Great Attractions in Niagara Falls

Rodney Moore, a partner in Sudds Brewery at Chippawa in Niagara Falls, says his company occasionally can't make his tasty ale and lager fast enough to satisfy demand. "We're one of the busiest places in town."

John Holer, 68, stands beside one of Marineland's giant aquariums, home of Killer and Beluga whales. Holer, the undisputed dean of Niagara tourism, owns and operates the popular 1,000-acre wildlife preserve and thrill-ride fun park.

General view of the new Niagara Fallsview Casino Resort. The Ontario government-owned casino opened last June and boasts a hotel, convention centre, restaurants, 1,500-seat theatre and 180,000-square feet of gaming space that has 150 card games tables and 3,000 slot machines. A tax accountant just won the largest casino prize ever in Canada-$5.7 million from a slot machine.

By Mike Tenszen

NIAGARA FALLS-Forget for a minute the skittish Loonie and those security-induced, bumper-to-bumper lineups at nearby Canada-U.S. border points.

There's a simple and abiding fact of life in these parts: The awesome spectacle of the world-famous waterfalls here has consistently made this city and region hot destinations for day and weekend-trippers from Toronto and for international visitors.

But-as entrepreneurs have learned over the last 100 or so years-it takes much more than a natural wonder of the world to lure and hold the travelling public.

This city's two glitzy casinos, one a Taj Mahal of gambling just recently opened, now lure millions of bettors night and day and directly employ 6,500 workers.

The economic spin-offs the Niagara gaming trade have been monumental, say tourism and civic representatives.

In just the last three years alone, according to officials, about $3 billion has been invested in commercial ventures in the Niagara Falls area.

Truth be told, "The Falls"-at least the showy, commercial tourist section-has always been labelled a honky tonk town. But anyone with a pulse, and a passion for good times, enjoys this city as a mini-Vegas.

Indeed, many gamblers never bother to wander that few blocks down to view the American and Horseshoe Falls. They prefer tumbling dice to tumbling water.

Many honeymooners, in The Honeymoon Capital of The World, spend the obligatory few minutes beside the rushing waters then rush off to the one-armed bandits.

Art and history museums, golf courses, fine food restaurants or hash houses, games of chance, aquariums, game farms, bingo halls, strip-tease clubs, historical sites, antique and crafts shops. You name it, it's here in spades. And clubs, diamonds, and hearts.

John Holer, a burly 68-year-old development wizard and the undisputed dean of Niagara Falls tourism, has been constantly expanding his Marineland here-just a sea lion's bark from the famous falls.

"Next to the falls, mine is the most popular attraction here," declared Holer when Toronto Times enjoyed a recent owner-guided tour of his remarkable wild life reserve and amusement park.

To take a sounding of the Niagara tourism trade-during this region's recovery from the unfortunate Canada-U.S. travel cool-down-the Toronto Times spent a refreshing four October days in this lush, scenic and historic area, just a 90-minute drive along the Queen Elizabeth Way from downtown Toronto.

This magazine's writer also swung a club at the new and breathtaking $30-million, 45-hole Legends Of The Niagara public golf course on the Niagara Parkway; sat down in a frothy, frolicking little micro-brewery in nearby Chippawa; walked in awe across the Chippawa battleground, the scene of a bloody 1814 fight that killed Brits, Canucks and Yanks alike. The Times also gazed in astonishment at the showy grandeur of the second major gambling casino to establish here; then gabbed about the grape with a leading winery industry representative who described the phenomenal growth in Niagara wineries and that delicious, extra-added attraction-the winery tour.

But, back to John Holer:

It's been more than 40 years since Holer arrived, penniless, from his native Slovenia. Interviewed at length a few weeks ago, the multi-millionaire Holer said that when he came to Canada he was a newly-graduated wine chemist. But the Niagara grape-growing season had just ended. No one wanted to hire a guy who didn't even speak English. So, Holer went to work on a farm, in construction, and in a shipyard, saved his money, leased a chunk of Niagara Falls land for $2,000 and built two tanks for sea lions.

Since then, Holer's ambition, and his vision, have sealed up a fortune for him and his family. Two sons work with their dad.

Today, Marineland is one of the largest theme parks in North America. (To realize the eventual size of his 1,000-acre attraction, you might consider that the parking lot alone will be 200 acres.)

Marineland features the largest steel roller coaster in the world; the largest killer whale habitat; along with dolphin, walrus and sea lion shows and other amusement rides and animal displays. Marineland is set in a natural, rocks-and- water, well-treed, urban wilderness. The general atmosphere is restful, peaceful, despite the occasional screams from the thrill riders.

Last season, Marineland introduced the world's highest triple tower ride the "Sky Screamer." This tummy-tumbling thriller yanks riders 137 metres (450) feet straight up (nice view of the falls); then drops them straight down. Holer has also just introduced a three-million gallon interactive Beluga whale habitat.

John Holer is a delightful, hands-on, gruff, gritty workaholic. He greets his guest in well-worn green workpants, manure-kicker black boots, and a Marineland baseball hat. We clamber into a muddy Chevy pickup for a romp through his animal land and thrill ride emporium. The master of Marineland is on his two-way radio every few minutes arranging meetings or giving advice to his army of construction work gangs and animal attendants.

"I haven't had a vacation in 20 years," Holer said with a broad grin. "The more people I hire, the more I have to work. I do a lot of the designing (of attractions) myself. I don't have drawings; I sketch it out in my mind. I'm involved with everything, but I have pretty good management."

Marineland employs more than 500 people through the tourist season, from April to the Canadian Thanksgiving, and 150 workers throughout the months when Marineland is closed to the public.

Holer admits he has had a few scuffles with the "animal rights people" through the years. He realizes that a certain segment of the population is opposed to captive animals of any kind. (A visitor's observation is that Marineland's aquatic tanks are massive, the marine life frisky and well fed, and all of the other robust animals roam about in spacious fields and other sprawling enclosures that are more like wild African velds than pens.)

Holer said he wouldn't tolerate mistreatment of animals. "I love animals. As a kid, I was in the forest all of the time. I've always enjoyed nature."

Marineland's owner admits that the terrorist acts in the United States slowed American citizen traffic to his Niagara attraction for a few years-but it seems to be on the rebound. About 75 per cent of Marineland visitors are Canadian. The strong Toronto/Hamilton area marketing programs have always paid off at the turnstiles.

Holer told the Toronto Times that he plans a 20-acre aquarium complex featuring a shark exhibit, dolphin habitat, ocean reef and freshwater fish. A five-kilometre boat ride on a man-made river and a five-kilometre wilderness steam locomotive train ride are also planned. On these rides, wild animals will be viewed in expansive natural settings.

Down the road from Marineland-just off the Niagara River Parkway that runs along the mighty Niagara River from Fort Erie to Niagara-on-the-Lake-is a new, $30-million marvel of the golfing game. Open for just over a year, it is a spectacular, 45-hole championship public course that is a splendid mix of woods, meadows, man-made lakes (one is 20 acres) and a desert of sand traps. The course was constructed beside the riverside land where the Battle of Chippawa was fought on July 5, 1814 during the War of 1812. The battle, in which the British and Canadian forces were defeated by the Americans, is considered to be the birthplace of the U.S. Army. (A self-guided tour of the battlefield, the first engagement of the bloodiest campaign of the war, is well worth the 45 or so minutes it takes.

The number of first-rate Niagara golf courses has risen from only a handful in the 1960s to more than 40 now and according to Brian Moore, director of golf for Legends On The Niagara, his new facility is probably among the top championship courses in Canada.

"It's high class and high end," said Moore. "We are getting a lot of positive comments from golfers who know their stuff."

On the new Niagara course-if your golf partner stops yammering long enough about her marvelous seven-iron approach shot-your can actually hear the thunderous roar of the Horseshoe Falls only a few kilometers across a meadow away.

Legends was financed by the Niagara Parks Commission, a self-sustaining provincial crown agency that's been preserving the natural beauty of the Niagara Falls area since 1885.

Simply put, the course is outstanding. Breathtaking. Tricky. The 18-hole "Battlefield" course was designed by architect, Doug Carrick. The 18-hole "Ussher's Creek" layout was crafted by architect Thomas McBroom. For 18 holes, cart included, it's $140 on the weekend; $130 on weekdays.

Watts said the Niagara wines-which are responsible for most of the $425 million in gross sales of Ontario wines last year-remain of the "the highest quality," and are steadily improving but growers suffered "two, back-to-back hard winters" recently which cut production.

She said Niagara growers, "who are entrepreneurs, gamblers, farmers, and so passionate about what they do," have been successful on world markets at "matching the soil and weather conditions to the right vines."

The Ontario government's new plan to protect the Niagara grape-growing region from industrial and residential development "is very, very important" to the Niagara wine industry, she concluded.