 From the Canadian side, floodlights illuminate both sides of the falls for several hours after dark (until midnight).The number of visitors in 2007 was expected to total 20 million, and by 2009 the annual rate was expected to top 28 million tourists.The oldest and best known tourist attraction at Niagara Falls is the "Maid of the Mist" boat cruise, named for an ancient Ongiara Indian mythical character, which has carried passengers into the rapids immediately below the falls since 1846.