Sheaxpress

Family of 5 taking a few days at the end of March for a road trip to Canada from New York.
Can't afford to go South, so we're doing this instead.

3 day itinerary includes staying one night at a budget hotel (will do Priceline) and I have one night reserved at the Niagara Fallsview Casino. We'll be doing Ripley's (maid of the mist is closed, darn it) and then going to Toronto for the day.
Going to do Priceline for the hotel in Toronto as well.

My question, besides family-friendly restaurants in Toronto is...
ARE WE CRAZY TO GO IN MARCH?
It's 30 degrees here in New York and that is way cold. Will it be impossible to have a good time outside at this time of year

rosexmke

We must be crazy too then. Sort of doing the same thing. Wisconsin to toronto, 3 days in town there. We didn't want more than one day driving trip. Our southern destinations for one day didn't meet our teen agers priorities, they picked toronto probably cause crossing the border sounds exotic. You don't say how old your children are or where in new york your starting point is. By the way, my husband and friends scheduled a golf outing for south one spring break and ended up with colder wetter weather than we had here in wisconsin. You never know.

Kate_W

It's not as if you're going to cross a border and suddenly find that the temperature drops 30 degrees and we're living on the edge of a glacier. I'm assuming that you live in New York City or nearby (not northern New York State).

The weather is variable in late March in Southern Ontario. You could catch some really warm days (e.g. around 8-15C), it's likely to be in the 0-10C range, and there's a risk that it could drop down to -10C or -12. (We just had a cold snap in Toronto).

I wouldn't recommend the region for a hiking or biking trip at this time of year, but if you're doing a combination of indoor activities (e.g. Ontario Science Centre, Hockey Hall of Fame, Bata Shoe Museum) and outdoor sightseeing, you'll be fine. If there's a cold snap, your kids might think it's fun to wander around in Toronto's underground city.

Wear winter coats, and pack gloves, hats and scarves. You won't need the gloves, hats and scarves all the time, but it's good to have them just in case. You should also wear sturdy, waterproof shoes that can handle some salt (they salt sidewalks and the salt can damage shoes, so don't bring your favourite brand new leather boots) and that have some grip or tread (there probably will be some patches of ice here and there).

Family friendly restaurants in Toronto: Il Fornello pizza/pasta chain (several rungs up the ladder from a Pizza Hut, but not super expensive), Swiss Chalet (rotisserie chicken), Tim Hortons (fast food, but good sandwiches, coffee and soup - a good lunch option), Spring Rolls chain (pan-Asian food - if you'd like to get your kids to try something a little different).

mikesmom

We've been thinking about doing the same thing (traveling from Detroit - Toronto's only about a four hour drive). I keep thinking we're crazy because it's been so cold and I'm afraid it might snow. Obviously, the weather in Toronto isn't much difference than Detroit.

We just want to do some shopping, eating and relaxing. Should be okay, I guess.

gemelli

Come on up, the next two weeks in March are school break here in Toronto and there is loads going on for the kids. For the shoppers, the malls are full of the new spring/summer fashions and you can travel between two of the biggest, Eaton Centre & Yorkdale Mall without going outside.(subway)

Sheaxpress

<It's not as if you're going to cross a border and suddenly find that the temperature drops 30 degrees and we're living on the edge of a glacier. I'm assuming that you live in New York City or nearby (not northern New York State).>

Well, I don't know about the edge of a glacier, but it is right near the water, yes? I'm an hour and half outside of NYC and it was 30F yesterday and I'm reading about temps in the teens in your area. There's a difference!

Thanks for your restaurant suggestions.

Sheaxpress

<You don't say how old your children are or where in new york your starting point is.>

Sorry, the girls are 13, 8, and 6.
Right now, I have the Science Center on the list of things to do. I'd thought about the Zoo, but I'm thinking probably too cold.

Where does one get discount passes for the Science Center?

Also, I'm thinking of Spring Roll for once place to eat and another place that was suggested here.

gemelli

re: discounts
http://citypass.com/city/toronto.html
includes:
CN Tower
Royal Ontario Museum
zoo
Art Gallery of Ont
Casa Loma
Science Centre

Your youngsters may enjoy the Old Spaghetti Factory for dinner/lunch.

http://www.oldspaghettifactory.net/home.html

kodi

This time of year really is unpredictable. It can be really nice or really rotten. But basically it's about the same as in New York. AS far as us being near water, Buffalo, NY actually gets many more of the nasty snow storms and much worse. Toronto usually isn't that bad compared to Buffalo.
I don't think March will be too bad. Especially downtown Toronto, where the sidewalks are kept clear anyway.

Sheaxpress

Gemelli,

Thanks so much for your suggestions. I think my kids would love the spaghetti factory!

I'm thinking about the pass, although for two days we'd probably be only doing the CN, and science center. I'm still contemplating the zoo because of the weather.

gemelli

The Toronto Zoo, BTW, is one of the largest in the world, something like 700 acres. You almost need the better part of a day, but if it is sunny it is a great place for the kids to run around and get their yaya's out. You can pop in and out of the buildings, the gorilla rainforest is usually a hit,and the outdoor species are actually more lively when the weather is cool.
You probably already know that the Science Centre is huge and sprawling, but designed for kids to play (and learn!), count on a 4-5 hours.
Have a great trip.

rosexmke

Found in fodors, hard copy of toronto, that there is a 24 hour bowling alley, smaller set up - ball and pins. You might want to look into that for another indoor option.

carib_bean

I have just taken my very young son to the Aviary in Niagara Falls - we had the same situation...no going south this year so better make it good at home..

Niagara Falls kind of makes you feel like you are on vacation...the good an the bad...but the Aviary made me feel like maybe I had gotten south for a bit. Try it - it is a lot of fun and warm - we happened to get a sunny day outside so with all the windows inside it felt GREAT!! Try the Butterfly place too...also tropical feel inside and neat place to see. But the weather is starting to get better here in between Toronto and Niagara Falls - so keep your fingers crossed we could have some ok days ahead!! have fun and WELCOME!

mlanoue

Hi everybody.
Well, my family is thinking about doing the very same thing. We'll be coming from the Chicago area. The way I look at it: it's already cold here, so we can either be cold in Chicago or cold in Toronto. And, maybe things will warm up by then.


My wife and I visited the city last year at New Year's and had a great time. If you're expecting winter instead of spring, then I think it's easier to cope with the cold. Usually the weather in Chicago can be lousy right up through Memorial Day, so it's the change of scenery we're looking forward to.


With everybody off from school it sounds like things might be kind of crowded. Are there any better times to check out places like the Science Center? When we visited the Royal Ontario Museum last December it was pure insamity--and we even had our tickets purchased ahead of time!

We're also trying to do it in 3 days. I'd like to visit the falls, but was hoping for an evening tour. (We're coming in by train and won't have a car.) But, it looks like they don't have evening tours from Toronto until mid-May. Am I wrong about this?

Thanks,
Matthew

Syv

Right now it is SUNNY and -1 Celsius ( ZERO degrees Celsius is freezing - compared to your 32 F)

The nights are still doing big drops in temperature but this week is supposed to be mild (around freezing) and sunny.

Probably similar to Detroit & Buffalo.

gemelli

The Science Centre extends its hours for March break from March 12-28 and are open until 8 in the evening, usualy close at 5. Either try for first thing at 10am or after 5:00. On busy days we often did the Centre backwards, beginning at the furthest exhibits and moved back towards the entrance. Easiest transportation without a car is the Bloor subway east to Pape station and transfer to the Don Mills bus north, stops infront of the Centre, or treat yourself to a cab if you are staying downtown.

wsoxrebel

A few years ago when we visited Toronto, Ontario Science Centre
gave us free admission when we showed our local ASTC science museum membership pass. Also good at 200+ other science museums.