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Great Trips
Heading upstate later this summer?
You might want to head over the Rainbow Bridge into Ontario.
It was just announced that Niagara Takes Flight, Ontario’s first flying theatre attraction, is set to open on Friday, Aug. 29, inside Table Rock Centre — just steps from the famous Horseshoe Falls.
The immersive ride will lift guests into the air and soar them across 56 kilometers of the region’s most iconic sites, complete with wind, mist and scent effects for a fully sensory journey, the announcement reads.
“You’ll feel like you’re actually flying through the Niagara River corridor,” said Rick Rothschild, creative director and former Disney Imagineer. “This film is more than just a showcase of parkland.
“It aims to help understand the geology and the centuries-old human story of Niagara.”
The specs
The attraction features a 17-meter-wide domed screen, gondola-style seating and cutting-edge drone footage shot over sites like the Niagara Whirlpool, Landscape of Nations Memorial, Old Fort Erie and, of course, Niagara Falls themselves.
The $25 million project also marks the final phase of a major revamp of Table Rock Centre, the Niagara Parks Commission’s flagship visitor site, officials said.
“This is the world’s first flying theatre located inside a globally known park,” said Chih-Hung Ouyang, chairman of Brogent Technologies, which developed the ride. “It’s a symbol of how storytelling, geography and technology can come together in powerful new ways.”
How it works
Before boarding the ride, guests will explore immersive pre-show areas created by Canadian design firm FORREC and built by Great Lakes Scenic Studios. These rooms share stories of Niagara’s formation, its Indigenous history and its evolution into one of the world’s top tourist destinations.
“This project represents a significant investment in Niagara’s future,” said Bob Gale, chair of Niagara Parks. “It gives visitors a whole new reason to experience the Falls and appreciate the environment we’ve been entrusted to protect since 1885.”
Niagara Takes Flight is expected to boost tourism while offering locals and return visitors a totally new view of the region. Construction is now in its final stages, with behind-the-scenes sneak peeks rolling out soon on Niagara Parks’ social media feeds.
“This is going to be a cultural experience and an economic driver,” said Stan Cho, Ontario’s Minister of Tourism, Culture and Gaming. “It’s something truly special.”
— attraction renderings courtesy of Niagara Parks, Ontario, Canada
