Your Winter Weekend Getaway Guide to Niagara Falls

It’s officially winter time in Niagara Falls.

This article is your Winter Weekend Getaway Guide COVID-19 edition. As of Dec 13th 2020, all my recommendations and activities in this article are currently open for business.

There can be an overwhelming amount of things to do in Niagara Falls. Half of the things are tourist traps that aren’t worth your time and money, and the other half are incredible experiences you need to go out and enjoy for yourself. This article is meant to help you skip the trial and error work of discovering what places are which, and to help you get the absolute most out of your vacation.

Niagara Falls can make an incredible place for a #STAYCATION for everyone currently living in the Niagara Region, or a great getaway destination for everyone travelling from out of town.

So let’s get to it, and start off with one of the most important things on a vacation…

Food:

lunch at table rock house restaurant

One of my absolute favourite restaurants in the Niagara Region is Table Rock House Restaurant. After multiple visits here, this is hands down one of my most favourite restaurants. Delicious food, incredible service and spectacular views of the Falls. I’ve enjoyed brunch and lunch at this restaurant, but if you only have time for one, I would definitely recommend visiting for the Sunday Brunch. We enjoyed the Sunday Brunch Prix Fixe menu, which includes one starter, entree and dessert for $30 each. My favourite was the Smoked Back Bacon Eggs Benedict, and Orange Raspberry Mimosa. They also have delicious coffees, and cappuccinos.
Check out my Tik Tok @bycourtneytodd to see the incredible views I’m referring to.
There is onsite parking available and to receive complimentary parking, make sure to ask your server to validate your parking (bring your ticket inside).

If you enjoy Italian food, head on over to Johnny Rocco’s Italian Grill. This restaurant is located around 6 minutes from Clifton Hill and has delicious pastas and stone oven pizzas. The atmosphere is great, and during my last visit we had wonderful service from our server Carson. Definitely ask for him when you go!
To finish off our dinner, we enjoyed incredible Cannoli’s, which turned out being some of the best dessert I’ve ever eaten. 10/10 would recommend. 

If you have a sweet tooth, and are already on Clifton Hill, do yourself a favour and walk on over to Hola Churros.  This is by far my favourite place to get churros in Niagara. It’s located across the street from the gigantic Ferris wheel.
All the churros are handmade, vegan and they offer 9 different flavours to chose from. You can either enjoy a churro plain, or enjoy it as a Churro Sundae. 
My go to is a Create Your Own Churro Sundae. The heavenly warmed churro, melting the cold ice cream in your mouth is the perfect combo you need to try out.

ACTIVITES:

Floral Showhouse: If you love flowers, and want to take in one of the most picturesque, Instagrammable places in Niagara, be sure to visit the Floral Showhouse.  For only $7 a person you can visit this beautiful attraction. They are currently featuring the Annual Poinsettia Show with a Technicolour Christmas theme. 
They host 7 different shows a year, so no matter when you visit, there will always be a beautiful collection to enjoy.
Check out my TikTok video to see how beautiful this place really is.

wine tasting at lundy manor winery

Winter Festival of Lights: This is Canada’s LARGEST free outdoor light festival. We did the drive through light show at Dufferin Islands (which is enjoying the lights from your car) but they also have the option to park your car and explore by foot. We went around 5:30pm on a Friday night which ended up being the best time to go, before it got too busy.

Butterfly Conservatory: Enjoy the Niagara Parks Butterfly Conservatory with more than 2,000 coloured butterflies fluttering around you as you walk around. This conservatory is one of the largest glass-enclosed conservatories in North America! Definitely a fun, new experience to check out if you haven’t visited a butterfly conservatory before.

I love wine. Red wine to be specific. I also love learning about wine, and visiting different wineries. Lundy Manor Winery is one of Niagara Falls only wineries, and is where I received one of the most enjoyable wine tasting experiences. We had the pleasure of having John lead our tasting experience, and he was incredible. The venue is absolutely beautiful, and is filled with delicious wine. My favourite wine we tried was the 2016 Lundy Red.
Check out my TikTok video showcasing our experience.

My last activity that you 100% need to do (if it isn’t already obvious) is, GO SEE THE FALLS! No matter how cold it is outside, make sure at some point during your visit you go and enjoy the breathtaking views of Niagara Falls.

ACCOMODATIONS:

When you travel, the most two popular options people have for accommodations are either Airbnb or staying at a hotel. I have recommendations for both.

HOTEL: During our most recent Niagara Falls getaway we stayed 18 stories high at the DoubleTree Niagara. We were very impressed by their incredible COVID-19 protocols, the modern and enjoyable lobby bar Moose + Squirrel, and the overall staff friendliness. DoubleTree is a 5 minute drive from the falls, and is in a great location close to downtown.
They have a spa on property called Five Lakes, and since I didn’t have time to check it out on my last visit, I am making another visit in January!
(I will update this article after my spa services and let you know what I got done and if I recommend it!)

AIR B N B: If you prefer staying in an Airbnb, I recommend staying at this cute and cozy cottage style vacation home- The Prospecthouse. This property is a 10 minute drive from Clifton Hill, and is hosted by two amazing people, Niki and David. We have only great things to say after our visit, and our favourite part was the Custom Chef Experience they offer. You can book this activity for either a brunch or dinner service, and we went with the 5 course dinner option. This meal ended up being one of the best I’ve have had in a very long time.
Check out my TikTok video showcasing this dining experience:


I hope your upcoming getaway to Niagara Falls is everything you are looking for. It’s such a stressful time in the world right now, so don't forget to enjoy yourself and have fun. YOU DESERVE IT!

Be sure to stay connected and follow my Instagram, Pinterest and TikTok.

XO,

Courtney