Self-Guided Tour Niagara Falls to Fort Niagara

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Start the tour in the parking lot behind Manchester House. Turn right into 6th Street, and right again on to Walnut Street. After one block, turn right on to Main Street and drive past the Main Post Office and the front door of Manchester House. At the traffic light (Pine Avenue), turn left and drive to the end of the street. The Aquarium of Niagara Falls is ahead of you; the Aquarium parking lot is on the left side of the building.

Aquarium admission cost is $7.50 for adults and $5.50 for children ages 4-12 and for "seniors". Year round hours are 9a.m. to 5 p.m. The average visitor spends a couple of hours at the aquarium. When you arrive, find out when the next Seal performance is scheduled (the first show is usually at 10:30 AM).

After leaving the Aquarium, you can walk across the foot bridge to the newly renovated Discovery Center. Admission is $3.00 adults and $3.00 children ages 6 - 12. We especially enjoyed the "elevator ride" at the Discovery Center. The Discovery Center and Aquarium are both included in the "Passport to the Falls" priced at $24.50 adults, and $17.50 children. The Discovery Center is also the Trail-Head of a hike along the river gorge.

If you are ready for a a hike in the gorge past the largest series of standing waves in North America, then leave your car in the Aquarium parking lot. Starting at the Discovery Center, take the trail to the North. The hike follows the right-of-way of the Niagara Falls Great Gorge Route Electric Railway Line which began operations in 1895. You will see the same sights that Presidents William McKinley and Theodore Roosevelt, Thomas Edison, and J. Pierpoint Morgan saw when they rode the line during their Niagara Falls tour. A rock slide closed the line in 1935. Portions of the trail are under renovation, and may be closed during your visit.

Continue your tour by exiting the Aquarium parking lot on to Whirlpool Street (the Aquarium entrance is on Whirlpool Street). Turn right. You will be going North; the Niagara River and the Robert Moses Parkway are on your left. Remain on Whirlpool Street. You will pass the Whirlpool Bridge to Canada (odometer reading 1.6 miles). Continue North to the Parkway Entrance (odometer reading 3 1/2 miles), but don't enter the Parkway. Bear right, away from the Parkway. Soon you will come to a "T" junction. Turn left (marked EAST 104) although you will actually be heading North, toward Lewiston and away from Niagara Falls.

Remain on Rt. 104 past Niagara University. The Castellani Art Museum on the Niagara Campus displays 20th Century and Contemporary art in a gracious, marble building. Open Wednesday though Saturday 11 am. to 5 pm.

You will see the pedestrian walkway bridge over the road - this marks the Power Plant's visitor center. Turn into the parking area to visit the Power Vista visitor's center. You can also reach the Niagara University Campus from this point. Admission to the Power Vista visitor's center and to the art museum is free. The Power Vista offers hands-on exhibits about electricity, films about the the Power Plant, and an excellent view of the Lower River. Allow about an hour for this visit. To resume the tour after you leave the center, turn right into Route 104 and continue following the road North to Lewiston.

At the bottom of the escarpment hill follow signs for Lewiston, Artpark, Route 18F. The odometer reading should be about 6.7 miles. Turn right into the Village of Lewiston on to Route 18F North. Proceed through the Village. The village is the home of Artpark.

Earl W. Brydges Artpark (phone 1-800-659-7275) is open during the summer months with matinee and evening performances. We suggest phoning before your visit to reserve tickets. There is a parking fee in addition to performance admission charges. If the car contains one person age 62 or over, parking on weekdays is free. Continue along Route 18F, turning right on 4th Street.

If you continue straight ahead instead of turning on 4th Street, you will reach the Niagara River shore. This is the departure point for the Whirlpool Jet boat trip upriver to the Whirlpool. The trip takes an hour. Have a complete change of dry clothes with you (it is better to do the trip on the way back). Reservations strongly advised -- Telephone 1-888-438-4444.

After several turns 18F reaches River Road. The Niagara River will be on your left. You will pass Stella Niagara and Joseph Davis Park. Continue to the Village of Youngstown (odometer reading about 13 miles). Continue on 18F through Youngstown until you see the sign for Fort Niagara State Park ahead of you. Enter the park, and follow the signs for Old Fort Niagara. You will be charged a Park Fee upon entry, but this will be refunded to you at the Fort when you enter and pay your Fort Admission charge. The parking lot of the Fort is about 15 miles from the Manchester House parking lot.

Old Fort Niagara was begun by the French in 1726; the British captured it in 1759 during the French and Indian War. The Fort has been fully restored, and is open year round. Admission is $8.50 for adults, $5.00 for children 6-12. After July 1 rates increase to $10.00 for adults, $6.00 for children. During the summer, there are daily reenactments of Drills and Ceremonies, as well as a number of special programs. A visit to Fort Niagara provides a nice contrast to Fort George across the river in Canada. The British withdrew from Fort Niagara to Fort George in 1796. Allow one to two hours for your visit to the Fort.

To resume the tour after you leave the Fort, turn right and walk down toward the Coast Guard Station. The Niagara River empties into Lake Ontario at this point. You'll see many sail boats anchored in the river; they belong to members of the Youngstown Yacht Club located at the foot of Water Street in the village. As you return to the parking lot, take a moment to view the old light house that guided boatmen on the lake from 1872 until 1993. The buildings apart from the Fort belonged to a U.S. Army installation Fort Niagara that remained in active use until the 1960's.

There are many restaurants on the main streets of Youngstown and Lewiston which should meet your needs.

Years ago, Lewiston had a population larger than Niagara Falls. It was a way-station as travelers journeyed from Lake Ontario to Lake Erie. Unfortunately, the village was burned by the British during the War of 1812, so the houses are relatively new.

If you are lucky, you'll happen to pass through the area during the Youngstown Strawberry Festival, or the Lewiston Peach Festival, or the Lewiston Art Festival. You may encounter a parade on one of the local Volunteer Firemen's Field Days. If you notice one of these special events, then stop and enjoy it. It is grass-roots America!

Return to Niagara Falls from the Youngstown-Lewiston area either on the Robert Moses Parkway (the fastest, most direct route back into Niagara Falls), or by way of 18F and 104. In either case, it is hard to get lost because lakes and the river border the area.

As you return, consider visiting Whirlpool State Park (it's about 2 miles south of the Power Project). A 5 mile circular walk leads into the Gorge and north along the river to Devil's Hole State Park. You'll go down 340 steps, and up 340 steps so wear your hiking shoes! Allow enough time, so the sun doesn't go down while you are in the Gorge. Hikers tell us it is easier to climb the Devil's Hole stairs - hence this suggested route. Directions can be found in Kershner's Secret Places book.

It isn't on the Niagara Falls tour but Lockport, NY, on the Erie Canal is worth a visit. Canal locks built in 1847 are right in the middle of town under the Pine Street Bridge. Next to the old locks are the newer, much wider locks of today's canal. The New York State Erie Canal Museum is housed in an old powerhouse at the base of the locks.

For more historical information about the Canal and its construction, please visit Rochester.edu site.

Two-hour narrated boat tours - they operate May to November - [Telephone (716) 433-6155 to reserve in advance] through the canal locks start from 210 Market Street. Food and drink is available in a pleasant canal-side setting.

The Niagara County Historical Society Museum, 215 Niagara Street (open Thursday through Sunday, 1 - 5 pm), is worth an hour's visit to learn about the area.The museum also owns the 1824 Colonel William Bond House at 143 Ontario Street. The 12-room house, furnished in the Pre-Victorian period,is open in the Summer on Thursday, Saturday and Sunday from 1 to 5 pm.

The Lockport Cave and Underground Boat Ride (Telephone (716) 438-0174) at 21 Main Street offers a historical tour viewing the Erie Canal Locks, walking through a 1600 foot tunnel blasted through rock in the mid-1800's and riding in an underground boat.

Lockport All-In-One Pass

Beginning Saturday July 1 and continuing through Labor Day, September 4, Lockport is offering visitors an all-in-one pass for a trolley ride and admission to major attractions. The trolley runs seven days a week on an hourly schedule with multiple stops throughout the City of Lockport. For $18, visitors can hop on and off the trolley and visit the Lockport Locks & Erie Canal Cruises, Lockport Caves and the Erie Canal Discovery Center. This all-in-one pass will save visitors $10 when purchased separately! A $28 value! Children under 6 are free and the pass can be purchased at NTCC, Holiday Inn in Lockport, Kenan Center and at any of the Lockport attractions.