What: Skylon Tower
Price: $20 for adults, $10 for kids 4-12 (children 4 and under are free)
Length: 20-30 minutes
Rundown: Niagara Falls’ little-brother version of the CN Tower (albeit built 10 years earlier) brings visitors 469 feet in the air to give panoramic views of the world-famous waterfalls and the city itself. It’s arguably the most iconic part of the Niagara Falls skyline.
Worth It? No. When people think of Niagara Falls as being “stuck in the 1980s”, what they’re picturing is exactly what’s wrong with Skylon Tower: sprawling, old, cracked parking lots; a byzantine entrance with multiple concrete bridges; awful wayfinding; a musty arcade on the ground floor with decades-old signage; a weather-worn wall of “famous world towers” on the observation deck, born of a pre-Wikipedia era; old washrooms; and inflated pricing. Even the website looks 15 years out of date.
Beyond all that, there simply isn’t anything to do once you’re up there. If an aerial photo keepsake is worth $20 per person to you—cool! It’s a very pretty view. And, to be fair, the elevator ride up is a gentle thrill, giving you a view of rising above the city. But it’s an exorbitant cost for an outing that runs its course pretty quickly. The only other things to do, which might justify the trip to this standalone landmark, are money-grabs like the dingy arcade, a top-floor gift shop and the rotating restaurant ($70 main course dinners with a 3.5-star average on Google; allegedly the food is actually good, but this review precludes the restaurant).
With better management, a modern brand, improved wayfinding and a more welcoming environment, Skylon Tower could certainly be worth the money. As it stands, it just feels like the owners simply don’t care.
But, hey, the views are nice.
