Stephanie's Wine Tour in Niagara County

Stephanie and her group could not have picked a better day for a wine tour. It was warm and sunny with a pleasant breeze.

After picking up the group of 17 in Buffalo, we headed for the Niagara Wine trail, which has really become popular as of late. I believe this is for 2 reasons; 1-the trail has successfully marketed itself to the Buffalo region and 2-the proximity to Buffalo is close , plus there's no need to deal with the border.

Our first stop was the Honeymoon Trail Winery on Ridge Road in Lockport. This is a pleasant winery with a very homey atmosphere in the main tasting room. Our group purchased more than a case of wine here. We also posed for an outdoor picture, as seen in the slide show above. Next we headed North to Marjim Manor in Appleton. Although the Bittner family does not actually make wine at this location, their wines and juices are made from local fruit. If you're looking for some unique vintages, try the wines made from apricots, cherries or apples--you won't be disappointed. Another differentiator of Marjim Manor is the resident ghosts. On this tour Margo Bittner entertained us with specters that are thought to frequent the manor (do spirits enjoy spirits?). The house and grounds have a storied past, which is well worth a visit.

We stayed the longest at the Freedom Run Winery, and for good reason. Their tasting facility boasts a set of luxurious leather couches that envelope you. The interior design of the winery is by far the best on the Niagara Trail, providing a spacious, contemporary venue for tasting. Our extremely friendly guide for today was Kurt. Kurt had the knowledge of a professor and the demeanor of a laid back grad student. His colorful vocabulary helped bring out the subtleties and nuances of each wine. He was engaging enough to captivate everyone of our 17 guests, which is no small feat. The winery is also a showplace for art by Sean Manning, which you have to see to appreciate.

Our last stop for the tour was the Niagara Landing Winery. The atmosphere here is much more 'country' when compared to our previous stop. When I've visited here before, several small airplanes were parked around the perimeter of the parking lot. Unfortunately, there were no planes available on this day. The wines here are uniformly good, with the fruity Boxer Blush receiving an exceptionally warm reception from our group. It is also wonderful to see this winery's brand of Ice Wine which proves that we can do what the venerable wineries of Germany and Ontario can do.

All in all, a great day to be out with a great group of people. If you're interested in scheduling a winery tour, we can help. Head over to our main web site or call 716-835-4997 to schedule your winery trail tour.

More Foreigners find the Falls Fantastic

The Saturday of Memorial Day weekend the Falls looked more like the United Nations. I dropped off my group and then parked the Limo Bus. I couldn't park in the main lot (a first, as far as I know), so I had to park on the South end of the island and make my way back to the group. Along the way I saw people from all around the world and from several states.
The Niagara Gazette made note of the large crowds as well:

"Changes in foreign visitors to Niagara
By Don Glynn

Stroll through Prospect Park any day of the week — now that the prime tourist season is under way — and you’ll quickly come to the conclusion that there’s indeed a revolution in tourism.

In the travel industry, they’re known as the BRICs (Brazil, Russia, India and China) and they’re coming by the bus loads — via the charter flights — to Niagara Falls. At present, it appears visitors from India rank No. 1 of the Big Four.

Not that the natural wonder here has just been discovered by the international set. Foreigners have been a major segment of Niagara tourism for more than a century but the UK no longer leads that list, tourism operators generally agree.

Locally, it’s virtually impossible to track the influx.

A large group from India or China may descend on the state park at any time and they often move swiftly — guided by a tour leader — to a specific attraction or vantage point.

Still, after you’re in the park for a half hour and maybe had a chance to observe the exodus from the Prospect Park tower, you’ll be convinced that some of the 47 million Chinese traveling abroad this year have included the Falls on their itinerary. And visitors from Indian and Pakistan are all around as well.

Of course, there was the credible threat that many Americans had been planning to cut back on their vacations this year because of the high gas prices.

That didn’t happen here, at least over the Memorial Day holiday. In fact, attendance in the state park was up more than 8,000 for the comparable weekend a year ago.

If you check out the license plates in Prospect Park and on Goat Island, you would have found visitors from as far away as Texas, Oklahoma, Colorado and Oregon — a lot more than a tankful away.

That combination — foreigners and Americans determined to go on vacation despite the gas prices — provided for a good start to the season.

Meanwhile, hoteliers and bed-and-breakfast operators will tell you that many foreign visitors — even some U.S. citizens who think the new passport regulations are already in effect — are reluctant to cross the international bridges because of the unwarranted concern they won’t be allowed to return.

It’s an ironic twist from the days when visitors couldn’t wait to clear customs because they were always told the view was better from that side."

My words of advice to people who are thinking about visiting Niagara Falls...DO IT! The American side, the Canadian side...the cultural attractions all around--there's plenty to do. Be certain to check out the Falls in a chauffeur driven stretch Limousine or Limo Bus from Buffalo Limousine. It's a great way to see the attractions and have a customized agenda.

Falls Springing to Life

It's an annual rite of Spring for people who live near Niagara Falls, the day workers begin constructing the 'Cave of the Winds' deck. If you're not familiar with this attraction, find out more here; Click here to see a multi-media version of this story.
Here is a bit of Spring coverage from the Buffalo News:

State Parks workers are completing the yearly reconstruction of the Cave of the Winds deck, the season’s first Maid of the Mist boat will be launched Saturday, and tens of thousands of seagulls are mating near the Bridal Veil Falls.

“This is our spring,” State Parks assistant Amy Ortman of Lewiston said.

Thursday, visitors from many countries already were streaming out of the Cave of the Winds tunnel that leads to the bottom of the American and Bridal Veil falls.

The Hurricane Deck is still being rebuilt, so the tourists couldn’t venture to within 15 feet of the drenching base of the falls. They snapped photos of the reconstruction, instead.

They began dismantling the steep, winding deck last Oct. 24 — the same day the Maid of the Mist boats pack it in each season.

“If we didn’t take it down, the whole thing would be crushed by the winter ice,” Siegmann said.

Slabs of ice are still jammed between the boulders at the bottom of the American and Bridal Veil falls.

By mid-May, most of the ice will be gone and the entire Cave of the Winds structure will open."

One of the Maid of the Mist boats was launched today, the others in the fleet will return to the river on Wednesday. The fleet of four boats can accommodate 1,800 passengers at one time. This year it is estimated that 2.5 million tourists will ride this awesome attraction.
If you are headed to Niagara, the Maid of the Mist is a must! Consider taking in all the Falls has to offer by booking a Dare Devil Tour from Buffalo Limousine.

Niagara Falls Videos

A question for our international web surfers...Are you considering a trip to Niagara Falls? There is so much to do, that you might find an overview to be rather helpful.
I've scoured the You Tube site to bring you the best videos about the Niagara region, and compiled them here. The videos are a mixture of home made and professional productions. By looking at the title I've provided, you can quickly decide if the video is of interest.
Enjoy, and remember that any of the attractions you see here can be incorporated into a custom Buffalo Limousine tour.

Stretching Your Euros

Thanks to our slumping economy, now is a great time for Europeans to find tremendous values in the United States. According to the USA Today, Europeans are flooding cities such as New York, looking for values:

"Weak dollar draws more European visitors in 2007
The USA received 1.5 million more visits from overseas last year than in 2006 as the weak U.S. dollar lured more Europeans interested in exercising their increased buying power.
Last year, the USA received an estimated 23.2 million visits from outside North America, up almost 7% from 2006, according to a U.S. Department of Commerce estimate.
Visits by Western Europeans, the largest source of visitors, were up 8% for the year, and the news Tuesday suggested they continue to have a strong motive for visiting the USA: record strength of the Euro.
The Euro surged Tuesday to an all-time peak of $1.4982 before closing the trading day in New York at $1.4967."

Niagara Falls, NY offers real value for your Euro. Consider that the US dollar has decreased in respect to the Canadian Dollar, leading to extra incentive to stay on the US side of the border.
Here's an example of 2 adults and 2 children buying tickets to board the Maid of the Mist Boat attraction (tickets can be purchased in the US or in Canada):

CANADA: 2 Adults + 2 children = $45.60 CAN, or 29.88 Euros
USA: 2 Adults + 2 children = $39.60 US, or 25.83 Euros

In this example, you save nearly 15% by touring on the US side of the Falls. There are more examples of this. Please check our main web site for more information on visiting Niagara Falls, regardless of which side you choose!