Maid of the Mist

Everyone said the Maid of the Mist was cool, and they were right. Once again, I was skeptical. I figured the ride would be horribly overpriced for the experience, but I was wrong. It's roughly a 20 minute ride, including the ferry to and from the Falls, but the ferry time is very short. The vast majority of the trip is spent at the bottom of the Horseshoe Falls (the Canadian side of the Falls).

The ride to and from is incredibly scenic. Like Cave of the Winds, it provides a different perspective of the Falls, showing nature in all of its force and beauty. As you get closer, it gets difficult to get good pictures of the Falls -- partially because of the constant mist created by the waterfalls, and partially because the churning water at the bottom of the falls causes the boat to rock quite a bit (not enough to get seasick though). Despite the difficulty in picture-taking though, the trip is breathtaking. Cave of the Winds gives you a great sense of the size of the falls, and gives you a great view. But nothing will give you a sense of the natural power of Niagara Falls like a ride on the Maid of the Mist.

I've gone to a lot of places and seen a lot of things in my life. But seeing the natural majesty of Niagara Falls will stand forever as one of the highlights of my life.