The first "Maid of the Mist" was a sidewheel steamboat ferry that carried passengers across the Niagara River. It carried its first passengers in 1846 and was successful until 1848, when a suspension bridge was built across the river. The ferry boat was changed to a tourist boat that approached the falls for tourists' enjoyment. A second "Maid of the Mist" was built in 1854 to accommodate the growing tourist trade. The tours were discontinued from 1861 until 1885, when new ships were put into service.
The Maid of the Mist wooden ships were destroyed by fire in 1955 and replaced with steel-hulled boats in 1955 and 1956, which run to this day. New boats were added in 1972, 1976, 1983, 1990 and 1997, making a fleet of seven Maid of the Mists. The capacity of each boat is about 100 tourists.
The ticketing location in the United States for the Maid of the Mist tours is at the Niagara Reservation State Park at Prospect Point in the town of Niagara Falls. The ticketing location for Canadian tours is at Queen Victoria Park in the Maid of the Mist Plaza on River Road at Clifton Hill in Niagara Falls, Ontario.
Tickets are $14.50 Canadian and $13.50 American for adults, and $8.90 Canadian and $7.85 American for children 6 to 12 years of age, as of May 2010. Children under 5 accompanied by a parent are free. Group rates are available for authorized travel agents and tour operators. Educational rates for groups of children are also available.
Tours begin in April, depending on the ice conditions on the river. Tours begin at 9:45 a.m. on the Canadian side and 15 minutes later on the American side. The last tours leave at 4:45 p.m. on weekdays and 5:45 p.m. on weekends through May 21. Schedules are different for Victoria Day weekend and Memorial Day weekend. Tours begin between 9 and 9:45 for the rest of the summer and through October 24. Tours run as late as 7:45 p.m. in midsummer. After Labor Day, tours stop running after 4:45 weekdays or 5:45 on weekends. Call 716-284-8897 for information about prices and schedules from the American side; call 905-358-5781 for information about prices and schedules from the Canadian side.
