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Simply Spectacular

Few words do Niagara Falls justice. Breathtaking. Awesome. Majestic. Powerful. Visit the Falls any time of year and its power and force will impress you. Visit in the middle of winter, however, and you'll be enraptured by the Niagara Falls Winter Festival of Lights in Ontario, Canada.

Though mostly thought of for the 188-foot Horseshoe Falls bearing the city's name, Niagara Falls is home to more than 81,000 residents. The city's year-round population ebbs and flows with the Niagara River as millions of tourists make the trip to see the natural spectacle of the Falls. And, with it now entering its 35th season, the Niagara Falls Winter Festival of Lights is the largest illumination festival in Canada, attracting more than one million visitors each year.

From Nov. 18, 2017 through Jan. 31, 2018, holiday light tours run along a 5-mile stretch of the Niagara Parkway between Clifton Hill and Dufferin Islands to transform the region and the Falls itself into a palette of color and animated displays courtesy of two million lights illuminating the snowy winter nights. The lights turn on each night at 5 p.m. and stay lit until midnight.

While the namesake waterfall will be dressed in bright splashes of light, other Niagara Falls attractions will also be bathed in brilliance. The Niagara SkyWheel, a giant wheel 175 feet above the Falls in Clifton Hills, and the iconic 520-foot-tall Skylon Tower in the Fallsview Tourist District will be awash in color. The Skylon Tower is notably illuminated with a computerized light show. A new illuminated display on Fallsview Boulevard celebrates Canada's 150th birthday as part of the city's year-long celebration.

Elsewhere in the city, illuminations include three-dimensional and two dimensional displays of nearly every type. Christmas trees, Santa's sled, six-foot-tall lightbulbs, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles can be seen in Clifton Hills, while Lundy's Lane features illuminated packages and ornaments. Dufferin Islands is home to the festival's Canadian wildlife displays including moose, deer, polar bears, fox, bison, and geese. A gigantic wooly mammoth makes its debut in the festival this year.  The 20-foot-tall Sylma is a magnificent tower of cascading lights spanning 35-feet in diameter. And just outside of Dufferin Islands is the world's largest illuminated Canadian-American Flag. It stands three stories high and the display morphs between the Canadian and American flags.

The illuminations don't stop there, though. If it's not the two million bulbs lighting up the city, it could be one of 20 fireworks shows presented by Fallsview Casino Resort taking center stage. The festival's opening ceremony featured the first of the shows but four-minute long shows occur weekly on Fridays at 9 p.m. "Bonus" displays light up the skyline every night from Dec. 23 through Dec. 29.

While the Festival begins to wind down in January, things stay cool with the Icewine Festival. For three weekends in January, the region celebrates one of Canada's most treasured products, Ontario icewine. For the uninitiated, icewine is made from grapes that have been left to freeze naturally on the vine. Frozen harvested grapes are pressed, leaving most of the water behind as ice while a small amount of concentrated juice is extracted. The resulting wine is described as intensely flavored with rich aromas and flavors of tropical fruits. And, as its name might suggest, icewine is best served chilled.

The 23rd annual Icewine Festival kicks off on Jan. 12, 2018 with the Icewine Gala at the Fallsview Casino Resort featuring wine tasting from over 35 wineries. Festivalgoers are also treated to wine and culinary pairings and outdoor activities along Niagara's famed Wine Route. For those who are itching to hit the trail to explore the Wine Route, the festival offers Discovery Passes that allow visitors to visit participating wineries for tours and tastings.

If you've been looking for a reason to dust off your passport and cross the border to Canada, maybe Niagara Falls' winter festivals are just the ticket.  Between the miles of illuminations and weekends of icewine, the idea of viewing the famous waterfall lit up for the holidays is certainly enticing.

For more information on the Niagara Falls Winter Festival of Lights visit www.wfol.com. For information on the Niagara Icewine Festival visit www.niagarawinefestival.com/icewine-festival.

Traveling to Canada

Since June 2009, all travelers entering Canada or the United States, except for minors under age 16, are required to present a valid passport, a U.S. Passport Card, an Enhanced Driver's License (EDL), or NEXUS Card. Children under 16 only need to present proof of U.S. Citizenship.  The Global Entry card (GE) cannot be used to enter Canada. For more information about traveling between the United States and Canada, visit the U.S. Customs and Border Protection website at www.cbp.gov/travel