A must-see visit in every North American child’s life is Niagara Falls. The epic and awe-inspiring work of Mother Nature is located just a short direct flight away from Orlando via either Buffalo, New York or Niagara Falls airport. I’d had the opportunity to stand on both sides of this towering body of water when I was a child and I wanted to make sure Singh was able to experience the pure rush of power and adrenaline created by the falls.

We flew on Jetblue and landed with ease in Buffalo, rented a car, and hit the road to cross US/Canadian border. Still waiting on Singh’s US citizenship, there were a few extra questions as we crossed the boarder with a Thai passport, but his green card was all we actually needed to drive into our neighbor to the North. The drive was just under 40 minutes until we were parked and checked into our hotel for our stay, the Skyline Hotel and Waterpark. I’ll be happy to admit that the other main reason for coming to the area was to hit a few of the huge indoor waterparks Niagara Falls offered. Singh loves slides and is pretty damn fearless, so a hotel attached to a sprawling indoor water area was perfect this trip.

We ate a light dinner and decided to spend an hour exploring the lights and sights of the Niagara Falls area. We were within walking distance to the tourist area and the falls themselves which were awesome. When traveling with a child, it is a great idea to stay close to all the attractions as trying to find parking would have been a costly and annoying nightmare. We ate some vegan ice cream cones as we walked across the street to get our first glimpse of the misty falls. Illuminated by a rainbow of alternating colors, Singh’s first words when his eyes saw it was, “Wow! Mom! Look!” And my heart swelled with happiness. Walking along the shore, eating vegan ice cream, holding my son’s hand as we took in the power of the falls at night was the most incredible feeling. The waterfall was indeed an awesome sight, but not as awesome as my son’s reaction to seeing it for the first time.

We explored the area a bit more after we gobbled up our dessert cones, then hit an arcade on the way back and filled our pockets with game tickets and cheap souvenirs. We stayed out later than Singh’s bedtime, but those extra hours wandering around the carnival-like atmosphere at the base off the falls more than made up for us sleeping in late the next morning.

After a hearty breakfast, we hit the ground running again, this time to go and explore the falls under the sparkling July sun. On our walk it quickly became apparent that I should have packed his stroller as his 4-year-old legs tired quickly trying to dodge the summer crowds walking to the visitor center. Speaking of the newly renovated center, it was insanely crowded. We arrived to book a few tours around 11am, and most of them were sold out for the day. This was, of course, my fault as I didn’t really plan out too much of this trip. Seeing as I had already visited the area, I figured this would be a good vacation to wing. I was wrong. Especially since it had been 20 years since I had last visited and quite a lot had changed.

But no worries, traveling is all about being flexible and going with the flow. We took the opportunity to purchase tickets for the following morning to experience the Niagara Falls cave system for the morning before we flew back home. We didn’t head back to the hotel immediately, though, opting for some photos, amazing glances at the falls, and a quick stop at the gift shop. With Singh on my shoulders, we skipped back to the hotel to change into our bathing suits and spend the rest of the sweltering afternoon splishing and splashing at the hotel’s waterpark.

Peek-a-boo views of the falls greeted us as they scanned our wristbands and let us into the expansive indoor water arena. A splash area, a complex of slides, and a huge wave pool awaited us. We found some beach chairs and spent the next several hours having a blast together. Singh’s giggles echoed in the huge park and my smile stayed plasted on my face until well after we left to go back to the hotel to shower and change for dinner.

We walked to a TGI Fridays just down the street, where I enjoyed a drink and some vegan food while Singh passed out eating his French fries. I carried him back to the hotel and he fell fast asleep, both the falls and the waterpark having zapped his energy completely.

Early the next morning we packed up and headed to the falls one final time before we were set to non-rev back home. We had tickets for a scheduled cave tour and Singh was beyond excited. We donned our ponchos and boarded an elevator that took us deep within the caverns below the powerful falls. The cave system was pretty extensive and we were both surprised whenever we turned a corner and a came upon a wall of water. I had never experienced the falls from this angle and I was glad I had the opportunity to do so with my son.

Drying off on the elevator ride back up to the surface, Singh gave me a huge hug and said “Mom you are awesome.” I was towards the back of the elevator so no one was able to see the huge smile I had shining on my face.

The rest of the afternoon was spend traveling back to the Buffalo airport, returning the car, and easily non-revving via Southwest back home to Orlando. A trip to Nigara Falls is one that should be on everyone’s bucket list, and I am so happy that I’ve now had the opportunity to see it twice.

The area is extremely kid and family friendly and despite the summer crowds, it is definitely do-able for children and families of all ages. It’s a bit more expensive than some destinations, say in Central America, but prices felt no different here than back home in Orlando. This trip was shorter than some of my other trips I have taken with the Singh-man, but three days was really all you needed to fully explore the area and still have time to relax. Niagara Falls is a gift from nature we can enjoy here in North America without flying around the world to experience, so make sure to add this to your next family destination.