Niagara Falls blends the immense natural wonder of its natural gifts with a dash of romance and a heaping helping of manmade attractions.

The falls themselves, both on the American side and the even more impressive Horseshoe Falls on the Canadian side, are stunning to contemplate, with some 34 million gallons of water cascading over the falls every minute.

When we first arrived at the Canadian side on a Sunday evening, I thought we had made a mistake. The streets were very crowded and the lobby of the Sheraton on the Falls was much the same. Apparently a tour group had just arrived, and so we waited our turn to check in. A woman told her children, "This is a historic trip, boys – your first and last trip to Niagara Falls." When the kids asked why, she said, "Because it’s so crowded!"

Fortunately, for us at least, the news started getting better. The hotel clerk told me that our room had been upgraded to a falls view with a Jacuzzi at no extra charge!

By the time we moved our car to the parking lot, Niagara Falls didn’t look so bad either. There were lots of people but no sensation of crowding, and so Dianna and I commenced our explorations on foot.

We viewed the American Falls, then walked to the Horseshoe Falls. The word "impressive" hardly does this scene justice, for the scale is massive and this great, natural attraction inspires even seasoned travelers. During the course of our visit, we would learn about the looney daredevils who had gone over the falls in all manner of barrels in search of fame and fortune. Other folks have walked behind the falls amid the slippery rocks and cascading waters. We felt no such desire, but did indulge ourselves with the Tour Behind the Falls.

We descended an elevator at the Table Rock complex and put on the yellow raincoats that were provided as part of the tour. There was an observation area at the foot of the falls where we could walk out into the mist, take photos and enjoy the view. We also trekked down a tunnel for a view truly behind the falls as advertised, but frankly all we could see was churning water, so the outside observation area was more interesting.

A similar tour, Cave of the Winds, is available on the United States side of the falls.

Most first-time visitors to Niagara Falls feel somewhat obligated to take the Maid of the Mist tour. The Maid is actually several boats with different numerals at the end, and for this tour we donned blue raincoats, looking very Smurfy as we made our way up the Niagara River. (Hint: if you don't really want to get wet, stay on the boat’s lower level; there’s more protection from the elements.)

We chugged past the American Falls and into the churning waters at the foot of the Horseshoe Falls. It was easy to get a sense of the power of the falls as our boat struggled against the current. After a few minutes the captain let the Maid come around and we headed downstream quickly.

There are a lot of ways to view the falls. We went up in the Skylon Tower for an interesting vantage point some 775 feet above the falls, and we hiked to the American side to see how things looked from that perspective. The view over into Canada was nice, because most of the skyline worth picturing was over there. All this walking in the July heat made us grateful that in certain places the falls create a nice cooling mist.

Families may question whether all members will be entertained at a Niagara Falls vacation. Fear not! A plethora of man-made attractions have sprung up around the Canadian side. The Canadian side is well maintained and showcases a lot of flowers and gardening skills. Attractions included Marineland, botanical gardens, an Imax Theatre, and all sorts of wax museums devoted to spooky folks like Dracula, the Criminal Hall of Fame, etc. All this entrepreneurial effort to capture the tourist dollar reminded us a bit of Gatlinburg.

Of course everything had a cost, but the good news was the attractive exchange rate. At the time of our visit, a U.S. dollar was worth $1.49 Canadian. Attractions and restaurants gladly took our U.S. dollars, but usually did not give the best exchange rate, so I took to charging more meals and tickets on my credit card for a uniform exchange.

If you would like to see more than downtown Niagara Falls, consider a drive north along the river to a town called Niagara-on-the-Lake. On the way there we encountered the Spanish Aero Car and decided to give it a try. I thought this ride, which is basically a cable car that crosses the river gorge, might be a recent addition to Canadian tourism. Surprisingly, the Spanish Aero Car has been operating since 1916!

The price was relatively inexpensive (about $4 U.S. per person) and we enjoyed the view.

Soon we were in Niagara-on-the-Lake, once the capital of Ontario and now a quaint town featuring ubiquitous flowers, lovely shops and numerous wineries. We decided to tour a winery and picked the Jackson-Triggs Winery at random.

Jackson-Triggs is not a traditional winery, but we were glad we got to meet our tour guide, Robin, whose knowledge of winemaking and infectious enthusiasm made for a memorable tour. Robin explained that the breeze from Lake Ontario helps keep the grapevines from freezing too early and creates an ideal climate for the vintner’s art.

When the area does freeze, winemakers have developed a special treat called ice wine. A limited number of grapevines go unharvested until after a winter freeze. As the frozen grapes are harvested, the ice (water) is removed, leaving behind a sugary delicacy that makes a delicious, sweet wine.

Niagara-on-the-Lake is also home to the renowned Shaw Festival featuring the works of George Bernard Shaw and his contemporaries. We met a young couple who highly recommended we attended a show, but after a few days of hiking, exploring and generally enjoying ourselves, we were content to return to our room for an excellent view of the falls in air-conditioned comfort.

Its great natural attractions make Niagara Falls an international melting pot. We met a nice family from Australia at the Spanish Aero Car and kept running into them at various other attractions. A multitude of accents were heard among passersby. And a couple we befriended at breakfast one morning turned out to be a Scot who is married to a Chilean. George and Sylvia Stephen now reside in the Boston area, and George, an architect, has written several books. ("New Life for Old Houses" is available at www.amazon.com and other outlets.)

We continued our explorations by visiting the Casino and watching a tightrope walker named Jay Cochrane who made two walks a day from high above Planet Hollywood. This guy has raised some $40 million in his career by autographing photos of himself for donations. The money is given to charity to help children’s causes, which is commendable and leads me to believe that not all daredevils are so looney after all.

Check out Niagara Falls. You’ll shoot a lot of photos, and there should be something there to entertain everyone in your group.