Northern NY/Canada Vacation Help

[Canobie Coaster]

Hi, my family and I are going on a trip to visit Seabreeze, Darien Lake, Marineland, Canada's Wonderland, and Martin's Fantasy Island next month and we have a few questions.

 

1) Does anyone know of a good hotel near Darien Lake? We originally wanted to stay at the Lodge ajacent to the park, but for some reason we are unable to book a one-night stay.

 

2) Does Marineland/Canada's Wonderland/Niagara Falls (Canadian side) accept American dollars or do we need to get traveler's checks?

 

3) Which attractions around Niagara are worth hitting?

[Carnage]

Marineland and the attractions at the falls probably would take US money, but they typically give you a bad exchange rate to do it. And anything within the park would require Canadian funds.

 

You're probably better off getting a bit of Canadian cash before you come, and then pay for most stuff with a credit card.

[Chris Benvenuto]

^^ Niagara Falls has an attraction center called Clifton Hill which has a couple of large arcades, a drop ride theme to the WWE and a couple of haunted/themed house walkthroughs. Be aware of the houses you walkthrough, they WILL not issue refunds and if you get scared of doing it after paying you're screwed out of 5-6 dollars.

 

But, besides the falls, that's the only thing I can think of. I haven't been to Niagara Falls in three years, so there might be new things there.

[chemical_echo]

2. Most places near the border will accept US currency, but at a lousy exchange rate (you'll also get your change back in Canadian currency). Go to a bank beforehand, or even in Canada, and get some Canadian currency.

 

3. Everything on Clifton Hill is pure tourist trap. The best thing there, IMO, is the Ripley's Museum. I'd also consider checking out Maid of the Mist or Journey Behind the Falls for some close up action of the Falls. The Ferris Wheel also looks pretty cool, although I haven't been on it yet.