NIAGARA FALLS BY WHEELCHAIR -- PART 8

NIAGARA FALLS ACCESS FOR DISABLED VISITORS

IF YOU GO

(all numbers are in 905 area code):

**Courtyard by Marriott, 5950 Victoria Ave., has three wheelchair-accessible rooms -- each equipped with two queen-sized beds. The barrier-free rooms also feature roll-in showers with hand-held shower wands and grab bars. The accessible rooms have wide doors and sinks that wheelchair users can roll under. Phone 358-3083.

Continental Pancake House, 5810 Stanley Ave., has a ramp at the rear of the breakfast house for access. Phone 354-6661; Sicilian Garden Restaurant, 5501 Ferry St., has great pizzas in a barrier-free setting.. Phone 354-4981; Flying Saucer Restaurant, 6768 Lundy’s Lane, serves up specialties such as Saucer Fries and Jupiter Burgers. Dine curbside or in the ramped, accessible dining area shaped like a space ship. Phone 356-4553.

Niagara Falls is free. There are hundreds of viewing points of the Canadian and American Falls from the manicured parklands on the Canadian side.Phone the Niagara Parks Commission at 356-2241. Skylon Tower, 5200 Robinson St., has access to the observation deck. Phone 356-2651. Criminals Hall of Fame Wax Museum, 5751 Victoria Ave. Phone 374-3011. Casino Niagara, 5705 Falls Ave., offers 24-hour gambling. Phone 374-3598.

For more information, contact Niagara Falls Tourism at 356-6061, or 1-800-56FALLS

Wright is a recipient of the Bronze Medal in the 14th Annual Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Competition by the Society of American Travel Writers.

NIAGARA FALLS BY WHEELCHAIR -- PART 7

NIAGARA FALLS ACCESS FOR DISABLED VISITORS

High above the floral parks along the falls, Skylon Tower provides stunning views of the American and Horseshoe falls.

The best viewing is at twilight.

We walked and rolled the short distance from our hotel to the 520-foot tall tower.

On the plus side for disabled guests, Skylon has ramped entrances, wide common areas and excellent elevators to the observation deck

On the down side, only the indoor viewing area of the observation deck is wheelchair accessible.

The breathtaking outdoor viewing area can be reached only be steps.

But even from the glass-enclosed observation deck, Niagara’s pool below the falls looks pretty amazing nearly 800 feet down.

In daylight, rainbows often arc over the Horseshoe Falls.

During many evenings, a light show bathes the cascading water in multiple colors.

The panoramic view also includes the neon lights of Clifton Hill – where adults can buy tacky souvenirs, gorge on carnival candy and indulge themselves in all the things they didn’t get enough of as a kid.

Having fun, that’s what Niagara Falls is all about.

STORY CONTINUES TOMORROW -- MARCH 28

NIAGARA FALLS BY WHEELCHAIR -- PART 6

 NIAGARA FALLS ACCESS FOR DISABLED VISITORS

Nothing beats the thrill and beauty of Niagara Falls itself. Wheelchair users can gaze at the falls from any number of good vantage points.

The most difficult thing is fighting for viewing space among the throngs that gather along hundreds of feet of security fence that keeps visitors from falling into the gorge below.

The Maid of the Mist building has a series of ramps that allow wheelchair users to get up to an observation platform that gives a bird’s eye view of the thundering falls.

The observation deck is positioned perfectly for panoramas of both the American and Canadian falls.

Elsewhere within the Niagara Parks Commission grounds, the sprawling Table Rock building features excellent barrier-free access to souvenirs and food.

It also has a well-designed unisex restroom that comes in handy for wheelchair users requiring assistance from an opposite sex companion.

STORY CONTINUES TOMORROW -- MARCH 27

NIAGARA FALLS BY WHEELCHAIR -- PART 5

NIAGARA FALLS ACCESS FOR DISABLED VISITORS

Niagara’s lodging includes huge, convention-sized hotels, many of the chain brands and mom and pop motor courts.

Our best pick for wheelchair access is the Courtyard by Marriott.

The relatively new property has an automatic door opener that leads to the lobby, a ramp to its pool and accessible parking.

The Courtyard, which has barrier-free rooms equipped with roll-in showers, is a quiet oasis in the heart of a bustling commercial area.

Speaking of action, Casino Niagara is within walk and rolling distance from the falls.

For those who drive, the casino has a few disabled-reserved parking spaces on-site and its shuttle busses from the satellite parking lots are able to accommodate wheelchair users.

Although the main entrance is oriented toward a grand staircase, each level of the casino can be reached by elevator.

However, some elevators are a bit hidden behind doors and are somewhat difficult to maneuver through.

The casino itself, which has the full range of gaming tables, slot machines and the like, has aisles that are plenty wide enough to wheel around.

STORY CONTINUES TOMORROW -- MARCH 26

NIAGARA FALLS BY WHEELCHAIR -- PART 4

NIAGARA FALLS ACCESS FOR DISABLED VISITORS

The Criminals Hall of Fame Wax Museum is one tacky, but fun museum that we can recommend for barrier-free access.

The museum is located on a more level, easy to negotiate part of Clifton Hill. It’s attendant is quick to point out the hall’s accessibility.

We found the aisles plenty wide to negotiate and were please that everything is on the ground floor – meaning no steps to worry about.

The one negative is that some of the kitschy displays are behind windows located too high off the ground for full viewing from the seat of a wheelchair.

The Hall of Fame is great in a Jerry Springer kind of way. Lots of fake blood and campy dioramas fill the dimly-lit corridors.

Jeffrey Dahmer is depicted with his infamous refrigerator – complete with body parts on its shelves.

Lizzie Borden is captured in wax with her famous ax.

New York mobster Albert Anastasia – of Murder Incorporated fame -- is shown in a pool of blood, shot down in his barber chair in a hail of gangland gunfire.

Nestled among the vivid varieties of Clifton Hill are many motels and hotels catering to everyone from families to honeymooners.

STORY CONTINUES TOMORROW -- MARCH 22 

NIAGARA FALLS BY WHEELCHAIR -- PART 3

NIAGARA FALLS ACCESS FOR DISABLED VISITORS

Clifton Hill is a steep hillside lined with garish museums, tacky souvenir shops, colorful arcade games, fattening food stands and oddball street performers.

In other words, what’s not to love?!

Clifton Hill is like a Las Vegas for kids.

Instead of Casinos (there is one in Niagara and we’ll get to that later), it has brightly-lit funhouses and wax museums.

The Burger King features a larger than life Frankenstein –a likely escapee from a wonderfully gruesome storefront museum – gripping a king-sized burger.

Clifton Hill’s steep slope can present a challenge to wheelchair users.

The good news is that every so often, there are level plateaus – concrete islands that are smooth and level for easy negotiating to the next cotton candy stand or miniature golf grounds.

Curbcuts are good and most businesses have at least one level, accessible entrance.

We found the majority of food stands, sit down restaurants and shops to be wheelchair-accessible.

The down side is that most of the mini-museums are only partially accessible, or not accessible at all.

The two-story attractions have steps, not elevators to the upper floor and some have passageways too narrow for wheelers.

STORY CONTINUES TOMORROW -- MARCH 4

NIAGARA FALLS BY WHEELCHAIR -- PART 2

NIAGARA FALLS ACCESS FOR DISABLED VISITORS

The overwhelming shape and size of the Horseshoe Falls, not to mention the three thousand tons of water that crash over it each second, make it a crowd pleaser.

This magical place is a world of pairs: Canadian and American falls, natural and man-made attractions, accessible and not so wheelchair-accessible areas.

Thankfully for disabled visitors, the majority of Niagara Falls’ natural areas and some of the tourist magnets sprung up all around it are accessible.

Access is crucial to us because Heidi, who has lived with rheumatoid arthritis since age eight, uses a wheelchair for mobility.

As for the pair of nations that share the falls, the question of where to stay is won by Canada hands down.

Viewing of the American and Canadian Horseshoe falls is better from the Canadian side.

The U.S.’s neighbor to the north also has a better array of hotels to choose from and nothing on the American side compares to the fun offered by Canadian Niagara’s kitschy and crazy Clifton Hill.

That brings us to our last pair. While the natural beauty of the falls draws visitors to the region, the wacky carnival of Clifton Hill keeps kids of all ages coming back. 

STORY CONTINUES TOMORROW -- MARCH 23

NIAGARA FALLS BY WHEELCHAIR -- PART 1

NIAGARA FALLS ACCESS FOR DISABLED VISITORS

NIAGARA FALLS, CANADA – Surrounded by thousands of fellow travelers of every age and ethnicity, we gathered along the wall and allowed the great falls to captivate our senses.

Eyes struggled to take in the enormity of the huge Horseshoe Falls, ears tuned to the thundering roar of water rushing to the gorge below, faces tingled from the wet mist that constantly drifts above the mighty Niagara.

About 500 falls in the world are taller than Niagara, but none can match it for pure brute force.

A small island divides the Niagara River into two falls – the 167-foot-tall American Falls and the 160-foot-tall, horseshoe-shaped Canadian Falls.

STORY CONTINUES TOMORROW -- MARCH 22