[A new presence-evoking attraction has opened at Niagara Falls, as reported in this news release from hospitality and entertainment company Delaware North; see the original version for five more pictures. A few admittedly biased first-person reports from coverage by Buffalo Toronto Public Media follow below; see the original version of that story for five different pictures (there’s also a 1:07 minute video version on YouTube). For more information and images, visit the Niagara Falls State Park website. It’s interesting that this and other presence-evoking attractions are installed at or near the site they reproduce for visitors (e.g., the IMAX Theater at the Grand Canyon Visitor Center). –Matthew]

Above the Roar virtual reality attraction opens at Niagara Falls State Park

June 19, 2026

Delaware North Parks and Resorts on June 18 revealed a new attraction for the millions of guests visiting Niagara Falls State Park.

Above the Roar, located inside the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Welcome Center at the park, is a fully immersive, multisensory virtual reality (VR) experience and takes participants on a thrilling journey around the most powerful waterfall in North America.

Through exclusive aerial footage, motion-enhanced seating and immersive sound, participants will soar along the U.S. side of the Niagara River just above the rapids and then over the American, Bridal Veil and Horseshoe Falls before gliding through the gorge and plunging into the depths below. There, under the water, they will encounter seven species of fish native to the river before returning to the brink of the American Falls and ending back inside the welcome center.

Delaware North – which has operated food and beverage, retail and other visitor services at the park since 1995 for New York Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation – developed and will operate the new VR attraction.

“Above the Roar offers a completely new way for people to experience Niagara Falls as part of their visit to the park,” said Derek Zwickey, chief operating officer of Delaware North Parks and Resorts. “We are proud of our partnership with New York State Parks and thrilled that Delaware North could bring this attraction to life as another way for visitors from around the globe to experience Niagara Falls State Park.

The new attraction was covered by Buffalo Business First, WGRZ, WKBW, WIVB, Spectrum News, Buffalo Toronto Public Media (NPR) and The Buffalo News. [Note: Some of these are behind paywalls –ML]

MDSX, an award-winning experiential design and media production firm that has helped develop several attractions at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, also developed the Above the Roar experience. The company produced a festive holiday story that was projected onto the visitor complex’s Gateway to Space building during Holidays in Space and several projection experiences for the Planet Play attraction.

“Working with MDSX, we used cutting-edge virtual reality content to create a perspective that has never been accessible to the public – a cinematic, awe-inspiring journey that is as emotional as it is exhilarating,” Zwickey said. “Every moment is designed to bring guests closer to the scale, power and beauty of Niagara Falls in a way that feels immediate and unforgettable.”

Above the Roar is open daily year-round via a timed entry ticket, with advance booking on the website, and walk-ins welcome based on availability.

In addition to Above the Roar, the “Voices of the Falls” interactive exhibit is open this summer, exploring the past, present and future of Niagara Falls – the park as well as the surrounding community – in the voices of those that have been part of its history.

Featuring first person perspectives, historical narratives, artifacts, hands-on interactive and video presentations, the nearly 5,000-square-foot exhibit highlights the cultural, environmental and personal connections that have formed the nation’s oldest state park, including those of local indigenous communities.

—

[From Buffalo Toronto Public Media]

Two new stateside attractions bring visitors even closer to Niagara Falls

By Brian Chojnacki
June 18, 2026

[snip]

Brian Archie, the Niagara Falls City Council chairman, was one of the first to try the new under-10-minute attraction. “Listen, it was absolutely amazing,” he said. “I have never done anything VR [virtual reality] before, but I felt literally as if I was in a living, breathing experience with the Falls; it was crazy. I felt the wind; there was literal wind from the water, and the air that was just like coming through, an amazing experience.

“I thought I was going to be just watching some video, they’re going to twist me around a little bit and kick me out, but it actually takes you on a journey from the inception of the Falls into what it means to be [from Niagara Falls], and I think it’s amazing.[…]”

Archie called his favorite experience — diving into the water — a spiritual one.

“You’re about to be submerged into the Falls, so going over the drop, you feel the movement of the chair actually going over, and you can look around and see the water, and then there’s a soft landing into the water, and now you’re with nature, seeing the fish, and the transition from thundering rapids to this calm and serene underbelly is an absolutely crazy spiritual experience,” he said.

[snip]

[State Assemblymember Angelo Morinello] stamped his approval. “There were times when I thought I had to duck to go under a bridge, and then when they plunged us below the waters to see the fish, you could also see the formations underwater of the sides and the caves and the rocks,” he said. “I think it’s a great attraction. It gives you a better experience than you would ever have on the outside, because they don’t have the visual looking back at the Falls, and the closeness that you are gives you even a better perspective than if you were to go on the Canadian side to look back.”

[snip to end]