We spent 48 hours visiting Niagara Falls. Here's what was actually worth doing — and one big mistake I'm glad we avoided.

We spent 48 hours seeing Niagara Falls in New York and Canada, doing both touristy activities in the city and underrated ones nearby.Ash JurbergMy cousin and I spent 48 hours visiting Niagara Falls. We spent time in both New York and Canada.

I'm glad we saw Niagara Falls from the air, from the water, and from the base.Attractions like Maid of the Mist were fun, but the best parts of the trip were outside of the city.My cousin Belik lives in the US, is 15 years younger than me, loves to camp, and had already been to Niagara Falls twice.

I'm an Aussie, prefer hotels, and had never made it to the Falls.When our schedules aligned for 48 hours together, we had very different ideas about how to use them. He wanted to go on long hikes and camp on Lake Ontario.

I wanted to hit the major tourist attractions, including boat and helicopter tours of the Falls.Ultimately, we agreed to do a mix of both. By the end of our outing, we'd had some incredible experiences and discovered some of the best ways to plan a great trip to the area.

A 10-minute helicopter tour was a worthy splurgeMy wife was more worried about me being in the helicopter than I was.Ash JurbergI'd always wanted to take a helicopter ride, and Niagara Falls seemed the perfect place to try it.We booked a 10-minute tour through Rainbow Air and paid $180 each for tickets on the day of.

My cousin and I ended up having the helicopter to ourselves (likely because of the poor weather).Belik had been hesitant about this pricey tour before we took off, but his skepticism faded once we were in the air. Ten minutes doesn't sound like much, but from up high, we got to appreciate the scale of the Falls.

The Maid of the Mist boats below looked like ants.The tour cost more than I'd usually spend, but it was the first thing I told people about when I got home. If you've only got the budget for one splurge here, make it this.

The Maid of the Mist boat ride left me wetter than I expectedThe Maid of the Mist is cool, but not quite what