niagara falls and toronto
 

my family will be driving up to niagara falls and toronto this summer, and while we have a rough outline of our itinerary as is, we're flexible and i'd like to solicit recommendations and information for our trip.

1. driving up
i understand that we should be fine driving up through NY with our passports, US-issued drivers licenses, and proof of insurance. but i welcome any tips for crossing north or coming back. is it better to cross in buffalo, on the rainbow bridge, or lewiston?

2. restaurants
we are particularly interested in toronto's chinatown, or any notable ethnic food. we are staying at the delta toronto/downtown area.

3. kid friendly
any out of the ordinary kid-friendly venues or attractions - for middle school aged kids? we've got plans for activities around the falls, the cn tower, ripley's aquarium, great wolf (they love magiquest), and a few others. someone once mentioned to me that there is good waterskiing in niagara somewhere around niagara-on-the-lake, but i have no other information.

i know there are some hockey-themed places, but we have no interest.

i appreciate any input. thanks!

If you want to some aerial sight seeing, the helicopter tour starts from right across the street from Great Wolf Lodge. Also across the road, from the back side of the GWL, is the whirlpool. You can take the Spanish Aero Car from here, and get a good view of the river and gorge. There is a also the whirlpool jet boat ride, although you get it either from Niagara On the Lake or from closer down the river to the falls (I think from the gorge adventure, which is another fun thing to do).

As for the where to cross, I think it really depends on where you are coming from. If you were coming from the east, I would go up to Lewiston, if from the south or west, I would cross at Buffalo. I don't recall what the bridge tolls are, but crossing at Buffalo at least avoids the toll on I-190 at Grand Island.

In terms of crossing the best thing to do is to check online http://www.niagarafallsbridges.com/ for bridge crossing wait times and try to avoid crossing at rush hour (mid afternoon to early evening).
Chinatown has tons of restaurants--probably best to check tripadvisor if you don't get much feedback here. I particularly like Mother's Dumplings at 421 Spadina Ave. Very inexpensive and probably something middle school kids would like.
In terms of stuff for middle school kids (outside of what you already mention), if they are into science the Science Centre is very good. The Toronto Islands are nice, but your kids are probably too big for the rides at Centreville. For an amusement Park Canada's Wonderland is good for a day. Sporting events are also a possibility--baseball, soccer and CFL football.
You might want to indicate if you will be in Toronto during the Pan Am games as that will certainly impact how you will be able to get around.

I'd cross at the Rainbow Bridge, especially if you're heading to Niagara Falls. You'll have a nice view of the falls coming across the bridge, and I've always found it to be less busy than the other options, probably due to it being a bit harder to get to from the Interstate. Border crossing should be uneventful. Best not to bring any fruits/veggies/firearms across with you. :)

As for Chinese food, probably along Spadina between Dundas and College would be your best bet. There's several dim sum places along that stretch, and Dumpling House is great for, well, dumplings. Also lots of good food options along Queen, heading West from Spadina towards Bathurst and beyond, but less Asian influence down that way.

Other ideas for kids: Ontario Science Centre (very hands-on, geared to kids), Canada's Wonderland (amusement park), take a ferry to Toronto Island, go see a Jays game.

thanks everyone for your suggestions!

Crossing at the Peace Bridge at Fort Erie gets you directly onto the QEW to Toronto if you want to go most easily. Crossing farther up leads you to use I-190 on Grand Island, which is always under construction (US 62 is an alternate but with much traffic). If you want to see Niagara Falls, I'd suggest trying the US side on your way in. Park before or after the bridge to Goat Island in the state park. Walk along the north edge to Luna Island and you will find yourself at the edge of the Bridal Veil Falls. Walk further and you get a good view of the Horseshoe Falls on the other side. My favorite thing is walking down the Niagara Glen trails (first there is a big staircase) and then through the woods to the rapids. It's free and spectacular and a great and exciting walk for kids. The parking lot is opposite the Whirlpool Golf Course off Niagara Parkway on the Canadian side. If you have Nexus, use the Whirlpool Bridge. If you don't, use the Rainbow Bridge. in Toronto, I'd think the kids would like to eat at the Friendly Greek near Danforth and Logan or Olde York Fish and Chips on Laird Drive. I think the best place for Chinese cuisine in Toronto is New Sky, on Spadina near Baldwin. Rol-San has all day dim-sum that's good. Lee Garden is where non-Chinese people seem to be in the majority, so communication is sometimes easier. Kids will also like Ka-Chi for Korean BBQ on Bloor near Bathurst.

If you're willing to make the trip to the suburbs, check out wonderland. Weather will be bearable during the fall, and the place has enough attractions to keep the kids occupied for the full day.

Could get expensive though, so research this beforehand. Also don't buy tickets at the gate, as they're very expensive.

now that i've returned, i thought i should bookend this thread with my experiences.

we crossed into canada through buffalo, in the early afternoon. the line was about 20 cars deep but moved quickly. once through, there was no traffic on the QEW to niagara. we got adventure passes and did everything - well worth the price.

while we did most of our eating in our hotel room, we did get out to "taste of china" on spadina. we were worried that chinatown might not be chinese anymore (like LA's chinatown), but that was not the case and the food was good.

for the return, we came across the rainbow bridge mid-morning. there was no traffic. the canadian side of the falls is definitely more impressive.

for toronto, we did citypass for the first time, and i think it was worth it (at least for our first time there). it covered the ontario science center (which was nice), casa loma (actually lots of fun for kids, exploring secret passages, stairs, and turrets in the garden), the royal museum, and the cn tower of course. we never had time to go to the aquarium, but did get to spend a nice sunny day on the island with bike rental, the maze, and the beach.

I'm glad that you had a good trip. The fact that your kids liked Casa Loma is good to note as I wouldn't have thought that it would appeal to most middle school kids.