Ocean Beach Live Cam

• Townview East Townview West Beach Townview North

Great Family Vacations They Really Exist

"Awesome!" That's how even the most "been there, done it" teenager describes Niagara Falls. This spectacular wonder of the world still mesmerizes travelers from around the world.

The falls can be seen from many vantage points. Take a family stroll through the first state park in the nation, the Niagara Falls Reservation State Park, where you can see the Niagara River before it crashes 176 feet to the base. At the Visitors Center, you can enjoy an emotional tribute to the falls in the film "Niagara Wonders." Or see the falls from the bottom up. Don slickers (provided) and travel on a Maid of the Mist boat tour and feel the churning power of the water. Cover up (the youngsters will love putting on the rain gear again) and walk down a winding staircase in the Cave of the Winds in the Niagara Reservation State Park, where you can see the Bridal Vail Falls through the mist.

Or soar overhead by helicopter and see what one of nature's most powerful forces looks like from above. Rainbow Helicopters provide tours at $35 and more per person. After the falls, you will find plenty of other attractions in the area. Within walking distance is Wintergarden, a majestic glass-enclosed tropical park with ponds, waterfalls, and an endless variety of trees and plants. Visit the Niagara Power Project Visitor's Center, 5777 Lewiston Road, where an observation deck provides a breathtaking view of the Niagara River gorge. The entire family can learn about electric power by pushing buttons, pulling levers, and more.

Or stop at the Schoellkopf Geological Museum, where you can learn more about the 440- million year history of the falls. The Aquarium at Niagara Falls overlooks the Niagara River gorge and features 2000 marine specimens, including penguins, harbor seals, sharks and lion fish. Dolphins and sea lions perform hourly.

Explore the entire Niagara Frontier. There's much to see in addition to Niagara Falls itself. Prepare your family for a week-end of adventure, with a variety of activities. In Arcade, board one of the vintage coaches of the Arcade and Attica Railroad. Take a one-and-one-half-hour Victorian steam train ride through western New York. You will pass Gray Mare Swamp, Monkey Run, farmland and woodlands. Curriers is your turn-around point, where you can delight in a 100-year-old Curriers Station and mini-museum. Call ahead for special weekend presentations on such topics as country clogging, folk music or colonial crafting. It is a short, 30-mile drive along Route 39 from Arcade to Letchworth State Park, with its 17-mile, 600-foot- deep Genesee River Gorge, often called the "Grand Canyon of the East." Here seek out three waterfalls or take a scenic walk on a fitness trail or marked trails in the gorge itself. The middle falls, the most spectacular, is illuminated at night. This is the perfect place to enjoy the scenery or stay overnight at a campsite or family cabin or at the Glen Iris Inn. For reservations, call at least seven days in advance. Take a dip on one of three swimming pools, or go tubing or canoeing down the gorge. Adventure Calls provides a rafting trip through the Genesee River Gorge in Letchworth State Park in spring and summer.

The Barracuda Bay Waterpark, Adventureland for Kids and a campground with 2000 campsites (have the kids count them): That's Darien Lake Amusement Park, a 1200-acre major American theme park and campground. There's a petting zoo, miniature golf, and -- for those who want to relax -- lovely lakeside beaches. In fact, Darien Lake originally was a campsite that grew into the largest campground in the state and one of the most exciting theme parks in the country. Hungry? There's plenty of choices at Darien Lake, whether your gang wants fast food or fine dining.

Lake George offers the quintessential family lake vacation in an Adirondack setting, with beaches, scenic boat rides, a village main street lined with souvenir shops, miniature golf, outdoor cafes, clothing shops and enough arcades to keep even the most experienced game-player busy for hours. The Lake George area is lined with theme parks and other family attractions. One favorite is the Great Escape Fun Park, with more than 100 rides (bring your bathing suit for some of them), live shows and attractions in an Adirondack setting. Roller coaster aficionados claim that the Comet, a top-ten wooden roller coaster, provides a ride that is second to none. Admission is $20.95 for age 12 through adults, $16.95 for ages three to eleven, under three free. Visitors can spend an afternoon or evening on one of several Lake George sightseeing cruises.

Eighteenth-century Catskill legend has it that Rip Van Winkle fell asleep in the mountains and awoke 20 years later, surprised at the changes he encountered. Today, he would have been astounded: the Catskills, still steeped in mystery, are alive with amusement parks, game farms, and more. Get an overview of this land of legend on the Delaware and Ulster Rail Ride, which will take you on an old fashioned train ride through scenic countryside. The train coaches are 1920-vintage -- some even open-air. On weekends, you may have a "real" train robbery, be hosted by a giant teddy bear or, in fall, take a Halloween ghost train. Take in a family favorite, the Catskill Game Farm, in Catskill. Here you will find 2000 wild, rare and tame animals, a play area, and a half-mile train ride to see birds in their natural habitat. Cool off nearby, at the Zoom Flume Water Park, in Durham. There's a water slide, canyon plunge and waterfall for those who want to get wet. Dry-side, there's an arcade that will keep the games-players busy. Or take the family to the Kaaterskill Falls, one of the tallest and most beautiful waterfalls in the state. The base of the falls has large, flat rocks where you can picnic or watch the mesmerizing cascade. This is a natural treasure, not found on most maps. Take Exit 21 off the New York State Thruway (I-87) to Route 23 to Route 23A. This will bring you through a winding road that hugs the hillside. The trailhead to the falls is along Route 23A at the most hairpin turn of many hairpin turns. A small waterfall marks the entrance. A parking area is located nearby (along with a hot dog truck stand). It is approximately two miles to Kaaterskill Falls along a well- marked trail. Complete your Catskill stay with another hiking experience of a very different sort. Explore Ice Caves Mountain, in Cragsmoor, a hiking tour through rugged mountain terrain. A cassette tape is provided so that at numbered stops you can learn about the environment at this National Landmark. Contact the Catskills regional travel promotion agency for more information.

Children's museums are exciting glimpses of other worlds where facts and theories presented in a way that appeal to children Colorful and imaginative hands-on exhibits are designed to hold your child's interest. The following museums make for a vacation outing that the entire family can enjoy:

Brooklyn Children's Museum, 145 Brooklyn Avenue, Brooklyn. Founded in 1899, this is the world's first children's museum. It offers more than 50,000 authentic ethnological and natural exhibits.

Children's Museum of Manhattan, 212 West 83rd Street. This museum offers activity centers and hands- on exhibitions designed for youngsters and adults. Featured are an Early Childhood and Family Learning Center, a media center, a TV studio for kids, an environmental center and an urban tree house.

Discovery Center, 60 Morgan Road, Binghamton. This hands-on children's museum features a fire station with a real truck, a Boeing 747 cockpit and exhibits on everything from bubbles to the body.

Science Discovery Center, Exit 15 off I-88, Oneonta. Located in the College at Oneonta Physical Science building, this museum provides children and adults with an opportunity to conduct hands-on discovery in the sciences.

Children's Museum in the Iroquois Indian Museum, Howes Cave. The museum describes the continuing creative spirit of the Iroquois. Story-telling sessions are held periodically.

Victorian Doll Museum, North Chili. One thousand dolls from the mid-1980s to the present are on display, along with doll houses and a toy circus.

New York State Museum, Empire State Plaza, Albany. This features major exhibits on the New York metropolis, the Adirondack wilderness, Upstate New York and Native American peoples. Don't miss a special interactive exhibit: SHARKS! Fact or Fantasy - October 6 through December 31.

Ride an elevator 200-feet beneath the surface of the earth to tour a geological wonder, Howe Caverns. Marvel at age- old, dramatic underground rock formations: stalactites, stalagmites and columns. Then take a boat ride on an underground lake. Howe Caverns is located on Route 7 in the town of Howes Cave. Bring your sweaters, because the temperature remains a cool 52 degrees Fahrenheit year-round.

No family vacation would be complete without a pilgrimage to a place of sports magic, the National Baseball Hall of Fame, Main Street, Cooperstown. Youngsters come here to dream of the future, while adults come to recall the past. Historical artifacts, photographs and memorabilia of the nation's favorite pastime are on display in a way that touches the spirit. Special induction ceremonies for the greats are held each year, while a "women in baseball" exhibit pays tribute to the women who played during World War II.

Enter through a graceful portico to recapture a sense of upstate culture and history at the Fenimore House Museum (reopening in July with a new wing), Cooperstown. You will discover a spacious ballroom with majestic landscape paintings, a display on folk art and American Indian art and a small gallery dedicated to the works of James Fenimore Cooper, the author who defined the early American hero with in "Leatherstocking Tales" and "Last of the Mohicans." This is an educational opportunity for you and your children.

Cotton candy and carousals, games and gardening, midways and music, 4-H and foot-longs: all this and more put the fun in New York State's county fairs throughout the summer. Long after the fair season is over you will remember the blue-ribbon quilt, a graceful horse and rider, a ride on the Ferris wheel with children laughing in delight.