One of the most famous sights in the world, Niagara Falls are a quick trip upriver from Buffalo. They’re not the biggest or most powerful in the world, but they’re easy to reach and very easy to get up close and personal with. Once you venture underneath the falls on the famous Maid of the Mist boat ride ($12; 716/284-8897), or even stand on the brink at Prospect Park or Goat Island, you won’t soon forget the awesome force of the water tumbling in twin, 180-foot-tall torrents.
Much to the despair of the tourism authorities on the American side, where the surprisingly post-industrial town has long suffered from economic decline, the best view and the biggest tourist attractions are across a bridge on the Canadian side, where the Las Vegas–scale Fallsview Casino Resort ($100–250; 888/325-5788) recently joined the traditional wax museums, water parks, aquarium, and a Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Museum fronted by a statue of King Kong.
