NIAGARA FALLS — Niagara Falls visitors on the long Memorial Day weekend — the traditional start of the prime tourist season — have been welcomed with mid-60-degree temperatures, high grass and weeds, reduced wait times at the border and confusion over the status of the state parks due to the budget fiasco in Albany.

The park issue was cleared up Friday afternoon after lawmakers voted to keep all the state parks, historic sites and campgrounds open this year. With park crews idled for several days due to the shutdown, the grass has reached the eye-sore level.

Again this season, regional state park officials anticipate attendance figures will be up as a result of the new border rules that became effective in 2009, requiring travelers to produce one of four secure documents (e.g. passport, enhanced state driver’s license or NEXUS) when re-entering the U.S. Visitors to Canada also will be asked to produce proof of citizenship and identity. Since many tourists generally perceive a hassle with traffic delays and customs inspections at the border, they might opt to stay on the U.S. side, a state park official said.

For cross-border travelers, the Niagara Falls Bridge Commission announced last week that it was opening two additional lanes at the Lewiston-Queenston Bridge to help ease any increase in traffic.

Some relatively good news for countless tourists, however, is that they’ll able to walk along Old Falls Street, between Third Street and the entrance to the state park, without that roadblock — the dingy Wintergarden that fell victim to the wrecker’s ball last year. At the same time though, with the exception of a few portable food carts and the 70-seat outdoor patio at the Crowne Plaza hotel, they’ll find empty stores on both sides of the mall.

Not everyone is impressed that Old Falls Street is closed to vehicular

traffic.

“We were led to believe a long time ago that parking would be allowed (on the street),” said Louise Morden, who owns a landmark souvenir store on the street, close to the Prospect Park, the nation’s oldest state park.

Louise and her late husband, Paul, opened their current store about 28 years ago, but Morden family ties to the souvenir business are traced to the early 1900s.

She noted that last year their “season” didn’t start until early July because of the reconstruction of

the street and the Wintergarden

demolition.

“We’ve been hoping it would be open to traffic. Our business was better when motorists were allowed to park here, even if it was only for 15 minutes,” Morden added.

John Percy, president and CEO of the Niagara Tourism and Convention Corp., said it had been decided months ago  the street would be restricted to pedestrians during the busy tourist season and then reopened to vehicles in the fall.

This holiday weekend most South End hotels were expected to be dealing with a heavy influx.

“All indicators point to a high occupancy rate,” Percy said, noting that hotel bookings were up 10 percent last month over the comparable period in 2009. The year-to-date totals showed a 7.7 percent increase.

A spokesperson for the Howard Johnson Hotel, 454 Main St., said the 80-room facility was sold out for the entire weekend.

At the new Giacomo, a boutique hotel in the converted 17-story United Office Building, one-night room rates were listed between $150 and $330.

Traditionally, major attractions within the Niagara Falls State Park as well as the Aquarium of Niagara, Old Fort Niagara in Youngstown and the Lockport Locks and Canal cruises expand their operating hours from now through the Labor Day weekend.

At the state park, visitors are offered a Niagara USA Discovery Pass, which includes a single admission ($33 adult) and ($26 children from 6-12) to five attractions, plus all-day transportation via the Niagara Scenic Trolleys that carry passengers around Prospect Park and Goat Island.

Parks spokesperson Angela Berti said The Cave of the Winds will be open from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. today and 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday. The Maid of the Mist sightseeing trips will run from 9:15 a.m. to 8 p.m. today and until 6 p.m. Monday.

The Prospect Park visitors center will be open until 10 p.m. today and until 7 p.m. Monday. The falls will be illuminated for three hours, starting at 9 p.m.

Based on the National Weather Service report, today should be ideal for sightseeing,  with mostly sunny conditions, a high of 75 degrees and a low of 59. On Monday, however, generally the drive-home day, some thundershowers are in the forecast.

In the Buffalo-Niagara area, motorists can expect to pay about $2.95 per gallon of gasoline.

Still, prices across the Empire State remain considerably higher than the national average of $2.84 per gallon.

“While the economy continues to experience uncertainty, the improved economic performance from one year ago should cause more Americans to take vacations this holiday weekend,” said Tom Chestnut, president and CEO of the AAA Western and Central New York.

“The year over year increase represents a strong kickoff to the unofficial beginning of summer,” Chestnut added.

With the infusion of casino funds to its annual budget, the NTCC is undoubtedly better positioned than other Empire State travel destinations that will be impacted by the cutbacks in the once popular “I Love New York” program that provides marketing and promoting opportunities.

In March, Empire State Development Corp. officials, which oversees the I Love New York office, informed the 57 tourism-promotion agencies, including the Niagara Tourism and Convention Corp., that the matching grants program was being canceled because of the state budget crisis. Without that state funding, many official tourism agencies have been forced to reduce or eliminate advertising campaigns.

Contact reporter Don Glynn at 282-2311, ext. 2246.