Hey Guys!
I am really getting behind on my blogging….I still have about 5 more trips to blog about once I am finished with this one! So, it’s been hard trying to keep up!
Let’s get back to exploring the 5 Great Lakes! I have two more days left to blog about!!
We are currently in Port Huron, MI but today we will be heading to our next hotel in Niagara Falls on the Canadian side.
Before leaving our hotel in Port Huron, we started our morning with a free breakfast at the hotel.
They had lots to choose from!
After making our plates, we headed to a table that had views of the lake.
I wasn’t impressed with the food at all….it tasted like it had been sitting out for hours!
After breakfast, we headed back to our room where we enjoyed a few minutes of relaxation on our small patio.
At around 9:30, we began the drive to our first stop of the day. The drive would take approximately 3.5 hours.
We had to cross over the Blue Water Bridge into Canada and we couldn’t believe how long the line was to go through!
Tip: Be sure to have your passports ready to show the border patrol agent
After driving for about 3 hours, we made our first stop in Grimsby, ON so we could get our feet wet in Lake Ontario!
We found a small park called Grimsby Beach Park that sat right on the shore of Lake Ontario so that’s where we headed.
It was a tiny park in the middle of a residential area but we were able to find a small parking area so we parked and headed down to the lake.
A shot of the beach area
There was an informational plaque that talked about the history of Grimsby Beach.
Grimsby Beach was used by Euro-Canadian settlers as a religious gathering place in the mid-19th century, which became known as a Methodist Campground.
By the 1870s, canvas and post tents were being replaced with wood-frame cottages, known as permanent tents.
Several of those “cottages” are still standing today…..here’s a shot of one of them.
Walking the path to the lakeshore
We couldn’t get over how clear the water was at all of these lakes ….I never imagined them looking like they do! I mean, in some areas, they looked like Caribbean water!
Of course, we couldn’t pass up an opportunity to have our picture taken in front of the lake.
I told my husband I wished we had made little signs for each lake and held them up in our photos. It would have made it so much easier to remember which lake we were standing in front of when we looked back through our pictures later.
We found so many cool rocks while we were here!
After spending a few minutes at the lake, we decided it was time to find something for lunch.
We found a restaurant about 15 mins from the park called the Lake House. 
The restaurant sat right on the shores of Lake Ontario and they had outdoor seating with views of the lake!
After getting seated, we took a few minutes to look over the menu.
I ordered the fish tacos and the hubby ordered his usual burger.
The food was delicious and the service was great!….and you couldn’t beat the views!
Read reviews here
After lunch, we continued our drive to our next stop which would be in Buffalo, NY.
We made a quick stop when we spotted some cherry trees on the side of the road!
The area we were in was called St. Catharines, ON.
Tip: To see the cherry blossoms in bloom, click here
As we continued our drive, we entered into the town of Niagara Falls, ON.
We then crossed over the Peace Bridge to make our way back into the United States.
Tip: Once again, have those passports ready to show the border agent
Once you cross over the bridge, you will now be in New York.
At this point, we continued the short drive to Buffalo.
The drive from Port Huron to Buffalo is 4 hours.
Our first stop in Buffalo was the Forest Lawn Cemetery. 
I’m sure some of you may think it’s a bit strange for someone wanting to visit a cemetery while on vacation but this isn’t just some old cemetery, this cemetery is listed on the National Register of Historic places due to its stunning landscape architecture and significant monuments.
This 269 acre cemetery was designed after a famous cemetery in Paris called the Père-Lachais.
Opened in 1804, Père Lachaise in Paris is the world’s most visited cemetery. Its 70,000 ornate tombs of the rich and famous form a verdant, 108-acre sculpture garden in the city’s 20th arrondissement.
The Père-Lachais cemetery encouraged people to walk the grounds, admire the funerary art, and commune with nature so the creator of Forest Lawn followed the design of the Père-Lachais.
This cemetery was created in 1849 and the first burial was held in 1850. There are now more than 165,000 burial sites here.
There are also more than 3,500 trees in Forest Lawn, representing 100 different species and varieties and making the cemetery an important arboretum.
Charles Clark, the Buffalo, NY lawyer who created the cemetery, started a policy of providing interesting and appropriate sculptures to the natural setting of Forest Lawn – a continuing policy that has made the cemetery a significant outdoor sculpture museum today.
Read about the history of the cemetery here & click here to download a map of the cemetery
There are so many unique sculptures and headstones ….you could literally spend hours here!
We spent about an hour here checking out as many headstones and sculptures as we could!
Tip: You can also book a tour of the cemetery and they will show you where all the famous people are buried. You can also download their app for a self guided tour.
One of the most impressive features in the cemetery is the Blocher Monument.
The monument was sculpted in 1884 by an Italian sculptor by the name of Frank Torrey.
It was designed by John Blocher.
The center of attention inside the tomb is Nelson Blocher, laid out for viewing, clutching a bible. Looking at his prostrate form are his parents, John and Elizabeth Blocher. Hovering above is an angel, who, some say, bears a striking resemblance to a maid employed by the Blocher family.
It’s said that Nelson died of a broken heart. Accounts of the day say that his mother, Elizabeth, goaded her husband, John into constructing the tomb as a memorial for their heartbroken son.
Where exactly are the Blochers spending eternity? They are underneath a movable slab in the floor of the mausoleum!
Since I took so many pictures, I will share a few of my favorites.
There are several famous people buried in this cemetery.
One of those is the music legend Rick James who died in 2004.
Another one is the 13th President of the US, Millard Fillmore. 
He is buried here along with his 1st and 2nd wife and his son and daughter.
Read reviews for the cemetery here
After leaving the cemetery, we headed to our next stop.
Along the way, we passed the beautiful Saint Mark Catholic Church that was established in 1908.
Our next stop was Parkside Candies.
This candy store has been a tradition in Buffalo since 1927.
Behind the storefront is the actual factory where they produce all of their yummy candy!
Walking inside the candy store felt like walking back in time.
The oval interior of the store and dining area was designed by Buffalo architect Morton Wolfe, finished in the style of the Adam’s period.
Still today, the interior features a beautiful solid walnut soda fountain, tables, and candy cases. 
In the center of the store are the original three light fixtures which not only help light the store, but also assist in the heating and cooling.
The store was so beautiful!
But we were here for their yummy candy and trying to choose what to purchase proved to be a challenge for both me and my hubby!
We wanted one of everything!
They are known for their sponge candy……which is a light, airy toffee that’s made by heating sugar then adding baking soda. The baking soda makes the candy foam up, creating a sponge like crystalline structure. Once set, the foamed sugar becomes crunchy and brittle. It’s then covered in chocolate.
The sweet employee, who happened to be from Tennessee, opened a bag to let us try it….it was really good!
They also had an old fashioned soda fountain where you could purchase shakes, sodas, sundaes, cones and more.
Fun Fact: In 1983, the movie “The Natural”, starring Robert Redford and Glenn Close was filmed at the Parkside Candy Store.
After purchasing way too much chocolate, we headed to our next stop.
Read reviews for the candy store here
Our next stop would be the Martin house.
We had wanted to tour the house but it was closed the day we arrived.
Built between 1903 and 1905, the Martin House was designed by acclaimed American architect Frank Lloyd Wright as the city home for Buffalo business executive Darwin D. Martin and his family.
Wright is internationally recognized as one of the most important figures in 20th century architecture and design. His legacy is marked by his vision to create a new form of architecture based on the open landscape of the American Midwest.
Since it wasn’t opened, we just parked and took a few pictures of the outside of the house.
Book a tour here & read reviews here
There was another beautiful house that sat next to the Martin House!
After leaving here, we headed to our next stop where we passed lots of beautiful, old homes!
We also passed the beautiful St. Louis Catholic Church. The construction of the church was completed in 1889.
Shortly after leaving the Martin House, we arrived to our next stop, the Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site.
Unfortunately the house was closed when we arrived, so we just took pictures of the outside.
This is the Ansley Wilcox House and it is where in 1901 that Theodore Roosevelt would be sworn in as the President of the United States after President William McKinley had been assassinated that day at the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo.
Roosevelt was Vice President at the time and was suddenly thrust into the presidency under tragic circumstances.
The oldest part of the building actually dates back to the Buffalo Barracks, a US Army post built in the 1840’s.
In the latte 1800’s the house was converted into a private residence by Ansley Wilcox and his wife Mary Grace.
The house later became a restaurant before being threatened by commercial development….but thanks to a local preservation campaign, it was declared a National Historic Site in 1966 and opened as a museum in 1971.
Read reviews here
After leaving here, we decided it was time for dinner so we headed out to find something to eat….we passed a restaurant called, Anchor Bar that said it was the home of the original Buffalo wings so we couldn’t pass that up!
After getting parked, we headed inside.
The inside was so cool!
After being seated, we took a few minutes to look over the menu.
I ordered the grilled chicken tenders and my hubby ordered the famous wings.
The food was really good!
After paying our bill, we walked around the restaurant checking out all of the pictures and newspaper articles that were hanging on the walls.
Lots of famous people had eaten here.
As we got ready to leave, I turned around and caught my husband kissing another woman! 😉
Read reviews here
After leaving here, we headed to our next hotel in Niagara Falls, ON.
The drive from Buffalo takes about 30 minutes.
On the drive, we passed more beautiful old houses and a church.
We had to cross back over the Peace Bridge to get into Canada.
The line was forever long to get into Canada!
After arriving to our hotel, the Oakes Hotel Overlooking the Falls, we were told they had to move us to the Hilton because they were having water issues.
I was not a happy camper because I had booked this hotel for the views as I had stayed in this property a year earlier when I had visited Niagara for the first time with my mom and sisters.
You can read about that trip here
We were given no compensation or anything for being moved to a different hotel. I had booked the hotel through Booking.com and will not be using them again after having consistent issues with getting the room types I book…..not to mention, they recently left a fake review for a property under my account and refused to remove it,…I had to file a complaint against them with the BBB….which nothing came out of that!
Click here to book all kinds of tours at Niagara
After arriving to the Hilton, we parked in the garage which costs us like $80 a nite and we were staying for two nights. 
Once we made it up to our room, I was even more disappointed because the views were not very good at all!
At the Oakes, you had clear views of both the US falls and the Canadian falls but at the Hilton we only had a view of the US side which is much smaller than the Canadian falls!
The room we were given was nice though but I would have rather had the views I paid for at the Oakes!
Read reviews for the Hilton here & reviews for the Oakes here
After getting settled into our room, we headed back outside to check out the falls.
A shot of the Hilton….it sits across the street from the falls while the Oakes sits on the other side of the street facing the falls. The Oakes is a much closer walk to the falls than the Hilton!
The shortest route to the falls from the hotels is to purchase a ticket on the Falls incline railway.
The railway takes you right down to the Fallsview Tourist area and the Table Rock Centre.
After purchasing our tickets, we boarded the railway and were greeted with awesome views of horseshoe falls. 
After exiting the railway, we made our way through the Table Rock center and exited out the other side to get an up close view of the falls.
Niagara Falls is one of those places that photos can never do justice. Its beauty is overwhelming, and you truly have to stand beside the falls to understand their power and immensity!
Every night they light up the falls with different colored lights….it’s really cool to see!
And then, at 10:00 pm sharp, they shoot off fireworks over the falls!
You definitely don’t want to miss it….it lasts for exactly 5 mins.
Tip: You can book tours to see the falls lit up at night or see the fireworks.
After watching the fireworks, we headed back to our room where we enjoyed our yummy chocolates from Parkside Candy. 
A shot of the views from our room
Later, we called it a night!
Thanks for reading!
Read Day 1 here, Day 2 here, Day 3 here, Day 4 here, Day 5 here, Day 6 here, Day 7 here and Day 8 here
Click here to see links to all of my blog posts