Last week, we finally checked something off my family bucket list, we visited Niagara Falls in New York! Sure, both Michael and I had been to Niagara Falls as children, but neither of us remembered the experience or even what the waterfall looked like.
That’s why we spared no cost and decided to go all out to make our visit at Niagara Falls wonderful and magical – we decided to ride on the Maid of the Mist.
Sure, it was expensive but was it worth it? ABSOLUTELY!! It was an equally amazing and terrifying experience that whole family LOVED! We literally rode under the falls and lived to tell the story. It was probably the most exciting thing I’ve done in a long time. But I’ll tell you all about that later, for now let’s get down to the basics.
View this post on Instagram
What & Where is the Maid of the Mist?
The Maid of the Mist is an incredible sightseeing tour that is located exclusively on the American side of Niagara Falls. Offering tours since 1846, the Maid of the Mist takes visitors as close to the falls as anyone can safely go.
Located inside of the Niagara Falls State Park in New York, each tour is done exclusively in America.
Do You Need a Passport to Ride Maid of the Mist?
Nope! Though you will cross over into the Canadian waters for a brief period, the tour starts and ends in the USA.
Can Anyone Book a Tour on the Maid of the Mist?
Yes! All ages are welcome to book a ride on the Maid of the Mist and its even wheelchair compatible so everyone can enjoy the spectacular view of the falls.
How Much Are Tickets to Ride the Maid of the Mist at Niagara Falls?
Tickets for the Maid of the Mist boat tours are a bit pricey so be prepared to pay a hefty fee for 30-minutes. And, in case you’re wondering, they do not offer senior or military discounts. The only discounts I can find are group discounts which seem to cut the cost a couple dollars for each ticket.
As of today, the prices are:
- Adults: $25.25
- Child 6-12 years old: $14.75
Each ticket purchase includes 1 free poncho to wear during the ride.
Our Experience at the Maid of the Mist
The Maid of the Mist boat tour was probably the whole highlight of our short trip to Buffalo, New York. It was something that we originally hesitated doing because of the hefty price, but in the end, I am so glad we did it – it was completely worth it and an experience like none other!
When we arrived at Niagara Falls in New York we parked inside of Niagara Falls State Park. Though you can park for free, we had no idea that at the very end parking cost $10, so we ended up paying for parking when we actually could have got it for free. But paying for parking worked in our favor because the Maid of the Mist ticket sales were almost right behind the parking lot towards the falls.
We visited the park around 2 pm and it, surprisingly, wasn’t that busy. We were able to walk right up to the ticket line, purchase our tickets, and head towards the boat tour without any wait.
Once we purchased our tickets, we all received a boarding pass and a free Maid of the Mist postcard.
To get to the boat tour, you have to walk over a small bridge that takes you over the water to a deck that has an elevator. I personally didn’t like walking over the bridge – heights & the water underneath freaked me out, but it wasn’t too far of a walk to the elevator.
After riding the elevator down to the boat area, we finally got our ponchos and were able to walk directly onto the boat. Even though we originally wanted to go to the top deck of the boat, it was so packed that we decided to just stay on the bottom deck. (And, I actually think the experience was better on the bottom deck).
From the time we got onto the Maid of the Mist until the time the boat actually left dock was probably less than 5 minutes. There seriously wasn’t any extra time to walk around or just stand around.
And, it was so windy, that I didn’t get many pictures because our ponchos kept trying to fly off and we were gripping to the side rails so we didn’t fall off.
The actual Maid of Mist voyage was only about 20 minutes but it was amazing! Besides the wind, it was an incredible experience.
When we got close to the falls, we got soaked with water so I wouldn’t recommend taking the voyage when its cold, but you probably would deal with smaller crowds during these times.
If you’re thinking of visiting Niagara Falls, you have to take the boat tour on the Maid of the Mist. It’s so much fun and it’s a memory you can’t make anywhere else!
To see some of our other road trip detours and find a great place to go check out this LINK.
Last Updated on 4 years ago by Crystal Carder