This is what Niagara Falls in Ontario looked like 30 years ago

Niagara Falls is around 12,000 years old – geologically speaking, that is. But the Ontario city next to the thundering waterfall of the same name has still changed quite a bit in the last few decades.

It wasn't until the early to mid-1800s that it became commonly known as "the honeymoon capital of North America," especially after family members of political figures began vacationing there. 

Tourism really exploded in the 1920s when people had cars to visit one of the world's greatest natural wonders. Niagara's very first high-rise hotel, the General Brock Hotel (now just called the Brock Hotel), was built in 1929 to accommodate the growing number of visitors.

Thirty years ago, in 1996, Niagara Falls was just as vibrant, bursting with energy and packed with nightclubs and tourist attractions, including a kitschy entertainment centre called Dazzleland and a new casino on the way.

Some of these attractions may not be around anymore, but back in the mid-1990s, they were a huge draw and a big part of the city's appeal. 

Casino Niagara opened its doors to the public in 1996, having been built in just 200 days. It was a huge feat at the time, and remains impressive in this modern era of snail-paced construction projects in Ontario.

Part of what sped up the construction of the 96,000 square-foot venue with 3,000 slot machines and 123 gaming tables was the fact that it was built using existing infrastructure from a former amusement park, Maple Leaf Village, which shuttered in 1992.

"Come play with us" was the inaugural slogan for the casino, and a swanky invite-only gala drew 7,000 people on opening night. Small potatoes compared to how, nowadays, the casino attracts around five million guests every year.

Casino Niagara would later be joined by a gambling competitor in the Fallsview resort, part of a wave of hotel towers constructed around the turn of the millennium. Before that hotel boom, the skyline was far less crowded, with only a handful of towers dotting the local cityscape.

The 1990s also saw the continued decline of the city's main shopping street. Queen St. wasn't quite the bustling shopping hub it used to be after suburban shopping malls like Niagara Square made their debut in the '70s.

The street, however, kept its charm with remaining historic buildings, along with restaurants and quaint boutiques catering more to locals than the tourist crowd.

Many locals would spend Friday nights in the '90s doing the Macarena at Cell Block, one of Niagara's most popular nightclubs at the time. For reasons beyond comprehension, it leaned hard into a jail theme throughout with cell-like booths and decor that would likely not land very well in today's climate.

The popular boat tour, the Maid of the Mist, celebrated its 150th year of operation in 1996. Back then, it was still taking tourists throughout both the U.S. and Canadian sides of the falls, including former U.S. president Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn, who came to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary.

A new contract inked in 2014 moved the Maid of the Mist to the American side of the falls, though the Canadian side still remains the busier overall tourist destination well over a decade later.

Every year, erosion pushes the falls back roughly one foot, so the edge of the falls in 1996 was about 30 feet farther out than it is today.In 1996, everyone and their cousin wanted to cross the border for the cheap booze, cigarettes and better views of the falls. Back then, toll fees cost CAD $1 (US $0.75), and today they've shot up to CAD $8.50 (USD $6). 

Many harp on Niagara Falls for being a crowded tourist trap today, but it has some of the most gorgeous sights, quirkiest keepsakes, and enough unique experiences to make it worth the trip.