When you travel, you are constantly presented with new opportunities to educate yourself. It really is a shame to take the ´been there got the T-shirt approach when you visit iconic cities, buildings, and natural wonders. You will remember your trip far more if you take the time to pause for a while and educate yourself about the places you visit. Doing so is far better than quickly whipping around the sights, taking a few snaps and leaving it at that.

Take, for example, a visit to the Niagara Falls. As you can see from Marriott Niagara Falls website, there are numerous ways to experience and see the falls. Most of these tours will be great fun, and you certainly should try at least some of them, when you visit the area. After all, who can resist the chance to go behind the falls, jet boat the river, or whizz over them in a helicopter?

However, there is far more than just the falls to visit in the area. There are also some great museums and other historic sites to enjoy. Below are details of some of the best of them.

The Niagara Gorge Discovery Centre
This discovery centre beautifully mixes the old with the new. There are plenty of black and white photos on display and a wonderful 20-minute movie to enjoy. It is very informative and a great way to learn about the history of the falls. If you take the elevator down to below the falls you can learn about the geology of the falls from the gorge walls, as well as follow the lovely trail that runs alongside the river.

The Aquarium of Niagara
Not far away is the Aquarium. This is another great mixture of old school and new style exhibits that makes for a surprisingly engaging visit. If you can take the Behind the Scenes Tour to learn more about the care of the animals and how the aquarium functions. In addition, you get the chance to pet one of the seals.

Visit the Niagara Daredevil Exhibit at the IMAX
No trip to the falls would be complete without learning about the many attempts to ride over the falls and survive. You will be surprised by just how flimsy some of the barrels and pods used to shoot the falls actually were. It is really rare to be able to get close to historical artefacts like you can here. There are no ropes, so you can actually touch the exhibits. While you are in the IMAX, take the time to watch the show. The films about the history of the falls are extremely informative and guaranteed to hold your attention. 

Far more than just the falls to enjoy

All of the above attractions are closely related to the falls themselves. However, there is a lot more to see in the area. For example, for nature lovers, there are the Butterfly Conservatory, Safari Niagara, and the Bird Kingdom to visit. These are all great places to learn more about the biology and ecology of the area. There's also plenty of history and culture in the area. What do you love to learn about most, when you travel? I am sure you will find it here.

Keeping the cost under control

As you can imagine, visiting most of the above attractions is not cheap. Fortunately, there are promotions available. This opens up the opportunity for you to save quite a bit of money. You can find coupons and discounts for many of the above venues online.

Have you been to Niagara Falls? What did you enjoy most?