Have you visited Niagara Falls in winter? The mist billowing from the cascade freezes and coats the trees and parks and railings with a veneer of brilliant, shimmering ice. Slush and water solidify into a monolithic ice bridge that spans shoreline to shoreline below the Falls. One of the country’s largest holiday illuminations is on display in Niagara Falls, with millions of lights and plenty of hot drinks for cold hands. 

Winter in Niagara Falls is less crowded and quieter than summer - aside from the incessant thunder of the Falls themselves. No one obstructs your view. No tourist buses spit diesel fumes. A hotel occupancy rate of about 90 percent in warmer months dips to 30 percent in the winter; you can get a great discount on lodging.

Niagara Falls would be smart to promote “Winter Weekends” this season. Look at the economy. Think of how many people are seeking value, holding back, passing on the islands or the ski vacation. But still: you need some kind of vacation, a healthy change of scenery. Try the spectacular scenery of Niagara Falls. 

Niagara Falls offers inspiration for everyone. You can go as a couple and book the honeymoon suite.Get the heart-shaped bed. The deep Jacuzzi. Romantic view. The first recorded honeymoon trip to Niagara Falls was in 1802 by Theodosia Burr - the daughter of US Vice-President Aaron Burr - and her husband, Joseph Aliston. 

With the opening of the Erie Canal and the building of railways, more and more couples began making the honeymoon trip to Niagara Falls. The phrase “Honeymoon Capital of the World” began appearing in brochures and advertising in the early 1900s. What a brilliant marketing tagline! Of course, times have changed. We’re more ambitious and mobile when it comes to honeymoons.

Still, on your next visit to Niagara Falls, stay in the honeymoon suite.

Coming with the kids? Don’t miss the Ripley’s Believe It or Not Museum, that celebration of the strange, odd and unbelievable. There’s even a Daredevil Museum where kids can learn about those courageous and/or misguided stunt lovers who went over the Falls in barrels and other risky contraptions, to survive or perish. On the educational side, the Robert Moses Niagara Power Plant is just downstream from the Falls.

Niagara Falls with friends? Casinos, clubs and outlets.

You can travel back and forth between the Canadian and US side of the Falls over the Rainbow Bridge. No passports required until May 2009. The Canadian side is more commercial and offers the wider views. The American side is park-oriented; you can cross a bridge to Goat Island, which is a chunk of land separating the American from the Canadian Falls. From Goat Island, you can hike over to another island called “Three Sisters Island.” You can step right up to the churning, wild rapids just before the precipice of the Falls. The view is mesmerizing.

I grew up not far from Niagara Falls and visited often. In winter, my family picnicked in the frozen, ice-trimmed parks. We watched ice chunks the size of houses drop over the Falls. At night, green and red spotlights on the Falls reflected our holiday mood.

As with many industrial cities in the Great Lakes region, a lot has changed in Niagara Falls over the years. But one thing has not: the natural splendor of the Falls, inspiring in any season. Spectacular in winter.