Sometime old movies or television shows reference honeymooning in Niagara Falls, which always seemed weird to me. I’d also heard that a lot of people travel to the US just to see it. Again, seemed weird…that is, until we visited.
Niagara Falls is not one of the 7 wonders of the world and each fall is less than 200 feet tall so why is it “the honeymoon capital of the world” and sometimes referred to as the “8th wonder of the world”? The short answer on the “honeymoon capitol” is that Aaron Burr’s daughter, Theodosia, her new husband, a number of servants, and 9 pack mules travelled to the falls on a “Bridal Tour” in 1801 making it high society’s new place to honeymoon. The short answer on why it might be the “8th wonder” is the fall’s shocking flowrate!
Here are some more details about Niagara Falls:
- It is the country’s oldest park in US history. NY established it in 1885 and today, it sees over 8 million visitors per year.
- As noted above after Aaron Burr’s daughter honeymooned here in 1801, Jerome Bonaparte (Napoleon’s younger sib) and his wife, followed their lead in 1804. This cost prohibitive trip made it a very exclusive spot until 1825 when the Eerie Canal opened, making it accessible to middle-class lovers.
- Niagara Falls is made up of 3 falls – the American Falls (176 feet tall but 1060 feet wide), Bridal Veil Falls and Horseshoe Falls (167 feet tall but 2600 feet wide) but they are all falls of the Niagara River originates from Lake Superior, Lake Michigan, Lake Huron and Lake Eerie before emptying into Lake Ontario.
- Niagara Falls has the world’s highest flow rate. 700,000 gallons of water travel down Niagara Falls every SECOND, making it the world’s fastest moving water.
- It produces large amounts of electricity through hydropower = ¼ of the electricity for the state of NY and the Canadian Providence of Ontario.
- Niagara Falls provides about 20% of US drinking water.
- Despite its high flow, about 90% of fish who travel down the falls survive as many have evolved to withstand the strong pressure from the falls.
I can tell you from cycling around the park that 700,000 gallons per second tumbling over the side produces a loud rumble and throws off vapor that can be seen from miles away before reaching the river/falls area.
We parked and rode our bikes towards the “Maid of the Mist” boat that takes you past American and Bridal Veil Falls into the chaos that is Horseshoe Falls. The boat trip is a must! The wind and water produced make the trip feel like a controlled squall! It’s a gas (or a gas, gas, gas if you’re from the Boomer era)!
American & Bridal Veil Falls
Horseshoe Falls
There are several other places near the boat dock to walk up for a better view of the falls or overlooking the falls, which we did. The video below gives you an idea of what 150,000 gallons/second looks like at American Falls. Can you imagine the 600,000 gallons/second at Horseshoe!
There are also restaurants with a view, Cave of the Winds, and a Visitor Center that was under construction when we there in late June 2022, but is also supposed to be great.
Walk up to American 
In addition, there are plenty of bike and walking paths throughout the park that overlook the massive Niagara River.
I still don’t know if I’d recommend a honeymoon here, but it’s not as kitschy as you’d think, and it really is a formidable sight to behold. This is a marvelous, once-in-a-lifetime experience that should not be missed if you can get there!
