If you need a reminder of just how unique Niagara, Canada is to visit at any time of year, our original Only In Niagara, Canada and Only In Niagara, Canada …Kids Edition articles are a great place to start. But for families specifically seeking the kind of one-of-a-kind adventures that can only be found in Niagara during the autumn, read on!
A turkey dinner with all the trimmings isn’t the only tradition to enjoy on Thanksgiving weekend. The Ball’s Falls Thanksgiving Festival, which runs from October 10 – 13, is a time-honoured Thanksgiving weekend tradition for families across Ontario. This picture-perfect fall festival offers something for everyone, including a beautiful waterfall, lovingly maintained historical buildings, a marketplace filled with talented craftspeople, birds of prey demonstrations, craft beverages, and delicious food.
Experience Ontario’s first-ever flying theatre experience that just landed in Niagara Falls earlier this fall. Niagara Takes Flight is a cutting-edge new attraction that combines storytelling, motion, stunning aerial vistas, music and special effects into an immersive 30-minute experience that takes guests on a flight over the Niagara River corridor across ancient rock formations, historic battle sites, and breathtaking scenery. The addition of wind, mist, and scent effects makes the flight feel even more lifelike for riders.
Leave knocking on doors in your neighbourhood for October 31st! A pre-Halloween trip to Niagara allows your kids to get into the Halloween spirit a little early by trick-or-treating in some very cool locales! Safari Niagara’s Boo at the Zoo, on October 4, 5, 10, 11, and 12, is a spooky, fun-filled event with over 100 local vendors handing out treats, as well as costume contests, Halloween-themed activities, pumpkin painting, seasonal photo ops and more! Fort Erie Race Track’s Track-o-Lantern is a free event on October 13 where kids in costumes can collect candy at festive stations around the track, enjoy horse-themed games, and snap photos with spooky decorations.
Catch The Shaw Festival’s incredible production of The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe with the kids before the season ends on October 4. For a behind-the-scenes look at how the talented cast brings this C.S. Lewis classic to the stage, reserve your family seats for the kid-friendly pre-show workshop offered before every performance.
Families with older children who can’t get enough horror movies won’t want to miss Frightmare In The Falls at the Niagara Falls Convention Centre on October 25 and 26. The event will feature more than 50,000 square feet of all things horror, including memorabilia, panels, celebrities, movies, autographs, displays, movie cars, cosplay, special effects props, and much more!
For a sweet fall experience on Saturdays and Sundays through October, visit White Meadows Farm for their Discover Maple Sugar Bush Tour. This amazing autumn adventure includes a tractor-pulled wagon ride through the heart of the forest, a stroll through the sugar bush, a maple syrup tasting, and time to relax under the mighty maples and enjoy a tasty treat.
Set out on a hike with a real sense of history as the Niagara Escarpment shows off the radiance of its fall wardrobe! Woodend Conservation Area offers sweeping vistas of Lake Ontario and steep Escarpment slopes that are believed to have served as army observation points during the War of 1812. The forest here is composed mainly of hardwood trees, offering amazing fall colours in scattered Carolinian species, like Black Cherry, Black Oak and Sugar Maple.
As a terminus of the Underground Railroad, Niagara is home to rich Black history, including Fort Erie’s Freedom Park and St. Catharines’ Salem Chapel, which Harriet Tubman once attended. Niagara-on-the-Lake’s Voice of Freedom Park is an experiential art installation designed to engage, educate, and challenge visitors about Black history in Canada. The audio walking tour that is available for download is an excellent tool for families eager to explore Niagara-on-the-Lake’s significant Black history sites in a more interactive way.
Each year, as the late autumn days begin to get darker, the Winter Festival of Lights lights up the night with three million lights displayed in breathtaking installations across Niagara Falls. From November 15 through January 4, take in the larger-than-life displays, twinkling lights, and nightly “Sparkling Winter Lights” Falls Illumination, showcasing the sub-zero splendour of winter in the north. And what better way to warm chilly fingers on a brisk fall night than strolling your way to a series of decadent hot chocolate stops? As part of the Winter Festival of Lights, a diverse collection of Niagara Falls restaurants join in on the fun by offering signature hot chocolate drinks on a Hot Chocolate Trail. While this year’s chocolatey concoctions are still being dreamed up, last year’s options included steamy sipper flavours like peanut butter, butter pecan, mango, and sprinkled waffle.
Niagara-on-the-Lake’s Fort George has earned the reputation of being one of Ontario’s most haunted places. The bloody battles and deaths that took place here during the War of 1812 have led to hundreds of reports of paranormal activity, like sightings of soldiers, family members, and spirits. Hear the ghostly accounts of the many spine-tingling encounters that have occurred in this War of 1812 landmark on Ghost tours offered on Sunday evenings through September, and Halloween tours that are available on October 17, 18, 19, 24, 25, 26, 30, 31, and November 1 and 2.
Surprise your family with some only-in-Niagara autumn fun, enjoying the region’s attractions, historic sites, and events. Be sure to check out @visit_niagara on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube for additional trip inspiration and to learn about upcoming events. Then, scroll through suggestions for local accommodations and restaurants to round out your trip to Niagara.
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