October might be my favourite month to be from here. The colour comes down the escarpment a little further every week, the air gets that particular bite that makes a glass of red taste better, and for a few short weeks the whole region looks like it is showing off on purpose.
It is also the month when a few good things quietly run out. So here is what I would be booking, and why.
The one with a deadline on it
If you only take one thing from this list, make it this one. The Niagara Parks Pass stops selling on November 1st and it does not come back until April 20th.
The Premium pass is $129, and Niagara Parks puts the saving at 52 per cent. That is the sort of number I usually raise an eyebrow at, until I look at what is actually inside it. Journey Behind the Falls by day and again by night. Niagara Takes Flight. The White Water Walk, the Whirlpool Aero Car, the Butterfly Conservatory, the Power Station by day and by night, the Floral Showhouse, and all four heritage sites. Transport and parking are in there too.
The Power Station after dark is the one people tend to talk about on the way home. There is also a Plus pass at $109 for 40 per cent off, and a Classic at $89 for 22 per cent, if you would rather take a smaller bite of it.
Where to stay
Where you stay in October decides what kind of weekend you have, and these are the people we work with most closely.
Wyndham Grand Fallsview is running its Family Getaway right through to December 24th, and it is the most generous thing on this list if you are travelling with children.
You get the room, and then you get $155 in dining vouchers spread across five places: $70 at Ruth’s Chris Steak House, $30 at Outback Steakhouse, $20 at Vittorio’s Italian Eatery, $20 at TGI Fridays and $15 at IHOP. On top of that, admission to five attractions in the Fun Zone downstairs, which includes laser tag, glow-in-the-dark mini golf and a maze of mirrors.
What I like about it is that it takes the decisions away. There is no planning a rainy Saturday afternoon when the rainy Saturday afternoon is already downstairs. The Wyndham Grand is part of the Fallsview Group, who run eight hotels and more than a dozen restaurants and bars across the city.
Niagara Fallsview Hotel has the Daily Parking Package, which sounds unglamorous and is quietly one of the most useful things you can book in this city.
The room comes with parking for one vehicle for every night you stay, which matters more than people expect. Fallsview parking is limited, and knowing it is handled before you arrive changes the shape of the trip. The package runs Sunday through Thursday, which also happens to be when the falls are at their calmest.
If your dates are flexible, book at least twenty-nine days out and IHG One Rewards members save up to twenty per cent.
See the Daily Parking Package →
One pass, twenty-five wineries
This one is a personal favourite, and it is the one I recommend to friends who say they want to see wine country but do not want an itinerary.
The Winemakers’ Tasting Pass is $59.62 and it gets you one tasting at each of the twenty-five member wineries of Niagara-on-the-Lake, Monday through Friday, with entry to the Niagara-on-the-Lake Museum included. No reservations. No fixed route. You simply turn up.
It stays valid for a full year from the day you buy it, so there is no pressure to spend it in one weekend, and half of the proceeds go to local charities. I love that last part. It is a small thing that says a lot about how this region works.
Get the tasting pass → · See the wineries
Prices and terms above are the operators’ own and were accurate the day this went up. Have a look at their pages before you book and enjoy 😉
Planning around these? Thanksgiving in Niagara → or This Month in Niagara →
