Yes, everyone crowding around to watch plants die.
Er… I mean… take in the fall colours.
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Is it worth it / necessary to book the train in advance?
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Things can hinge on the weather but just wanted to give you a heads up that weekend will most likely be way busier than a normal weekend. Obviously mid-week would have a lot less crowds but that time of year some things might be closed.
You can plug different dates into this website to see what is open each day.
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We live in Toronto and almost missed our flight to MCO once (pre-pandemic) because of going through the border at the Toronto airport. As eug2506 says be at the airport AT LEAST 3 hours before your flight.
The UP express is fantastic. but not great for early morning flights…i think around 6:00am is the time that the first train leaves Union Station. a taxi would be about 50 bucks (canadian).
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Because my flight is early (especially given your three hour advice) I’m staying at a hotel by the airport the night before.
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Most grocery stores will also be closed on the holiday Monday of thanksgiving weekend so just make sure you have some food and your elixir of choice in the house on the Sunday. Have fun in Toronto!
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oh missed that part! Okay, yah that’s good. I think you mentioned the one that’s connected to the airport and that hotel suits it’s purpose for sure!
I was almost apoplectic as the hours ticked by in the line-up for border security. When we finally got through, my partner SPRINTED to our gate to tell them that I and my kid were on the way! It was very stressful.
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We Canadians do love to stare at dying trees. LOL.
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Here’s a bonus. I just found out that my Airbnb is a three minute walk from Union Station. That’s going to be a real plus.
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Honestly, I’m not sure. Maybe @GreyingMouser might know better than I do. I’ve not taken the Niagara/Toronto train, only the train from Union Station to Unionville etc. With it just running on weekends/holidays I’m not sure how busy it would be. I’ve only just bought tickets from a kiosk right before boarding.
There is an Andy Warhol exhibit at the AGO (Art Gallery of Ontario) while you are here. They are mainly doing museums and exhibits with timed entry tickets.
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It’s only C$25 so I might just buy it now for peace of mind.
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Ooh! That’s interesting to me.
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Sorry can’t help you there.
Whenever I’ve gone to NF, I just drive.
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Before booking your train ticket - If you have a must-see attraction in Niagara Falls, plug the two weekend dates into that Niagara Parks website to see if anything critical to you closes after the Thanksgiving weekend. That can be a wrap-up point for some more outdoor attractions. Going when it’s busy and things are open might still be preferable to going the weekend after if everything is closed up. I don’t want you to have a @ryan1 experience!
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I’m pleased to see that a number of attractions I’m interested in open late. I was worried that working during the day would mean I’d miss out on things.
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Nor would I…of course, I am talking about 1998 in our case. It has been a while!
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Both the science museum and the zoo are going to be a hassle to get to without the car. The science museum is amazing with kids but without kids probably not worth the hassle - if you’re going to pick something to make an effort for I’d go with the zoo, it’s pretty great. The museum and art gallery are both nice. You’re also very close to Kensington Market, a nice street for wandering and people watching with a lot of great little restaurants. Casa Loma might be a fun outing. A lot of places are doing timed pre-booked tickets right now so you might want to start booking some outings.
Getting your GO ticket early won’t really help - actually I’m not even sure you can? There are no assigned seats or anything, and (at least in pre-Covid times) if all the seats are taken people just have to stand.
Oh, and the St Lawrence market! Go on a weekend and just wander around. Have peameal bacon on a bun from Carousel Bakery. Oooh, and the Distillery District - specifically Soma Chocolate, but it’s a nice area to just wander.
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I went to Toronto around the time you’re going and as is often the case when I travel from Phoenix (leaving temps still over 100), I was surprised to discover that fall was already in full swing. 
It didn’t snow when I was there, but it was chilly and windy. I had to buy a hoodie from the CN Tower since I didn’t bring one.
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Completely irrelevant comment - if you like Andy Warhol you should come to Pittsburgh! We have the Warhol Museum which is great (and I can show you where he’s buried in a suburban cemetery)
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