FAMILY TRAVEL continued...
The Family Fun Zone with the family
pool, Kid Centre, Club 33 Teen Lounge,
and Corkscrew Waterslide is always com-
plimentary. Hotel rates are as low as $150
Canadian during this period.
Black Creek Pioneer Village is of-
fering free admission for kids 14 and
under the week of March 11-17. Crime
strikes the village and everyone is invited
to help Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson
solve the case. Join the maple syrup fun at
the Maple Syrup Show, explore the Sugar
Shack Discovery Zone, and take a horse
drawn wagon ride around the village.
Always wanted to enjoy an elegant
afternoon tea? Check out the OMNI
King Edward Hotel Kid’s Tea other-
wise called the Jester’s Tea. It includes
kid-friendly sandwiches, cookies, choco-
late cake, scones and hot chocolate, apple
cider or milk. Adults may enjoy the tradi-
tional tea.
The city’s top attractions including
the Ontario Science Centre, the Royal On-
tario Museum, Toronto Zoo and Harbour-
front Centre all have special kid-friendly
programs. Budding ballet stars and ballet
fans should not miss Alice’s Adventures
in Wonderland at the National Ballet.
For information visit: SeeToron-
toNow.com.
The Butterfly Conservatory
Tired of cold winter weather? The
perfect antidote can be found across the
Niagara River in Niagara Falls, Ontario
at the Butterfly Conservatory. Located on
the grounds of the Niagara Falls Botani-
cal Gardens, it is especially wonderful to
walk into this warm, tropical paradise on
a cold day.
It is full of lush vegetation, trick-
54 WNY Family March 2019
ling waterfalls, and thousands of
vibrantly colored butterflies. More
than 2,000 butterflies, made up of
45 different species, call this spe-
cial place home. The self-guided
walking tour begins with a short
video presentation. If you are lucky,
a butterfly or two will land on you.
Stay still and just enjoy the magic
of the experience.
Just a short walk from Niagara Falls
on the Canadian side is the Floral Show-
house filled with flowers and plants year
round. For more than 70 years, visitors
have been drawn to this flower lovers par-
adise. Collections of orchids, succulents,
and other tropical plant species are on
display throughout the year, along with
flower shows that reflect the changing
season. The Spring Show begins March
16 and continues through April 29 and
features a collection of brightly colored
spring flowers. 10 Best Readers’ Choice Awards for in-
door waterparks. It includes nine water
slides, pools, hot tubs, a 12-level inter-
active Tree House, a Tree Tops Ropes
Course, an Arcade with more than 100
games, Laser Tag, an Aqua Tumbler and
Wild Waters Wave Pool. The 200,000-gal-
lon Wave Pool is the largest indoor wave
pool in the eastern United States.
On March 17 the falls will be aglow
in bright green in honor of St. Patrick’s
Day. Jamestown’s National Comedy Cen-
ter (see December 2018 issue for full ar-
ticle), the country’s first museum devoted
to comedy as an art form, placed second
in the final ranking of the 20 “Best New
Attractions” in the USA Today10Best
Readers’ Choice travel award contest.
For information on butterflies,
flowers and lighting at the Falls visit:
http://www.niagaraparks.com.
Splash Lagoon
Splash Lagoon in Erie, Pa has been a
family favorite since it opened in 2003.
A visit in the winter or early spring is par-
ticularly inviting since the water and air
are kept at a constant 84 degrees. There
are day passes as well as packages with
the three adjoining hotels that include wa-
terpark passes on both the day of arrival
and day of departure.
Last year, Splash Lagoon was rated
fourth in the country in USA Today’s
For more information visit: http://
www.splashlagoon.com.
Update on National Comedy Center
The comedy center was one of 20
new attractions throughout the country
nominated in December by a panel of
nationally recognized travel experts for
the 10Best Award series that celebrates
outstanding destinations, attractions and
experiences. The final ranking came after
a highly competitive 28-day public voting
period.
For more information visit: http://
www.comedycenter.org or call 716-484-
2222. It is open seven days a week.