors, it’s not surprising this Great White North city is most popular in the summer. That’s when the sunlight reflects off the mist of the mighty Horseshoe Falls, creating rainbows arching from shore to shore, while visitors are cooled by the mist during the heat of the day. Definitely, there’s plenty to see and lots of activity in this most travelled season, but there’s many rewards (including reduced hotel rates) during the three other seasons of the year.

 

Summer

 

Summer is when Niagara Falls is in full bloom metaphorically and literally. Niagara Parks is responsible for planting the gardens and parks along the Niagara Parkway, including popular sites such as: Queen Victoria Park in the heart of Niagara Falls; the much-photographed Floral Clock made of 40 feet of bedding plants; Queenston Heights Park where the southern point of the Bruce Trail (a hiking trail along Ontario's Niagara Escarpment) terminates and a statue of General Brock stands guard watching the American shore; and the Niagara Parks Floral Showhouse, a less travelled but not-to-be-missed, calming highlight.

 

The Floral Showhouse is open to the public daily; both the greenhouse and surrounding parks are free to the public and there’s a guest book to record comments from those who enjoyed the carefully cultivated plants and gardens, including a crowd pleasing rose collection. The Niagara Parks Peoplemover shuttle travels between Queenston and the Niagara Floral Showhouse every 15 minutes, and it’s free when you purchase a NIagara Falls & Great Gorge Adventure Pass.

 

Winter

 

Winter along the Falls is almost as popular as summer for two reasons: First, the still thunderous waters are equally as photogenic framed by great frozen icicles drooping along the edge of the waterfall. This is accented by sheets of thick ice slabs floating down the river and capped with a frosty haze reflecting a winter rainbow.

 

Second, the Niagara Falls Winter Festival of Lights illuminates the Park with five kilometres of fun vignettes of lit cartoon characters lined up along the Niagara Parkway from Clifton Hill to Dufferin Islands where the theme becomes Canadian Great Outdoors. The entire route is drivable. The loop into the Dufferin Islands displays circles back to the Parkway where you’ll see the Falls lit up with coloured floods as it is every evening after dusk.

 

The Butterfly Conservatory will get you thinking about warmer weather. Over 2,000 butterflies flutter freely in this 11,000-square-foot facility. A winding 600-foot path leads you through the rainforest-like environment, past ponds and feeding trays for the fragile butterflies.

 

Fall

 

The White Water Walk along the Niagara River is popular in the summer when the shade trees are a welcome reprieve from the heat, but there’s nothing like seeing the Niagara foliage changing colours in early Fall. Visitors to the White Water Walk descend into the gorge via elevator, walk through a tunnel and end up along the safe railed boardwalk that takes them on an easy woodland stroll along the banks of Class Six rapids - the strongest nature has to offer. There are two bi-level viewing platforms where nature lovers can set up tripods capturing shots of the ballet of foam and frenzy.

 

If coloured leaves are your thing, then the Niagara Glen Nature Reserve should be your next stop. Here are seven linked walking trails ranging from short (0.4km or ¼ mile) to long (3.3km or 2 miles) for the adventurous to follow. If you don’t mind heights, one of the best vantage points is from the Whirlpool Aero Car, an antique cable car that takes you over the intense Niagara rapids and Whirlpool. The ride runs until late November, and is reduced price with a Niagara Falls & Great Gorge Adventure Pass.

 

Spring

 

Spring is the season of transitions, when everything is starting up again, bulbs and trees are in bloom along the entire Niagara Parkway. Chefs at Elements on the Falls, Edgewaters Tap & Grill and Riverview International Buffet are combing local farms for seasonal menu inspirations while wineries in Niagara-on-the-Lake are launching new vintages.

 

Even in May, it’s still a little chill outside. So drifting inside is often the preferred option. Old Fort Erie (in Fort Erie), originally built in 1764, clings to ghosts from the American Revolution, the War of 1812, and the underground railway days of the 1800s. Speaking of 1812, the Laura Secord Homestead, where the famous Canadian war heroine lived, is only ten minutes north of the Falls. The McFarland House near Nagara-on-the-Lake, was built of bricks dried in a kiln on the property and served as a British military headquarters and hospital during the War of1812.

 

The Mackenzie Printery and Newspaper Museum in Queenston is Canada’s largest working printing museum and contains one of the few wooden presses left in the world. For engineering buffs (and others) the Sir Adam Beck 2 Generating Station is one of the province’s largest hydroelectricity generating facilities. Tours are 40-minutes long, including a short film. All these attractions, more educational than those commonly associated with Niagara Falls, have already reasonable admission prices that are further discounted with the purchase of a Niagara Falls & Great Gorge Adventure Pass. Most are open May to Labour Day.