The Whirlpool Aero Car is a cable car dating from 1916 that crosses the Niagara Gorge at a point where the river makes a sharp bend, creating the famous Niagara Whirlpool — a permanent vortex where the green water churns in violent circles 30 metres below the cable car. The crossing takes about ten minutes and gives a view of the gorge walls, the rapids, and the whirlpool that cannot be seen from the shore.
The car is a red-painted gondola slung between two pylons on the Canadian bank — it crosses to the American bank, then returns, without stopping. The whole ride is one circuit. It is operated by Niagara Parks, is seasonal (closed in winter), and has queues in summer. It is worth going for the view: the Niagara Gorge is more dramatic than most visitors expect, and the whirlpool below is one of the stranger natural phenomena you are likely to see.