A Visit to Niagara Falls

Last Friday we spent the day at Niagara Falls, NY being tourists in our own backyard. Our first adventure was to go on the Cave of the Winds, something none of us has done before. This is the perfect thing to do on a warm day, as you get soaking wet! It was amazing to see the force and power of the water going over the falls...and we got souvenir sandals to keep.

After lunch at the snack bar adjacent to the Cave of the Winds, we walked around a bit and then headed over to the Maid of the Mist. My husband and I had been on it years ago, but our two youngest children had never been on it. Again, another perfect thing to do on a warm summer day, as you do get wet, despite the raincoats they provide. It is an awesome view of the falls, but I find it scary!

We walked around some more on Goat Island, and went to the Three Sisters Islands. Afterwards, we had dinner at the Top of the Falls restaurant, where the view is good and the food is tasty and reasonably priced.

Last week my daughter and I went on a one night "girls getaway" to the Traditions at the Glen in Binghamton. We decided to do this since my husband and youngest son were going to summer camp.

Our trip down was very interesting. We were driving through Elmira about the time the tornado hit last Thursday. It was raining so hard it was "like driving through a waterfall" as my daughter said. She was actually driving (she has her permit) and said she should automatically get her license after driving through that!

I had read about the Spa at Traditions and specifically the Salt Sanctuary, a man-made salt cave within the spa. Sitting in the cave for treatment is supposde to be relaxing, as well as beneficialy to your skin and breathing. It was a unique relaxing experience. We also had manicures and pedicures the next morning. www.traditionsresort.com

We also checked out some of the carousels that Binghamton is famous for, as well as did some shopiing at Oakdale Mall.

A trip to Corning

A couple weeks ago we took a mini vacation to Corning, about a 2 hour drive from Buffalo. We visited the Corning Museum of Glass, a place your really need to spend the entire day at to see and do everything. We made some glass items at the Glass Studio. (If you do so, make sure you make reservations in advance, you can purchase tickets to the museum and to do the glass workshops in advance online.  www.cmog.org

We stayed overnight at the Staybridge Suites, which are right next to the museum and spent the next day checking out the shops and restaurants on Market Street.

Buick Car Show

Yesterday was a busy day for us. In addition to going to Buffalo Night in America in the evening, we also went to the Buick car show, which was held at the Pierce Arrow Buffalo Transportation Museum. What a great museum to have in our area! www.pierce-arrow.com

WBBZ Buffalo Night

Last night we went to Buffalo Night in America that was held at Eastern Hills Mall. What a great event! It was nice to see such a great turnout and such a positive thing happening in the Buffalo area.

St. Mary's picnic today

It's been a busy weekend. Today we went to the annual St. Mary's picnic in Swormville. Naturally we got some of their famous chicken clam chowder, had a chicken dinner and played some games.

A drive to Niagara County

Saturday, My daughter, whose learning to drive, and I took a drive to Niagara County so she could get some driving practice in. Our first stop was at Coulter Farms on Routes 425 and 93 for some home grown strawberries and fresh corn. We also shared a ice cream sunday topped with fresh strawberries. Yum! We then drove to Wilson, and browsed through the shops by the harbor....There are several nice ones to choose from, including a really cute gift shop called Four Seasons and a Becker Farms store, with wine tasting. There is also a very nice harbor with nice views of Lake Ontario. We didn't have time on this trip, but in the past our family has eaten at the Wilson Boathouse Restaurant, which overlooks the harbor. This is a nice days trip on a summer day.