Category: Niagara Falls Hotels

Legends in Concert: Experience award winning performances of your favourite singers at Legends in Concert. With tributes to Whitney Houston, Madonna, Bruce Springsteen and many more, this concert is one you will not want to miss.

Runway Art Hair Fashion Event: Combine artistic fashion, design, edge hair and aesthetics with a choreographed runway and you have Runway Art Hair. With tons of interactive activities and proceeds going toward the Many Hands Project, your Saturday will be well spent.

Real Canadian Craft Beer Festival: For the beer enthusiasts out there, the Real Canadian Craft Beer Festival is calling your name. This event will feature craft beer from breweries across Ontario, food from local restaurants and live music.

One of my favorite things about the Niagara area is the abundant fruit and vegetable harvests we can look forward to every year. Farmers all over the area are well-known for producing wonderful bounties season after season, and much of it is organically grown.

While this means that many of the best restaurants in the area have access to and use fresh local produce, it is the vegetarian establishments that benefit the most. In recent years, vegetarian-friendly restaurants have exploded in Niagara Falls, giving all of us access to delicious types of vegetarian cuisines from all around the world.

If you’re a vegetarian visiting our area or you just enjoy vegetarian cuisine, try one of these restaurants and get a true taste of Niagara Falls.

Curry Queen Indian Cuisine

While not strictly a vegetarian restaurant, Curry Queen offers a wide range of Indian, Pakistani and Hakka dishes, many of which are vegetarian. All of their food is prepared according to halal standards, as well. Vegans need simply to inform their server of their request, and the kitchen will prepare a meal accordingly.

The channa masala, chickpeas cooked in a savory sauce, is delicious, as is the vegetable korma. Try the lentil dal for a truly authentic taste of India.

Sahara

If you’re in the mood for Middle Eastern food, look no further than Sahara. Owned by a Middle Eastern family, this small restaurant serves up authentic cuisine with a smile. The chefs take great care to prepare vegetarian meals separately to ensure their customers are satisfied.

Be sure to try the homemade whole wheat pita, and the falafel plate comes highly recommended. This is a great place for authentic, delicious and inexpensive food.

Skylon Tower

One of Niagara’s most iconic landmarks, the revolving restaurant at Skylon Tower is a great choice for a special occasion or simply a nice evening out. At 775 feet above the falls, the view is spectacular and the dining is exceptional.

Because this isn’t a strictly vegetarian establishment, the dinner menu boasts one vegetarian option and one vegan choice. Vegetarians can enjoy the delicious eggplant dish that is served with mozzarella cheese in a spicy tomato sauce. The vegans in your group can try the grilled vegetables with tofu. The restaurant also boasts an impressive wine selection.

Frijoles

This Tex-Mex style restaurant has a wide range of options for everyone in your group. There are traditional meat choices for the carnivores and meatless options for the vegetarians. Vegans will also find something to enjoy, as the staff is well-versed in vegan practices.

Try one of their overstuffed burritos bursting will well-seasoned and delicious fillings. A fish option is available, and all dishes are served with fresh, homemade salsas.

Ten Thousand Buddhas

While not a restaurant per say, Ten Thousand Buddhas is an active Buddhist temple and monastery that serves a vegetarian and vegan buffet once a week during the summer months. Volunteers prepare and serve the food, and you can feast upon delicious vegan Chinese food as well as Buddhist food, which is prepared with no garlic or onions.

The charge for the meal is $7.00 Canadian, but if you can pay more, the service relies on donations of both time and money to maintain operations.

Whether you’re a vegetarian or travel with someone who is, take a moment to consider one or more of these restaurants. They provide a delicious glimpse into all that Niagara has to offer.

Buddhist temple image by Antony Pranata from Flickr’s Creative Commons

Magique Illusionists: If you love magic shows and appreciate the hard work behind grand costumes, Magique Illusionists is the event for you. From January 30 – February 5 at the Niagara Fallsview Casino you can check out Kevin and Caruso as they wow you in your seats!

Abba/Bee Gees Tribute Show: On February 17 relive your disco memories by checking out Night Fever a tribute show to Abba and the Bee Gees at the Greg Frewin Theatre. If you want a night full of upbeat, joyful music that will have you reminiscing, this event is definitely worth checking out!

Chinese New Year Celebration: With the Chinese New Year starting Friday, January 31 get ready for a traditional and eventful celebration. Starting January 31 until February 14 enjoy various Chinese New Year specialities including a gala dinner, Chinese New Year food, ice sculptures and decorations that represent the Chinese culture.

Mythology about the Niagara area is plentiful.

There is something about the Niagara geography, territory, making the region known for larger than life stories. Some stories are true others are not.

One such story is that of a Native girl named Lelawala.

The original Iroquois legend is about a young Seneca girl who while in a canoe was accidentally swept over the falls. She was rescued by Hinum “the Thunder God” who shows how her people can destroy the monster snake residing in the river. The ensuing battle creates the Niagara Falls we see today.

“I guess that’s exactly what it is   a myth, a legend,” says Niagara Falls official historian Sherman Zavitz.

Rick Hill, a Tuscarora native who teaches at Six Nations Polytechnic near Brantford, says there’s some truth to the Lelawala story that of a woman, Thunderbeing spirits and a huge serpent living near the Horseshoe Falls.

“Some elements of what is commonly-known today were derived from native stories, but they’re often times greatly exaggerated to sell a certain narrative,” says Hill, who teaches indigenous history and culture to natives and non natives.

In Maiden of the Mist: A Legend of Niagara Falls, released in 2001, Charles blended the original Iroquois story with that of its European counterpart.

Veronika Martenova Charles, who studied and has a degree in mythology, says extensive research proved aspects of the story were “not all nonsense,” but that the Iroquois indeed did not practice human sacrifice.

Zavitz says some natives take exception to the myth, specifically the suggestion their people practised human sacrifice.  “If it makes a good story, it’s interesting to talk about, but sometimes it’s just that, a good story with no evidence to suggest it ever happened or existed.”

The Siege of Fort Erie battle reenactments are scheduled for August 10th and 11th. They are the 27th annual reenactment weekend dedicated to the Siege of Fort Erie.

This will mark the 199th anniversary of the battle. There will be activities scheduled throughout the entire weekend.

Battle reenactments will be Aug. 10 at 11 a.m., 2 p.m., and 8 p.m., with hundreds of re-enactors whom will participate in Drummond’s Night Assault on the Fort.  A lantern tour of Old Fort Erie under attack will take place at 9 p.m.

A memorial service honouring those who died in battle will be Aug. 11 at 10:30 a.m. and the last battle reenactment of the weekend, the American Sortie, will be held at 1 p.m.

Old Fort Erie is located at 350 Lakeshore Rd., south of the Peace Bridge.

After making some changes in management, the International Sand Sculpture Exhibition in Niagara Falls is finally ready for business.
The new attraction opening Friday, August 9th is located in the former Niagara Falls Memorial Arena, within walking distance of Falls Avenue Resort.

The exhibition area is more than 16,000-square-feet and the exhibits required about 6.6-million pounds of sand (three-million kilograms), at a cost of 3 Million dollars. Some of the sculptures are over six metres tall and depict key figures and events from the War of 1812.

In March, hundreds of locals turned out to preview the exhibition for free, but the official opening date was pushed back because some details still needed to be worked out.

Alexey Glukhov, president of V2 Niagara Inc., said this exhibition was created so that Canadians could not only learn more about this part of their history, but as a way to attract more tourists to Niagara Falls.

By The Numbers

• 17: Artists
• 25: Sculptures
• 16,000: sq. ft. exhibit area
• 6.6: Million lbs of sand

It’s inevitable, after you and your family have spent the entire day racing down water slides, swimming in the wave pool and lounging in the hot springs, everyone will be ready for dinner.

Luckily the Fallsview Indoor Waterpark is closely situated near an abundance of great dining options. For a fun family friendly meal, check out the following:

Planet Hollywood Beach Club – You can’t get any closer than the Planet Hollywood Beach Club! Located inside the Fallsview Indoor Waterpark, this restaurant offers kid friendly fare including burgers, chicken fingers and much more.

Hard Rock Café – This funky restaurant has a Tex-Mex menu that puts a kick into Rock n’ Roll dining. The restaurant is located just outside of the Fallsview Indoor Waterpark, making it a short walk after a day of fun at the park.

Rainforest Café – A family favourite, the Rainforest Café has a terrific menu that kids love. The unique rainforest setting makes the entire meal a tropical experience, giving some spectacle to dinner. It’s ideally situated beside the Fallsview Indoor Waterpark and close to all of the other Niagara Falls attractions and Falls Avenue Resort hotels.

For more information on the Fallsview Indoor Waterpark and restaurant options nearby, please visit FallsviewWaterpark.com

Guests will now be able to explore historic Niagara-on-the-Lake via WEGO. The Niagara Parks Commission has just announced the exciting addition to the schedule which will commence on June 23 and run through September 1. Shuttles will depart every 90 minutes beginning at 10:15am daily from the Floral Clock destined for Fort George.  The last southbound shuttle of the day will leave Fort George at 5pm, allowing visitors time to experience the historic ‘old town’ or even catch an afternoon performance at Shaw Festival.

Tickets may be purchased at Fort George, the Niagara-on-the-Lake Chamber of Commerce and the Niagara Parks Floral Clock along with other north attractions. Ticket prices for adults: one-way $5, round trip $10 and for children ages 6-12: one-way $3, round trip $6. Children 5 and under are free.

For more information go to http://www.niagaraparks.com/wego/

The annual Sleep Cheap, Charities Reap event raised $175,988 this year, which pushes its eight-year total to over $1-million. The organizers (who include Mayor Jim Diodati and Dino Dicienzo Jr. of Canadian Niagara Hotels) had no idea of just how successful the program would become when they first started it. They are extremely proud of the fact that 100% of the money raised goes directly to local Niagara charities.

“This is one of the benefits we have of living in a tourist town for all the locals,” said Diodati

A record 7,800 room nights were offered to Niagara region residents by twenty-seven hotels as a way of letting them know what’s available and hopefully spreading the word when family and friends visit the area.

A portion of the funds are provided to the Niagara Community Foundation, where the money is put into income-earning endowment funds that benefit local charities. The remainder is directed to charities selected by the 2011 Sleep Cheap, Charities Reap Committee through an application process and an option for individual hotels to direct funds.

Read how Sleep Cheap organizers including Dino DiCienzo Jr. and Mayor Jim Diodati raised $1-million for local charities →