About 15 scenic miles north of Niagara Falls on the US side of the Niagara River is Old Fort Niagara overlooking Lake Ontario. The fort is run by a non-profit licensed by New York State, and it preserves the 17th century stone building, ramparts, drawbridge, cannon and the various accoutrements of French, British and American soldiers who served there from before the Revolution till after the War of 1812. The British took the French fort in a siege in 1759, and then they took it again from the Americans in 1813, bayoneting around 6 dozen. Otherwise the fort changed hands by treaties. The visitor center, fort and grounds make a pleasant, educational diversion from the falls if you’re in the area.

But if you’re interested in forts and war history, I recommend crossing the Niagara River border and visiting Old Fort Erie in Canada. That British fort predates the US and was the site of the bloodiest battle of the War of 1812. Hotly contested for control of the area during that war, the Americans took the fort in 1813, relinquished it, took it again in 1814 and held it against a ferocious siege where each side had over 1000 casualties. While not part of the US Niagara Falls NHA, it is a highlight of Niagara Parks right over the bridge in Canada.