December 20, 2018
The Fallsview Boulevard Entertainment District
The top of the moraine overlooking the Canadian Horseshoe Falls, known locally as the Fallsview area, has an interesting history with visitors flocking to the area since the 1800s.
The Pavilion Hotel was built in 1822 in the area, and was one of the few overnight accommodations in Niagara Falls at the time. From the hotel's balconies visitors could enjoy one of the finest views of the Falls. However, with the coming of the steam railway in 1833, tourists began to stay at the Clifton Hotel at the foot of Clifton Hill which was closer to the Falls.
In the 1920s and 1930s car loads of families in the newly invented automobile travelled to the numerous tourist camps found in the Fallsview area.
There was little, if any, major development until the 99-metre-high Seagram Tower was built in 1962, followed by the Skylon Tower in 1964 - both of which still operate today. Why the Skylon Tower name remains, the Seagram Tower is now known as The Tower Hotel.
In 1998 the first high-rise hotel in Niagara, the Fallsview Marriott, was erected, soon followed by the opening of the Niagara Fallsview Casino Resort in 2004.
In 2004, a new addition was added to the Niagara Hilton Hotel which was built in 2001. This addition made it the tallest hotel in Canada. The 58-story hotel has 1,100 rooms, and 9 restaurants. Currently a new theatre that can seat 5,000 people is being built beside the Hilton Hotel. The theatre is expected to open mid-2019.
Also located in the Fallsview area is the Scotiabank Convention Centre which opened in 2011. This 300,000 square foot convention centre is within walking distance to 4,000 guest rooms.
There are now 20 hotels and dozens of restaurants that you can choose from in this upscale Fallsview Boulevard Entertainment District.
From your Fallsview hotel room you’ll have a superb view of the fireworks over the Falls as part of this year's Winter Festival of Lights. Fireworks take place at 9 p.m. nightly from December 21 until the 29th, and Fridays until January 25th. There will also be fireworks on New Years Eve at 9 p.m. and midnight.
Access from the Fallsview area to the Falls is made easy with Niagara Parks' Falls Incline Railway. The incline operates year-round, open from 9 a.m. until 8:30 p.m. during the winter. There is a minimal fee.