Niagara Falls - The Side Show

On the way to the glorious bit of natural beauty that is the Falls is carny central.  I like Niagara Falls but could really give all the touristy midway crap a miss.  Tacky and kitshy.  But for others it's there thing so i guess I am stuck with it. It was neat for about 40 seconds and then got jarring.  That Toucan below has just removed your soul and stored it in his hat.

Full of haunted houses, 4D, cotton candy, souvenirs, fudge (which was totally bought) and other nonsense.  Below is a fairly typical scene.  It was off or shoulder season so it was pretty quiet.  I can see it really hopping in the Summer. 

No tourist trap area would be complete without a mini-golf course. Especially if it is dinosaur themed with a smoking volcano that periodically spouts fire.  T-Rex there ruled over the whole thing.  The falls were gorgeous but I feel like it detracts from nature's beauty having all this about.  At least it is not physically at the falls themselves, them being a short walk away.