Mother’s Day is one of the most happily celebrated holidays in North America. While taking Mom out to eat is the most traditional way in which it’s celebrated, there’s no reason Mother’s Day can’t also involve a special trip to one of the world’s best vacation spots.

If you’re looking to give your mother a Mother’s Day she’ll never forget, here are four reasons to plan a trip to Niagara Falls.

1. Queen Victoria Park

Queen Victoria Park around Mother’s Day boasts some of the most beautiful native and international flowering plants in the area, including white and yellow daffodils and blazing red tulips. The park also features stunning views of the Falls, spectacularly manicured formal gardens, a rock garden, a hybrid tea rose garden, magnolia trees bursting forth with flowers, and much more.

If the day is warm enough, pack a blanket and a picnic lunch with all your mother’s favorite foods. You can even arrange to take a horse and carriage ride through the park for a Mother’s Day memory that’s not easily replicated.

2. The Floral Showhouse

Just above the Falls along the Niagara Parkway, The Niagara Parks Commission Floral Showhouse opens its Hydrangea Show just in time for Mother’s Day, but even if you don’t favor that flower, its year-round collections are a good enough reason to visit anyway.

Orchids, tropical plants of all kinds, succulents, and much more form the backdrop for tropical birds that sing and fly throughout the showhouse, while beautiful grounds including rose gardens and ponds surround the outside. The Floral Showhouse has eight different floral shows a year that coincide with the changing seasons.

3. Niagara-on-the-Lake

Considered by many to be the prettiest town in the Niagara region, Niagara-on-the-Lake boasts plenty of fun for you and your mother. From historical sites and plaques to the Riverbrink Art Museum, Niagara-on-the-Lake is a great place to spend an afternoon and evening.

If your mother is a film buff at all, she’ll love the fact that this little town has been a location set for many films, including The Dead Zone, Trapped in Paradise, The Ref, and Canadian Bacon. You can also enjoy high tea in Niagara-on-the-Lake at the Prince of Wales Hotel complete with finger sandwiches, house-made scones, pastries, and organic tea served in an ornate dining room by a conscientious staff.

4. That Mother’s Day Meal

Whether you actually go out to eat on Mother’s Day or on one of the days preceding or following it, the Niagara region has some of the best restaurants in Canada, and with so many of them boasting a farm-to-table model, you can not only enjoy a delicious meal, but you can eat it knowing it was made from ingredients grown close at hand. Here are some of the excellent restaurants worthy of the woman you call Mother:

• Benchmark
• Windows by Jamie Kennedy
• Treadwell
• Peller Estates

Don’t settle for your run of the mill Mother’s Day this year. Plan a special trip to Niagara, and let your mother know just how special she is to you.