Friday Field Trip: Niagara Falls

I hear that no trip to Buffalo is complete without a visit to Niagara Falls, which is only about half an hour away. Thank goodness I was able to get there, or I would have had to slink away in shame. It was one of the most spectacular sights I've seen, right up there with the Grand Canyon and the sparkler bomb my neighbor set off on a very memorable Fourth of July. 

Here are five fun facts about the falls and a few photos for your Friday: 

Niagara Falls State Park, established in 1885, is the oldest state park in the United States.

The park's landscape architect, Frederick Olmsted, also designed Central Park in New York City.

3,160 tons of water flow over the falls every second. (Not minute. Second. Wow.)

Four of the five great lakes (Huron, Superior, Erie, and Michigan) drain into the Niagara River.

In 1885, a horse-drawn carriage ride around the falls cost $1.00 per hour.

(For more info, visit the Niagara Falls State Park website.)