Niagara Falls isn’t just for lovers. The whole family can have a great time getting up close and personal with the falls on Maid of the Mist boat tours and boardwalk tours like the Whitewater Walk or the Cave of the Winds in New York. Bringing the kids to Niagara Falls is a great way to instill a love of nature from an early age.

You’ll find family-friendly Niagara Falls attractions all over town. Whether your kids like animals, dinosaurs or crafts — or all three — there’s more than enough to keep them occupied. Book a hotel room this summer and receive free family passes to some of the area’s finest attractions.

Bird Kingdom

Bird Kingdom is open year round, so no matter when you visit Niagara Falls, you can take the kids here to see hundreds of birds as you won’t get to see them in many zoos, flying around happily within their enclosure. The world’s largest free-flying indoor aviary and home to over 400 birds, this multi-level rainforest habitat has won the Niagara Falls “Attraction of the Year” Award four times. Give the kids, and you, a chance to see 80 species of gorgeous tropical birds, many of which are threatened or endangered in the wild.

Crock A Doodle Niagara

The whole family can get their hands on some creative fun at this pottery-painting studio located in Falls Avenue Resort next to the Hershey Store. At Crock A Doodle Niagara, you and the kids can choose from a wide selection of ready-to-paint pottery and ceramics. Once painted, your pieces will be glazed and kiln-fired overnight, ready for you to pick them up the next day. Your pottery pieces will be colorful, safe to eat from and long-lasting. This is a low-key, relaxing way to bond with the kids and spend some time together as a family.

Dinosaur Adventure Golf

Dinosaur Adventure Golf is just one of many family-friendly attractions on Clifton Hills in Niagara Falls. If your kids (or you) are obsessed with all things dino, a trip to Dinosaur Adventure Golf could be one of their fondest childhood memories. This 36-hole course is Canada’s largest mini golf course. Play your way through the interior of a 50-foot volcano that really erupts — don’t worry, it’s only steam, not actual hot lava! Your kids will shriek with delight at the 50 life-sized, realistic dinosaurs roaming this 70,000 square foot mini golf course.

If your kids don’t like dinosaurs, don’t worry. You can take them to Wizard’s Golf instead, an 18-hole glow-in-the-dark mini golf course decorated with wizards, dragons and trolls. With its climate-controlled environment, Wizard’s Golf is a great entertainment option if foul weather rears its ugly head on your family vacation.

Niagara Falls offers plenty of wholesome fun for the whole family. Take the kids to Crock A Doodle Niagara to decorate some personalized crockery, or show them some of the world’s most exotic birds at Bird Kingdom. You can even pretend to be the Flintstone family at Dinosaur Adventure Golf. But really, with so much to choose from, the sky is literally the limit.

Toucan image by Gary J. Wood from Wikimedia Commons