Road alert: getting to Niagara this week
QEW, Burlington Skyway: The Skyway rehabilitation is finished, and the project’s lane-closure page lists no planned closures. Other work can still come up, so check live conditions before you leave.
Queenston Road and Coon Road, NOTL: Both have been closed to through traffic since June 22, with a detour via York Road. Heading to Niagara-on-the-Lake for the ghost tours? Follow the posted detours. See the project notice.
Check Ontario 511 before you leave. Schedules can change with weather and site conditions.
This Week’s Standouts
Ripley’s Night of Frights: Tonight, October 27, in Niagara Falls. Listed as a family event, and tonight is the last listed date. Confirm the start time on the listing.
André-Philippe Gagnon: Live in Niagara Falls on October 27, 28 and 29. Check the listing for venue and showtime before buying tickets, since neither is confirmed.
Halloween Ghost Tours at Fort George: NOTL, October 30 to November 1. This is the last weekend of the season. Planning to walk the town first? Use our self-guided NOTL walking tour.
All Hallows’ Eve with Niagara Magic Live: Friday, October 30, Niagara Falls. Greg Frewin’s magic show gets a Halloween edition. Confirm the showtime first. Strangelove also plays Niagara Falls that night, per the listings, so you have two shows to choose from that night.
Matthew Good and His Band: Sunday, November 1, Niagara Falls. A good way to close the weekend. Showtime and venue are not confirmed in the listing, so check before you go.
NOTL Grace United Church
Local Insider Tips
Clocks go back one hour at 2:00 a.m. Sunday, November 1. You gain an hour on the night of the ghost tours.
Private lots near Clifton Hill add up. City of Niagara Falls lots, such as Ellen Avenue, are an easy walk and often cost less.
Queen Street meters in NOTL fill up on busy autumn weekends. Fort George parking has generally been the cheaper option, a short walk from lower Queen.
Coming from Toronto? Our Toronto to Niagara Falls day trip guide covers the route, and the no-car version covers the rest.
Saturday is Halloween, but we have not verified specific Halloween-night events. Check each organizer, or start with our Niagara Halloween events guide.
Halloween Trivia
Visitors to Fort George have long reported seeing a cheerful girl in a white gown with curly hair. She is said to play near the barracks and the officers’ quarters, and sometimes skips alongside tour guides. What name do the stories give her?
Think you know the answer? Reply directly to this email with your guess!
Worth Booking Now
Winter Festival of Lights: November 14 to January 10, 2027, across Niagara Falls. Lights switch on nightly at 5:00 p.m. Arrive before 4:45 p.m. or after 8:30 p.m. for lighter crowds. Fireworks go off at 8:00 p.m. every Friday and Saturday in November and December.
The Nashville Takeover: November 6 to 8 in the Fallsview Entertainment District. Buy a pass, then choose your showcases.
Don Felder and Tim Hicks: November 6 and 7 respectively, both ticketed, both in Niagara Falls.
Closing
If you’re enjoying this newsletter, and we hope you are, forward it to someone who’s trying to sort out their weekend plans. It’s how most new readers find us.
Till next week…
Tim
Niagara Digest
Trivia Answer: Sarah Ann (also written Sarahann). This comes from visitor-reported sightings at Fort George, not confirmed fact, and the reports are the same ones the ghost tours tell.
Source: Niagara Now’s ghost stories of NOTL.