NIAGARA FALLS TOURS OF SKYLON TOWER
Aside from the falls themselves, the Skylon Tower is the most recognizable landmark in Niagara Falls. It’s become an iconic part of the city’s skyline and one of the featured attractions in many of our Niagara Falls tours.
WHAT IS A SKYLON TOWER TOUR?
The thrill of experiencing the Skylon Tower begins as you step into the elevator for your ride up the exterior side of the tower.
On your 52 second ride to the top inside one of the “yellow bug elevators” you get to experience an increasingly impressive view.
However the best is yet to come.
When you reach the observation deck 775 feet above the Niagara River, you get to enjoy 360 degree aerial views of Niagara Falls and the city itself.
While inside the observation deck on a clear day you are able to see approximately 125 km (80 miles) in all directions so on some days you can even see the Buffalo and Toronto skylines.
DID YOU KNOW? The highest wind speed ever recorded by the tower was 91 miles per hour. The tower is built to withstand wind speeds of up to 110 miles per hour.
HOW MUCH DOES THE SKYLON TOWER COST?
How much it costs someone to visit and explore the Skylon Tower depends on how you book a ticket.
1/ AS PART OF A TOUR
Our all-inclusive wonder walking tour of Niagara Falls include the Skylon Tower so when you book one of our tour packages the costs of your Skylon Tower ticket is included.
2/ WITH A DINNER RESERVATION
When you have dinner reservations at the Revolving Dining Room there is no additional ticket cost to escalate up the tower.
3/ NO TOUR AND NO DINNER
If you’re free balling it and only looking to ride up to visit the observation deck without being a part of a tour and not having dinner reservations, you’ll need to purchase a ticket.
Check out the Skylon Tower website for up to date details on their hours and pricing.
HISTORY OF THE SKYLON TOWER
It’s hard to imagine Niagara Falls without the impressively tall 520 foot tower dominating the skyline, but that was the reality prior to 1965.
Construction began in May 1964 and after a cool $7 million in building costs, the tower was officially opened on October 6th, 1965 by then Ontario Premier John Robarts and New York State Governor Nelson Rockefeller (yes, that Rockefeller). Nelson was the grandson of Standard Oil co-founder John D. Rockefeller and served as the administrator of the world famous Rockefeller Center in Manhattan.
Photo Credit: Niagara Falls Tourism
Drawing inspiration from the Space Needle Tower in Seattle Washington, architectural firm Bregman and Hamann of Toronto Ontario (now known as B+H Architects) handled the design while construction was handled by Piggot’s Construction Company of Hamilton Ontario.
DID YOU KNOW? It wasn’t always called the Skylon Tower. The original name was the Niagara International Center Tower. Not as catchy is it?
The Skylon Tower has played host to 10’s of millions of visitors since it opened its doors in 1965 including celebrities, politicians and even royalty!
Walk Niagara Tours offers all-inclusive walking tours of Niagara Falls. Our tour guides lead groups 7 days a week between April and November.