Only in Niagara, Canada... Autumn Adventure Edition

True North Niagara Autumn Adventure #1:

Attend a 50-year-old Thanksgiving Festival

A turkey dinner with all the trimmings isn’t the only tradition to enjoy on Thanksgiving weekend. The Ball’s Falls Thanksgiving Festival, 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.

True North Niagara Autumn Adventure #2:

Soar like a bird from the shores of Lake Ontario to the edge of Lake Erie

Experience Ontario’s first-ever flying theatre experience in Niagara Falls! 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.

True North Niagara Autumn Adventure #3:

Take trick-or-treating to the next level

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 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 where kids in costumes can collect candy at festive stations around the track, enjoy horse-themed games, and snap photos with spooky decorations.

True North Niagara Autumn Adventure #4:

Family-friendly shows at the Shaw Festival

Catch one of the Shaw Festival’s incredible productions with the kids and check their schedule for fun family workshops and behind-the-scenes activities. 

True North Niagara Autumn Adventure #5:

Brave North America’s most interactive horror festival

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. The event features 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!

True North Niagara Autumn Adventure #6:

Experience the magic of a maple sugar bush as the leaves change colour

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.

True North Niagara Autumn Adventure #7:

Explore the Niagara Escarpment on an autumn hike

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.

True North Niagara Autumn Adventure #8:

Hear real stories of the Underground Railroad’s brave passengers

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.

True North Niagara Autumn Adventure #9:

Step into the sparkle of Canada’s largest free outdoor lights festival

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. 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?

True North Niagara Autumn Adventure #10:

Take a candlelit tour of a historically haunted War of 1812 barracks

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 select dates in October.

Adventure In Niagara

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.