Niagara Falls!

For years, we've been saying that we want to organize a summer vacation with Tony's whole family (the last time was when Brie turned 1!), so the cousins could get some great play time in (they usually see each other once a year for Christmas day). We finally got our act together and, after weighing a few options, chose Niagara Falls! It wasn't too far of a drive or flight for any of us and offered things beyond the main attraction that families could enjoy. We reserved a big, old home in Buffalo on AirBnB and then headed northeast! This way to Lucas (and the gang)!

A perfect day for a road trip picnic! (It ended up being a historic road trip, too! We gassed up in Mentor, Ohio...home of James A. Garfield...and got Slurpees in Westfield, New York...home of some fun presidential history and this statue! Coincidentally, Buffalo has this statue of Lincoln with no beard!)

The house we stayed in was a 1930's duplex; it was a great home base for our adventures. And though it wasn't new or fancy, it had old-school charm and a few cute touches like this!

On the first night we went out for wings (and other yummy things), of course! Best. Wings. Ever!!

Plus cousin time!!

Which continued the next morning with breakfast, videos and games...

And concerts.

The homeowners recommended Martin Luther King Park for a splash pad. It was a beautiful weekday morning and we had it to ourselves!

After a picnic lunch, we walked over to Buffalo's Museum of Science.

It was fabulous!

Brie, Lily and Nathan recorded a weather forecast in front of a green screen.

So funny to watch!

Lots of other hands-on exhibits!

We had great weather all week except one morning, so we did puzzles. Thanks, Aunt Cheryl!

And went to see the new Spiderman movie. Tons of fun, though Lily didn't quite finish it...

We also grilled out, which is always a big hit!

And had multiple after-dinner dance parties!!

On a particularly beautiful day, we headed to...Niagara Falls!!

We walked out to see the Cave of the Winds...and spotted a rainbow!

And then we got to stand below the rushing water and feel the strong wind on Hurricane Deck!!

Never mind that we were wearing ponchos. We still got soaked. The kids LOVED it!!

We also rode the Maid of the Mist!!

The falls are absolutely breathtaking.

None of was prepared for the sheer size of the falls!

Ice Cream afterward! 

And a siblings' night out!!

Complete with Asian-style karaoke! (Can you tell Tony and I planned this??)

"I'm at a payphone..."

Then we hit the Buffalo Zoo...really wonderful! (And really close to our house!)

We spotted Buffalo's buffalo!

Later that day...good times at the playground down the street!

And a snowball fight (outside the ice rink on our street)!! Thanks, Mr. Zamboni!

Dinner on our last night!

More wings and some barbecue!

And a belated 50th birthday celebration for Aunt Diane!

Plus movie night and quality time with the Nonni!

Can't wait for more cousin time and the next family vacation!

P.S. If you haven't visited Buffalo, it's definitely a best-kept secret. There's lots for families to do and it's very easy to get around. We joked that the town was "post-apocalyptic" since no one was around (maybe because we were there during the work week??) and the town could use some updates and beautification, but it suited us very well! This was the view from our upper porch...lots of cool, old roofs!