NYPA Power Vista

Location

The Power Vista is located 4½ miles downstream from Niagara Falls, set amidst the spectacular scenery of the Niagara River Gorge. It features more than 50 interactive exhibits that invite visitors of all ages to have a completely hands-on experience as they learn about hydroelectricity and the historic role it has played in the Niagara Frontier. The visitors center recently unveiled a new permanent exhibit called "The Times of the Tuscarora," a timeline of the Tuscarora Nation from 800 A.D. to the present, including artwork, beadwork and other examples of Tuscarora history and culture.

Among Power Vista’s high-tech additions is a comprehensive Electric Lab, explaining the basics of electricity with an operating model of a hydropower turbine. Taking a more nostalgic approach, a realistic replica of a Victorian house combines local period architecture with contemporary information on energy efficiency and electrical safety. Are you a fan of e-mail? Then send your friends and family an electronic postcard over the Internet, using our computers to place your image in one of four Niagara project backdrops.

And there’s more! A dramatic audio-visual display highlights Power Authority customers, including those Western New York firms that rely on Niagara’s economical hydroelectricity. One of the Power Vista’s original features, a large terrain map demonstrating how Niagara River water is diverted to generate electricity, has been updated with fiber optics. This birds-eye view of the region is always popular with local residents and out-of-town tourists as they try to spot area landmarks. Once you’ve studied our simulated scenery, experience the real thing firsthand by simply stepping outside onto our Observation Deck.

Art lovers will appreciate the recent restoration of the seven-foot-high mural by American painter Thomas Hart Benton that depicts Father Louis Hennepin and a group of Native Americans viewing Niagara Falls during the priest’s 17th century expedition in the New World. The mural was commissioned by the Power Authority when the Niagara project was built.

Phone: 866-697-2386

Hours: Open daily, year- round from 9 AM- 5 PM.
Closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve, and New Year’s Day. 

Admission: Free

For more information, visit their website:
http://www.nypa.gov/vc/niagara.htm