New flight simulator at Niagara Falls promises “breathtaking” visitor experience

One of the world’s most famous waterfalls has gained a new attraction designed to take visitors on a virtual fly-over of its thundering cascades. The Table Rock Centre on the Canadian side of Niagara Falls opened its “Niagara Takes Flight” ride on 29 August, promising visitors an experience of the waterfall “like never before.”

The immersive new spectacle, created by Disney Imagineer Rick Rothschild and Brogent Technologies, can be found right at the top of the Table Rock Centre, on the edge of Horseshoe Falls.

There, the centre’s website explains, guests can climb aboard gondola-style seating for a simulated 56-kilometre flight over the falls, complete with special wind and mist effects as a 180-degree, 17-metre domed screen reveals the “swirling rapids and steep rock faces” and “lush forests” of the Niagara River corridor, from the shores of Lake Ontario to the edge of Lake Eerie.

Drone footage captured across six months and different weather patterns helps give visitors a sense of the falls in different seasons of the year, as well as across a longer time span in what Niagara Parks describes as a “celebration of Niagara, its history and its people” across 13,000 years.

Costing $25 million (over €21 million) to create, the flight simulator adds some thrills and spills to the overall Table Rock visitor experience, which includes four storytelling rooms that offer a crash course in aspects of Canadian and Fall history.

Some visitors might recognise the voice lent to part of the experience. Canadian Hollywood heavyweight James Cameron does the voiceover for one chapter of Niagara Falls history in the “Waterfall Room,” in a return to his first-ever job. “It was a pleasure and honour to lend my voice to a project that celebrates the Falls and the city I grew up in. My first job at the age of 16 was working for the Niagara Parks Commission, so this closed that loop, 55 years later.”

@ligorbunova i know… you’ve been to Niagara a hundred times. me too. but i promise you’ve never seen it like this!! @Niagara Parks just launched Niagara Takes Flight – a flying ride that takes you over 56 kilometres of the region, including the Horseshoe Falls!! as a marketing girlie i was shook with the production value – shot in all four seasons, sisney execs involved, motion seats, wind, mist, even scent so you feel like you’re actually flying. so if you also thought Niagara couldn’t surprise you anymore – same. but clearly, i was wrong. and I don’t say that often!! #NiagaraTakesFlight #ontariotravel #niagarafalls #ontariothingstodo #torontoactivities ♬ Goth (Slowed + Reverb) – Sidewalks and Skeletons

Stan Cho, Ontario’s Minister of Tourism, Culture and Gaming, said: “Through Niagara Parks’ newest attraction, Niagara Takes Flight, visitors will be able to experience the Falls and marvel at the natural beauty of the Niagara Region like never before. With its unique combination of cutting-edge interactive technology and immersive storytelling that explores and celebrates the history and culture of the region, this attraction will create lifelong memories and become another great reason to bring your friends and family to Niagara.”

Admission costs $29 (€25) for adults, and $19 (€16) for children. The experience is open daily between 9am and 10pm.