From downtown Toronto, it’s an easy, two-hour train trip to Niagara Falls, where taxis are available to take you from the train station to the Canadian side of the park. Getting wet on the Maid of the Mist has been a tradition since 1846 when the first steamboat ferry carried stagecoaches and horses across the Niagara River near the falls. Now the 30-minute boat rides puts you within spraying distance of the thundering falls, both the American Falls and the wider, more impressive Canadian Falls.

Just outside the park, Clifton Hill, a street lined with fun houses, a SkyWheel (Ferris Wheel), Ripley’s Believe It or Not, mini-golf and more looks like Nirvana to kids and looms like a money pit for parents. Negotiate with your children ahead of time about how many hours and how many dollars you want to spend here. Enjoy a nap on the afternoon train trip back to Toronto. Read a full review of Niagara Falls as a destination for families.