Stand beside the Horseshoe Falls on Terrapin Point's observation deck on the American side of the Niagara River! Terrapin Point is at the tip of Goat Island in Niagara Falls, New York directly beside the Horseshoe Falls. It is one of the major observation areas on the New York side to view the falls. This tour will view Terrapin Point from the Niagara Parkway on the Canadian side.
The movies filmed at this location are the slapstick comedy Luv (1967) and the comedy Canadian Bacon (1995). Luv stars Jack Lemmon, Elaine May, and Harrison Ford. Terrapin Point was used in the iconic scene of this movie showing Lemmon and May having a conversation about love. The two also took photographs together at this location which are often tied to the movie's familiarity. Canadian Bacon stars John Candy, Alan Alda, and Rhea Perlman; directed by Michael Moore. Terrapin Point was used in this movie when many rush to the area to avoid a laid-off worker from jumping into the falls.
*Luv (1967): At 47:10 the scene shot at Terrapin Point is shown
Jack Lemmon and Elaine May filming Luv (1967) at Terrapin Point (Photo: Clive Donner).
Before the second half of the 20th century, Terrapin Point was a group of rocks on the brink of the falls, disconnected from Goat Island. In 1827, the owners of the land built a 300-foot wooden bridge from Goat Island that overlooked the edge of the falls. The owners were the brothers Peter and Augustes Porter. A few years later, the Porter's then added a building which resembled a lighthouse, known as Terrapin Tower. The tower attracted many visitors at the time, but the Porter's eventually grew bored of it and blew it up in 1873. By 1954, the wooden bridge the two had built also disappeared.
Terrapin Point was looked after in 1953 when the Niagara River was being dredged to spread the flow of water more evenly. The dirt and fill were taken over to Terrapin Point and increased the area of the location. Terrapin Point was once again another successful tourist attraction until 1969 when there were cracks found in the foundation and the site closed.
The United States Army Corps of Engineers blasted thousands of tons of unstable rock in 1983 and added diversion dams and retaining walls to force the water away from Terrapin Point. These actions actually caused the Horseshoe Falls to be eliminated by 400 feet and sources say it is now entirely in Canada. In 1983, the surface that remained intact was inspected and reopened to visitors.
Destination Niagara, USA
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Terrapin Point is fully ADA accessible and handicapped accessible.
Copyright for all sources remains with the original creators.
C, P. (2019). [Picture of Terrapin Point from USA] [Photograph]. Retrieved from https://www.google.com/maps/uv?pb=!1s0x89d3436162da6165%3A0x53a210224f792304!3m1!7e115!4shttps%3A%2F%2Flh5.googleusercontent.com%2Fp%2FAF1QipP4k8B5Ke_EDzZpUnV2UOliDi0GaIuDspPWa7lT%3Dw480-h320-k-no!5sterrapin%20point%20-%20Google%20Search!15sCgIgAQ&imagekey=!1e10!2sAF1QipP4k8B5Ke_EDzZpUnV2UOliDi0GaIuDspPWa7lT&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjNgcC35oDtAhWIGFkFHbCfADkQoiowGHoECBgQAw
Davis, S. (2019). [Picture of Terrapin Point from USA] [Photograph]. Retrieved from https://www.google.com/search?q=terrapin+point&oq=terrapin+point&aqs=chrome..69i57j46i175i199j0l2j46i175i199j69i60l3.2255j1j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
Donner, C. (1967). [Picture of Lemmon and May filming Luv] [Photograph] Retrieved from https://photos.niagara-gazette.com/Historic-Photos/Famous-Visitors/i-7bdQNv2
Niagara Falls Canada. (2018). Movies Filmed in Niagara Falls. Retrieved from https://www.niagarafallstourism.com/blog/movies-filmed-in-niagara-falls/
Niagara Falls USA. (2020). Terrapin Point. Retrieved from https://www.niagarafallsusa.com/directory/terrapin-point/
Niagara History. (2020). Terrapin Point: a history. Retrieved from http://www.niagarafrontier.com/terrapin.html
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