I want to plan a trip to see Niagra Falls.  This is a half day
excursion.  I live in California.  What should I plan before and after
this trip to make it a nice 7-10 day vacation given that there is
really nothing near Niagra Falls to do? And what is the best way to
experience Niagra Falls?

Hello nutating-ga:

First of all, I would suggest must-see sites in Niagara Falls and than
I will suggest itinerary outside the Niagara Falls Area.

As you mentioned that it is a half day trip to the Niagara Falls, I
highly recommend the following four trips. You can have a slight idea
of how great the experience is by just looking at the ratings provided
by the actual visitors to these places.

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WHIRLPOOL JET BOAT TOUR
http://www.whirlpooljet.com
Reviews:
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g154998-d496699-Reviews-Whirlpool_Jet_Boat_Tours-Niagara_Falls_Ontario.html


MAID OF THE MIST
http://www.niagaraparks.com/nfgg/maidmist.php
Reviews at Tripadvisor
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g154998-d184930-Reviews-Maid_of_the_Mist_Steamboat-Niagara_Falls_Ontario.html
Reviews at Yahoo Travel
http://travel.yahoo.com/p-travelguide-2737741-maid_of_the_mist_niagara_falls-i


GREG FREWIN THEATRE
http://www.gregfrewintheatre.com
Reviews at Trip Advisor
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g154998-d575869-Reviews-Greg_Frewin_Theatre-Niagara_Falls_Ontario.html
Reviews at Virtual Tourist
http://www.virtualtourist.com/travel/North_America/Canada/Province_of_Ontario/Niagara_Falls-906060/Things_To_Do-Niagara_Falls-MISC-BR-1.html


CAVE OF THE WINDS
http://www.niagarafallslive.com/cave_of_the_winds.htm
Reviews at trip advisor
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g48261-d283344-Reviews-Cave_of_the_Winds-Niagara_Falls_New_York.html
Reviews at Yahoo travel
http://travel.yahoo.com/p-travelguide-2737759-cave_of_the_winds_niagara_falls-i
Reviews at IgoUgo
http://www.igougo.com/travelcontent/journalEntryActivity.aspx?entryID=38621

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Beside the above mentioned trips, you might also be interested in ballooning.

Rainbow Air
http://www.rainbowair.us

Great American Balloon Company (flight of Angels)
http://www.flightofangels.net

Three Sister Islands
http://www.vacationsmadeeasy.com/NiagaraFallsON/pointsOfInterest/ThreeSistersIslandsNiagaraFallsON.cfm

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For a 7-10 day trip, I suggest selecting from the following routes.
All of the places included in the routes are known to be the ultimate
destinations for their individual characters.

1. OUTDOORS
Niagara Falls ? Finger Lakes ? Saratoga Springs
Approximate Driving Time & Distance (300 Miles; 5 Hours)

You can plan around this route. It also gives you an option of driving
along side Lake Ontario.

Travel Resources: 
http://www.fingerlakes.org/index.htm
http://www.saratoga.com/

2. COSMOPOLITAN
Niagara Falls ? Toronto ? Ottawa ? Montreal
Approximate Driving Time & Distance (500 Miles; 9 Hours)

This is another option where you can enjoy the three most distinct
cities of Canada. If you like cosmopolitan, there is no better route
than this in Canada.

Travel Resources: 
http://www.toronto.worldweb.com/
http://www.ottawatourism.ca/forms/index.asp?intSite=1&lang=en
http://www.discovermontreal.ca/

3. COSMOPOLITAN & OUTDOORS
Niagara Falls ? Thousand Islands ? Ottawa ? Montreal
Approximate Driving Time & Distance (500 Miles; 9 Hours)

This route allows you to skip Toronto and include the legendary
thousand islands en route to Montreal.

Travel Resources: 
http://www.visit1000islands.com/
http://www.ottawatourism.ca/forms/index.asp?intSite=1&lang=en
http://www.discovermontreal.ca/

4. OUTDOORS AND COSMOPOLITAN
Niagara Falls ? Greater Toronto Area ? Agawa Canyon
Approximate Driving Time & Distance (530 Miles; 8.25 Hours)

This route allows you to explore attractions around Toronto and than
explore one of the most beautiful canyons in North America through a
variety of excursions.

Travel Resources: 
http://www.outsidetoronto.com/
http://www.agawacanyontourtrain.com/

I hope this helps. Please let me know if you have any questions.

Sincerely,

Leader-ga.

A few more thoughts:

The Buffalo-Niagara Convention & Vistors Bureau may have some more
ideas on things to do in and around the Buffalo/Niagara Falls area.
Might be worth visiting their site: http://www.buffalocvb.org/

Also, depending on the time of year, a fun side excursion might be
toward southwestern New York.  For some reason, I'm thinking that
Chautauqua County might be a good trip.  It's about 90 minutes drive
from Buffalo and has some nice vineyards, artists communities, and
performing arts events (including the famous Chautauqua Institution
http://www.ciweb.org ), if you're into that kind of thing.
http://www.tourchautauqua.com/ might be a good place to see what that
region might offer.