Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
QueenStreetisquaint,picturesque,andromantic.Thestreetislinedwithshops,restaur-
ants, hotels, and theaters. Flowers are everywhere, bursting with color from planters and
hanging baskets. Most visitors spend their time leisurely strolling the street, checking out
thewaresinone-of-a-kindshopsliketheScottishLoft,IrishDesign,andBeauChapeauHat
Shop. NOTL draws visitors from culturally diverse Toronto, so you're likely to overhear
conversations in four or five different languages.
The village's identity is intertwined with the world famous Shaw Festival, which fea-
tures new productions of George Bernard Shaw's plays each year. Two of the four theaters
participating in the festival are located on Queen Street.
A list of Queen Street shops and restaurants is found on the official NOTL website
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Whirlpool Jet Boat Tours
The number one white-knuckle, death-defying attraction in the entire Niagara region is
the
Whirlpool Jet Boat Tours
(61 Melville St., 888/438-4444,
www.whirlpooljet.com
,
$61 adults, $51 children). Jet boats are uniquely designed vessels capable of surviving the
severe white-water conditions of the Lower Niagara River.
Tours are in covered boats (Jet Domes) and open-air boats (Wet Jets). If your courage
permits, choose the Wet Jet. The experience is exhilarating, frightening, and saturating.
Eachtourbeginswithasafetydiscussionandanexplanationofwhatgearyouneedtowear.
If you choose the Wet Jet, you and all your personal effects will be drenched. Do not take
camerasorotherelectronicdevicesaboard,unlessspecificallydesignedforunderwateruse.
The ride begins quietly as the boat glides through the relatively smooth waters of the
river near the entrance to Lake Ontario. Heading south on the river, the boat can increase
speedandperformafewstuntslike360-degreespins.Acrewmembernarratesthetrip,dis-
cussing the nature of the river's white water.
The jet boats take you through stretches of torturous Class V rapids in the narrow parts
of the Lower Niagara. (Class VI waves are considered the most dangerous.) Here the boat
manages to navigate standing waves 15-20 feet high. At times, there will be a foot or more
of water inside the boat—but don't worry, the boat's design allows it to safely conquer
whitewater.Certainmaneuversresultinawallofwaterslammingovertheboatand,though
you are warned in advance, nothing can quite prepare you for this experience.
The exhilarating ride is scary, but safe. It takes 90 minutes to complete the tour. There
are two other locations to board the boats, at the Aero Car attraction on the Canadian side
of the river and in Lewiston on the U.S. side.
