Skylon Tower

The Skylon Tower is the single best overview of Niagara, and on a first visit it is worth doing early, because from the top the whole geography of the place makes sense. Opened in 1965, the concrete tower rises from the Fallsview district on the Canadian side, and its glass-fronted yellow elevators, nicknamed the yellow bugs, climb the outside of the shaft in under a minute, with the view expanding as you go. At the top, indoor and outdoor observation decks give a full circle: the Horseshoe Falls curving away below, the American Falls and Bridal Veil Falls across the gorge, the river racing in from the upper rapids, the city of Niagara Falls, New York beyond, and on clear days the line of Lake Ontario to the north and, some say, a smudge of the Toronto skyline. The Horseshoe Falls is seen almost straight on, which is why so many of the classic aerial photographs are taken from here. Above the decks, a revolving dining room turns slowly through the full view during a meal, and a buffet level sits nearby; dining guests generally ride the elevator as part of their reservation. The tower is open year-round from morning until late at night, until 11pm most days and midnight on Saturdays, and the evening visit is the sleeper: when the falls are illuminated in color after dark, the view from the top is spectacular, and in the Winter Festival of Lights season you can watch the fireworks from above. Our link goes to the observation deck ticket, which includes the indoor and outdoor decks and all taxes and fees, with a small gift-shop discount; parking on site is extra. The base of the tower is a busy complex of arcades and shops that you can skip. If the weather is low cloud or heavy mist, the view can vanish, so check the conditions before you buy.

The tower belongs to the great age of 1960s observation towers, built in the years when Niagara was reinventing itself for the automobile tourist and the honeymoon market. Its exterior elevators were a novelty then and remain one of its signature experiences, and the slowly revolving restaurant at the top was the era's idea of glamour. The Fallsview district around it has since filled in with hotel towers, casinos and indoor water parks, but the Skylon remains the reference point of the skyline, visible from almost everywhere on both sides of the river.

How to visit: the tower stands on Robinson Street in the Fallsview area, a short walk up the hill from the brink of the falls and a few minutes from most of the Canadian hotels. Buy the deck ticket, ride the yellow elevator up and spend time on both the indoor and outdoor levels; the outdoor deck is wired with safety fencing and can be windy and cold, so bring a layer in any season. Allow forty-five minutes to an hour. For dinner with a view, reserve the revolving dining room well ahead for sunset or for the illumination, and ask for a table at the window; the food is part of the experience rather than the point. For the best photographs, go in the late afternoon on a clear day, when the sun is behind you and lights the Horseshoe Falls.

Is it worth it? For first-timers, yes: it frames the whole destination in a way no ground-level viewpoint can, and it is open on days when the boats and seasonal attractions are closed. If you are staying in a high-floor fallsview room, you already have much of the same view, so you might skip it or save it for an evening visit. Pair it with Journey Behind the Falls and the Niagara Parks Power Station for a full Canadian-side day, then go back up after dark when the falls are lit.