Shopping in the Niagara Falls region means shopping for much the same type item as you'd find at home, although you will find some local specialties including:

• chocolate. Fudge shops are literally everywhere in Niagara Falls but look for specialty chocolates to accompany the usual offerings. Maple chocolates, ones that incorporate Canada's maple syrup with chocolate are a favorite. And stores such as those in Niagara Fallsview Casino Resort (right) incorporate another local specialty -- romance -- in their chocolates, even selling chocolate body paints.

• ice wine and other local wines. Ice wine, created when the grapes begin to freeze on the vines, is a local specialty. Look for half-liter bottles (they're the same height as a traditional wine bottle but only half as thick). They may be smaller but expect the pricetag to be bigger: a half-liter bottle of ice wine usually sells for about US$80. You'll only need a tiny bit for each serving, however. If that's a little beyond your budget, look for traditional wines from the dozens of Niagara Falls region wineries.

Where to Shop:

Niagara-on-the-Lake This town is a shopper's dream, with store after store all within walking distance. For American shoppers, the good currency conversion makes their budget go a little further. Look for everything from fashions to outdoor accessories to housewares.

Niagara Fallsview Casino Resort This mega-complex includes a two-story shopping complex with high dollar jewelry stores, clothing boutiques, and more.

Duty Free Stores Before you leave Canada, you can drop by the duty free stores at the bridges. Look for liquors, perfumes, chocolates, glassware, sungalsses, wine, and jewelry at these stores (which also can give you a GST rebate for the purchases you've made in Canada; be sure to save all your original receipts.) The duty free stores are located at Highway 420 at the Rainbow Bridge and at the Peace Bridge.