Niagara Falls has a new viewing platform that's open in the winter and lets you get right up to the freezing waterfalls — here's what it's like to visit

Jessica Kelly for Business Insider

• Niagara Falls' Cave of the Winds experience lets you get right up to the falls.
• It was previously only accessible in summer months, but a newly built viewing platform makes the experience available in the winter, too.
• In early March, I took a trip to see the falls. The icicles, snow-covered trees, and frozen blue ice mounds were beautiful.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Living in Western New York, I sometimes forget that we have a natural world wonder basically in our backyard: Niagara Falls.

There are many ways to view the falls, like a simple hike through the park or a ride on the legendary Maid of the Mist, and some extreme ones like a helicopter ride over the falls to get a bird's eye view. But one of my favorites is Cave of the Winds, which falls somewhere in the middle of this range. At around $7, the experience is affordable, and depending on what time of the year you go, you can basically reach out and touch the falls.

Until recently, you could only get up close to the Bridal Veil Falls section of Niagara Falls in warmer months. This year, however, a newly built platform gives visitors the opportunity to get a close view of the falls in the colder months and take in the ice that's formed from the falling waters amid frigid temps.

Here's what it's like to visit Cave of the Winds in the winter.

Upon arrival, you'll purchase your tickets at the ticket counter before entering the museum. Inside, a waiting room has historical write-ups about the falls on display. You're then guided into the next area to watch a brief video about the history and the individuals involved in using the falls for energy.

Jessica Kelly for Business Insider

Although the video was kind of goofy, with fake lightning in the room, and cardboard cutouts of historical individuals, it was still informative and entertaining.

From there, you're brought to a third room full of benches. Then, an elevator attendant comes and tell you it's time to head down through the caves.

Jessica Kelly for Business Insider

You'll head down to the cave and walk through it. From there, a short path leads you to the falls. It's a short walk — it took us about five minutes.

Jessica Kelly for Business Insider


See the rest of the story at Business Insider

See Also:

• 10 business leaders who have cut their salaries to $0 to help struggling workers as the coronavirus wreaks havoc on their industries
• A Gen Zer who contracted the coronavirus during his spring break says the White House's response to the pandemic is one of the main reasons why people aren't taking it seriously
• Meet Budweiser billionaire Billy Busch, who pled guilty to assaulting an 11-year-old, owns a 700-acre farm outside St. Louis, and stars in an MTV reality show with his wife and 7 kids

SEE ALSO: I waited my whole life to go to Bali. Now I wish I had kept waiting.

NOW READ: I'm a female traveler who spent 3 weeks backpacking around Saudi Arabia — and discovered it's not for the casual vacationer. Here's where I went and what I experienced.

from Business Insider https://ift.tt/39jdvm1