NIAGARA FALLS STATE PARK: More Than Just Tumbling Torrents

Niagara Falls. View from the American side, looking toward the Canadian side of the river.

Welcome sign on Old Falls Street.

If the ancient Greeks had known about Niagara Falls, they would have added it to their list of Seven Wonders of the World. The sheer quantity of water—75,000 gallons per sec pouring over the edge--is impressive enough, not to mention the giant clouds of mist rising from the bottom of the gorge as the water lands.

The falls are formed as water from the Niagara River, which separates the United States from Canada as it makes its way from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario, plunges into a deep gorge. 

Observation point on Goat Island of Horseshoe Falls.

In mid-July I joined the millions of visitors that come each year from all over the world to gaze in wonder at the falls. My husband was attending a conference in the Niagara Falls Convention Center on the American side. While he was at meetings, I had time to wander through the city of Niagara Falls and explore the park. I had my passport and could have crossed over the Rainbow Bridge to the Canadian side but decided not to on this trip because I had been there before. 

View from Goat Island of American Falls, Bridal Veil Falls, viewing tower, and Rainbow Bridge.

Niagara Falls State Park borders the falls on the American side. The 435-acre New York state park was developed in 1885 by American artist Frederick Church and Frederick Law Olmstead, the landscape architect who also designed Central Park in New York City. He believed that natural spaces like Niagara Falls should be preserved for people to enjoy. The park includes miles of walking paths, beautiful gardens, as well as plenty of viewing and seating areas. It is also an opportunity for bird watching and other wildlife viewing. 

Scale model of Niagara river and falls, and Goat Island.

A scale model near the Welcome Center shows Goat Island, the two main cataracts, American Falls and Horseshoe Falls, and the smaller Bridal Veil Falls. A short pedestrian bridge connects Goat Island to the American side of the river. Paths on Goat Island lead to viewing points for all the falls. 

Hop-on, Hop-off trams are available to take people around the park.

The Welcome Center near the main entrance to the park has exhibits, restrooms, a cafe and gift shop.

I started my Niagara Falls visit at the Welcome Center near the entrance to the state park where there are displays highlighting the history of the area, beginning with the Native Americans who lived there long before the first Europeans came.

Acknowledgment is made that the park is on traditional indigenous lands.

There are also sections about Father Hennepin, who came with French fur traders, and Nikola Tesla, a major figure in the history of Niagara Falls. Tesla was the engineer who, along with George Westinghouse, figured out how to harness the energy of the falls to make electricity.

Statue of Nikola Tesla on Goat Island.

One can view Niagara Falls from both the American side Canadian sides of the river.

Maid of the Mist boat takes people to the base of the falls.

I limited myself to standing at the railing and looking at the falls from above. But many people take the Maid of the Mist boat ride for a close-up look at the base of the falls, wearing raincoats to keep dry as the boat gets close to the mist. 

A tether keeps the hot-air balloon from floating away.

Others view from a bridge over the water. And some go up in a hot air balloon. If you do this at night in the summer, you can see a light show and fireworks over the falls. (We could see and hear the fireworks from our hotel window.)

Along tree-lined Old Falls Street, which leads to the entrance of the park, visitors can enjoy giant chess boards, ping pong and other games.

Historical marker on Old Falls Street.

The city of Niagara Falls is designed for tourists with hotels, restaurants, and entertainment, all within walking distance of the state park. Reflecting the scope of international visitors, a wide range of eateries--including many featuring South Asian cuisines-- line the main street. 

Main gate of Niagara Falls State Park.

Within the park one can get around by walking, riding a bike, or taking a tram. Entrance to Niagara Falls State Park is free.

Thirty years ago, I visited Niagara Falls with my family, viewing the falls from the Canadian side. We went down an elevator to a path that allowed us to walk behind the falls. We stood on the walkway as the water roared past us, awing us with its power. On this trip I was no less impressed.

Map of Niagara Falls State Park.

For more information go to the Niagara Falls State Park website. 

FROM FOG TO SUNSHINE: A Hike on Mount Tamalpais, Marin County, CA

Viewpoint of San Francisco Bay at top of Mount Tamalpais, Marin County, CA

The redwoods arched high above us, shrouded in fog so thick it almost felt like rain. It had an ethereal quality, as if we had entered a fairytale. And although it was mid-July, we wore two layers of jackets to keep warm. We were at the Pantoll Ranger Station picnic area in Mount Tamalpais State Park in Marin County, California. just across the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco. (We had come to the park across the Richmond/San Rafael Bridge, about a 40 minute drive from Oakland.)

Redwood forest at Pantoll Campground, Mt. Tamalpais State Park.

After eating our sandwiches, we set out on a short hike on the Old Mine trail, one of a number of trails that begin at the Pantoll parking area. 

Start of Old Mine trail.

Moss at start of Old Mine trail.

The trail, mostly level, winds through the forest, hugging the hillside. The damp environment is perfect for mosses and ferns covering the forest floor. Little by little the fog began to lift.

A wooden bridge crosses a seasonal creek on the Old Mine Trail.

About a quarter of a mile along the trail we passed a sign that marks the spot where miners had once staked a claim, hoping to find gold. (They didn’t.)

Coastal hills and fog over the Pacific. View from end of Old Mine Trail.

As we got nearer to the end of the Old Mine trail where it intersects with the Dipsea Trail, the trees began to thin to open space and we found ourselves at an overlook of the coastal hills. 

The Veterans' Bench at the end of the Old Mine trail provides a place to rest and a view of the coastal hills.

But on the day of our hike, the famous San Francisco fog still shrouded the coast so the water of the Pacific wasn’t visible. However, the sun was beginning to come out the sky turning blue. 

We spotted a flock of wild turkeys on the hillside behind the Veterans' Bench and walked up a narrow trail for a closer look. 

After a short rest to admire the view, we turned around and retraced our steps. The total distance of the Old Mine Trail hike is one mile. By the time we returned to the Pantoll parking lot the sky was blue, the trees were no longer surrounded by mist and it was time to take our sweaters off. 

We got back in our car and continued up the narrow, curvy road to the top of the mountain. There, after parking near the Visitor Center, we followed the path a short distance to the overlook. The view is spectacular! 

Bridge to overlook of Bay Area.

Looking East past Tiburon and Angel Island to the hills of Oakland on the other side of San Francisco Bay.

At 2571 feet--the highest peak in the San Francisco Bay area--Mount Tamalpais dominates the Marin skyline. For 37 years my parents looked up at Mount Tamalpais every day from the windows of their house in Mill Valley. Some days it was covered in fog; other days bathed in sunshine; occasionally, on a cold winter day, it would be dusted in snow. Over the years during my visits to Mill Valley we made many excursions to the park. It is still one of my favorite places in the Bay Area to enjoy the outdoors.

Numerous hiking trails begin at Pantoll Ranger Station.

Ferns growing on tree bark.

ON THE VIKING TRAIL (PART 2 of 2) - SCANDINAVIAN MUSEUMS Guest Post by Caroline Hatton

My friend Caroline Hatton, a children’s writer and frequent contributor to this blog, took the photos in this post in June and July 2025. 

Roskilde (R), Denmark (D). Stockholm (St), Sweden (S). Oslo (O), Norway (N).

This second and last post on Viking history is about visiting three relevant museums, in Denmark, Sweden, and Norway. Part 1 appeared last week.

THE VIKING SHIP MUSEUM IN DENMARK

Less than an hour drive or ride in public transportation from Copenhagen, what is left of five ships, after a thousand years under seawater, is expertly displayed at the Viking Ship Museum in Roskilde. The website tells the impressive story of the excavation, and provides details about each original ship and its present-day replica.

Ship.

Archeologists believe that local Vikings intentionally sunk decrepit ships in a fjord channel to form a barrier, to protect their town, Roskilde, from enemy attacks. Piles of debris embedded in the sea floor contained the remains of a fishing boat, a small coastal trader (above photo) that could carry up to four tons of cargo, a large ocean-going cargo ship, and two speedy longships to carry warriors into battle, up to 70 armed men in the larger vessel.

Scientists determined not only what kind of wood the ships were made of (pine, oak…), but where they were made (the location in Norway or Ireland…), where else the big cargo ship stopped for repairs, and that two of the ships were sunk 20 years after the first three. In the museum, the original wooden planks are mounted on the appropriate boat skeletons, made of metal strips.

Model of above ship.

Tabletop models show what the ship once looked like.

We didn’t ride, row, or sail in the replicas floating in the harbor, or watch boatbuilders, sailmakers, ropemakers, or the blacksmith at work. But seeing the museum ships on a tour guided by a costumed archeologist gave us insights into Viking society.

The different specialized ships hint at the fact that not all Vikings were warriors. Most Vikings were farmers. Some were traders, others fearless explorers. They relied on genius shipbuilders and specialized craftspersons. Warriors were a minority and they went on raids only part of the year.  But even farmers used boats to move cows between pastures, and to bring goods to and from markets, because it was easier to travel over water, including by sled when it was frozen solid, than land.

Over time, better ships carried more load, faster and farther: warriors, for swifter, deadlier raids and conquests. Explorers searching for new lands and resources. Traders seeking greater wealth and larger networks. From their Nordic homelands, Vikings spread east, west, and south. It is easy to imagine Vikings enamored with their ships, often referred to as “sea-steeds” or “wave-horses” in Norse poems.

THE VIKING WORLD IN SWEDEN

In Stockholm, the Swedish History Museum’s Viking World is the world’s largest Viking exhibition. The website offers online exploration of this exhibition, with hi-res photos better than the one below, articles, old Norse myths, and stories of Viking age people, including children. The best webpage for a virtual visit has buttons by theme, such as “Family and hierarchy,” leading to sub-themes, leading to more info and hi-res photos of many objects.

On site, in the courtyard, a staff blacksmith had visiting children pumping the bellows. Some visitors shot arrows, others played a Viking board game. Staff bakers made flatbread on a griddle for us to taste with butter, honey, and cumin or fennel seeds. The Vikings made rye or spelt flatbread, but only on special occasions or perhaps as grave gifts. Their daily meals included porridge, meat, fish, and vegetables.

Inside, we followed a stellar tour guide, an archeologist, before wandering independently through the exhibition for hours.

Keys.

I love Viking keys. They unlocked chests or cupboards containing valuables, and hung like pendants on necklaces around the neck of the woman who was the head of the household. They symbolized her authority and power. She ran and controlled the place. Today, replicas are widely available and hugely popular in Scandinavian museum shops.

THE VIKING AGE EXHIBITION IN NORWAY

The Oslo Norwegian Historical Museum’s Viking Age Exhibition webpage links to a 17-minute video Guided Tour with Closed Caption available in English. Displayed in 19 glass cases were some of the finest Viking objects found in Norway. This exhibition was smaller than the Viking World in Stockholm, Sweden, yet just as interesting.

Treasure.

Above, Norway’s largest Viking gold treasure, the Hon Hoard. It was found in 1834 by a farmer digging a ditch. Dating from the 800s, it includes more than 2.5 kilograms (over 2.5 lbs) of gold. With gold necklaces, Frankish jewelry, Arabian coins, North African beads, a Roman gemstone, and an English ring, “The hoard is a reflection of Viking journeys and contacts.” At its greatest, the world of the Vikings stretched from today’s Iran to today’s Canada, and from the North Atlantic to the Mediterranean and North Africa.

The photo at the top of this post shows the best preserved Viking helmet ever found anywhere, the Gjermundbu Helmet. It was found on a farm, in the grave of an elite equestrian warrior surrounded by numerous weapons and abundant gear. Note the absence of horns on the helmet. Horns on Viking helmets exist only in popular culture.

 This temporary exhibition ends in December 2026. The objects will move permanently to the new Museum of the Viking Age when it opens in 2027.

Across the different places we visited, our expert guides agreed that Víkingr, the Old Norse word for Viking, was what people called themselves—but not all Norse people--only seafaring warriors and travelers. ”Vik” meant “bay” and a Viking went about his business in a bay, sailing or crewing a boat. “Viking” was an occupation, like “farmer” or “archeologist.” Now, the word Viking refers to anyone of Norse origin who lived during the Viking Age (~750-1050).

 

 

ON THE VIKING TRAIL (PART 1 of 2) - SCANDINAVIAN SITES Guest Post by Caroline Hatton

Model of Birka, Sweden, town and ramparts.

My friend Caroline Hatton, a children’s writer and frequent contributor to this blog, took the photos in this post in June and July 2025.

Lofotr (L), Norway (N). Birka (B), Stockholm (St), Sweden (S), Denmark (D).

My husband and I visited Scandinavia in 2025. Targeting natural wonders and the Viking Age of over a thousand years ago led us to Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. We spent a month seeing and doing what we wanted most, to make the most out of our roundtrip flights overseas, because I try to minimize non-essential flying and its eco-damage.

I wrote earlier posts about the natural wonders we saw. About the Vikings, this post, Part 1, is about visiting two former Viking sites, Lofotr in Norway and Birka in Sweden. Part 2 will appear next week.

In Scandinavia, like in any land where earlier cultures once thrived, layers of dirt are layers of history. Modern farmers working in their fields have literally struck gold—in buried Viking treasures. In museums that display such artifacts, every single staff guide we met was a young, passionate archeologist.

LOFOTR, NORWAY

As described in an earlier blog post about Norway’s far north Lofoten Islands, the Lofotr Viking Museum is the archeological site where the longest Viking longhouse ever found once stood. A replica of it, a museum, and the historic harbor site form the Lofotr Viking Museum.  

Our costumed guide for a tour of the longhouse said that such a big farmstead would have been the seat of power of a mighty chieftain. His name might have been Ulv, also referred to as Olaf in different texts. Ulv and Olaf do sound similar to me, especially if I imagine speaking with my mouth full of hearty Viking porridge.

More importantly, I learned that he might have been the same man as in the Icelandic saga that begins with, “There was a man named Ulv…” No way! I had just read this saga, Egil’s Saga, in which Ulv was Egil’s grandfather. Was I standing where he once did, where the story started? Something shifted in the reality around me. Ulv, and therefore his son, and grandson Egil, were part Sami, the local native people. Ulv’s son left Norway for Iceland, where Egil was born.

Longhouse, diagram and model.

The above diagram of the enormous 83-meter (~270-feet) longhouse stone foundation and post holes shows five main rooms: from left to right, the living area, entrance room with the front door at the bottom and the back door at the top, banquet hall, storage room, and livestock barn. In the above model, the doors and cows give an idea of the scale.

The barn space in the longhouse replica.

In the above photo of the barn portion of the replica, the emergency exit door, added to meet modern safety requirements, helps to picture how imposingly tall the longhouse was. In the banquet room, costumed staff cooked stew on the central hearth fire and served it with mead to wash it down. In the living area, craftspersons made period shoes and wove cloth.

The inside of a longhouse might have smelled like food, such as simmering herbs and meat, and hearth fire smoke mixed with the body odor of numerous people and the scents emanating from horses, cows, and sheep.

Chieftain and wife.

In the museum building, mannequins were dressed like the chieftain and his wife might have been. Also on display were artifacts found in the excavation of the former longhouse foundation, its refuse heap outside the back wall, and nearby graves and other sites: for example, tools and weapons, glass and pottery shards, and jewelry, locally made or imported. Powerful, wealthy Vikings were buried with their possessions.

When done indoors, we started walking downhill toward the harbor to see Viking ship replicas and get a feel for the former farm. But we gave up because even though the hours-long lashing rain has stopped, the wind was so cold it felt like it was slicing my eyeballs, and so strong it nearly knocked me off my feet. Would a Viking woman have toughed it out?

BIRKA, SWEDEN

From a boat dock in Stockholm, a 2-hour boat ride into vast Lake Mälaren took us to Birka, the site of Sweden’s “first city” or town. Founded on a small island during the 750s, within 100 years it had become the most important Swedish Viking trading post for northern Europe and a base for raids to the east.

During our boat ride, a costumed archeologist told Viking history tales as we sailed past their setting.

With only three and a half hours on the island before boarding the boat back, we decided to catch the earliest guided, outdoor walking tour.

Reconstructed villagers' boat.

This gave us time before the tour to stroll through the reconstructed Viking village that existed at the same time as the town of Birka, chat with resident goats and chickens, and watch docents lead kids craft activities.  

On the hour-long guided tour in steady, light rain, we walked through some of the 1,600+ Viking Age burial mounds, past an ancient fortress and adjacent garrison site, and in sight of Black Earth, the black soil from the former town fireplaces.

Over 1,000 people lived in Birka, many of them craftspersons and traders, either freemen or slaves. The craftsmen—bronze casters, weavers, comb and shoe makers…—lived with their family in houses near the docks. Many were immigrants from other parts of Europe, based on the materials and designs they used. The traders got rich, importing Arabic silver, beads from India, Yemen, Byzantium, and the Caucasus, ceramics, silk, spices, glass… in exchange for iron, horns, fur, skins, cloth, birds of prey, and slaves.

Comb.

The above comb is intact, which is rare. It was made from different antlers.

Smoothing stone and board.

To “iron” their clothes, the Vikings rubbed the above green glass “smoothing stone” over fabric laid on the whalebone “smoothing board.” The resulting heat would make the fabric shiny and smooth. The above stone, board, and comb, found at Birka, are now displayed in the Viking World exhibition in Stockholm.

 In the Birka museum rooms, we saw portraits in images and words of two men and two women who were buried at Birka in the 8^th, 9^th and 10^th century, some artifacts found during grave or Black Earth excavations, and some replicas.

Birka was part of a northern European trade network. Traveling was easier on water than land, so people, goods, and ideas came together in harbors. Many different languages would have been spoken on the docks. Different cultures and religions were represented in Birka, a cosmopolitan Viking town.

Note: Part 2  of On the Viking Trail will post next week.

 

 

A PEEK AT THE GILDED AGE: History Museum in Saratoga Springs, NY

Inside the Saratoga Springs History Museum. 

In the 1870s and 1880s, people came to Saratoga Springs in upstate New York for the sparkling water that gives the city its name, and for the horse races, gambling, and thriving social life in the elegant hotels that lined the main street. Today the grand hotels of Saratoga Springs' Gilded Age are gone, but the city is still a popular vacation center known for its racetrack and beautiful surrounding countryside. 

John Morrisey built the racetrack that made the area famous.

Depictions of horses and horse racing can be seen throughout the town.

Entrance to the Saratoga Springs History Museum.

What was once a gambling casino for the rich and famous now houses the Saratoga Springs History Museum where you can see mementos from the past and learn more about some of the people who are part of the city’s history.

Skidmore College building in downtown Saratoga Springs. (The main campus is just outside of town.)

In mid-May when we were in Saratoga Springs for our grandson’s graduation from Skidmore College, we visited the History Museum, located in Congress Park near the center of town.

Our tour of the ballroom, bar, and reception areas of the Casino.

At the entrance to the museum we purchased tickets to see the exhibits. As it happened, we were just in time for a tour of the ballroom area adjacent to the casino. Our guide was an extremely knowledgeable museum volunteer.

Stained glass decorations in the ballroom.

Ballroom ceiling.

The ballroom is not always open for public view because it is a popular wedding and party venue. We were lucky that we happened to be there between events. The rooms are truly impressive and it is easy to imagine ladies in long elegant dresses and gentlemen in formal suits dancing and conversing with one another.

Exhibits on the main floor of the museum.

When the tour of the ballroom ended we were free to visit the rest of the museum on our own. This included a room on the main floor next to the gift shop, plus two floors of exhibits upstairs. Here are a just few of the items I found most intriguing.

Bicycles like this one were popular in the 1890s.

An elegant way to travel was in a personal hand carried sedan chair like this one.

Roulette wheel in the card room. At the Casino, men came to make business deals, gamble, and socialize with their peers.

Hand-cut silhouette artwork was popular in the 19th century.

Steep stairs lead to the upper floors of the museum.

When we finished our visit to the history museum, we went for a walk in Congress Park on our way to lunch at one of the many local restaurants. A few weeks later, when the summer racing season began, crowds of horse enthusiasts would pour into town, just as they did every summer more than one hundred years ago. Our visit to the museum helped us imagine what it might have been like back then.

Models like these display the elegant clothing of the Gilded Age.