Cave of the Winds

Cave of the Winds is an opportunity to walk around the bottom of the Falls. Everyone mentioned Maid of the Mist, but nobody mentioned the Cave. "Cave of the Winds" is really a misnomer. It's not a cave per se, but an elevator shaft that takes you to a man-made observation deck at the bottom of the falls. The elevator shaft is 13 stories and was hand-chiseled during the 1920's over the course of two years or so. Due to annual freezing, the observation deck isn't available during the winter, and has to be rebuilt every spring. It's worth the cost though. You can stand so close to the falls that you can literally shower in the waterfall, and it gives you a much better idea of just how big the falls actually are. Looking at the falls from above is impressive enough. But seeing things from the bottom gives an even better impression of how massive the drop is.