Heading North For Spring Break

When my wife suggested a road trip to Niagara Falls and Toronto for our kids’ spring break in mid April, I was all in. I don’t necessarily have a fear of flying, but I loathe the process. Factoring in the time it takes to drive to the airport, park, arrive two hours early to go through security, and find your gate, only to be at the mercy of potential flight delays and cancellations, I much prefer an eight-hour road trip to the same destination. Though, if I was flying the plane, like BimmerLife’s Alex McCulloch, I’d probably feel differently.

While it would have been fun to take our five-speed-equipped 1991 318is or 1998 M3, northern New York and southern Ontario were still seeing freezing temperatures and trace amounts of snow at the time, so the summer tires on our classic BMWs would be an unnecessary gamble. Instead, we took our tried and true 2015 328i Sports Wagon, which we had recently celebrated ten years with. Trip preparations were light, changing the front rotors and pads and performing an oil change. The Vredestein all-season tires were only a few months old, and I’d changed or flushed all of the other automotive fluids within the last six months. A tire repair kit, floor jack, tire pump, and hand tools required to remove a wheel were stored neatly beneath the trunk floor in case we encountered a puncture.

We left our home in Northern Virginia on a Saturday morning and headed west. West?!? That can’t be right. I’ll explain—my daughter had an early soccer game in West Virginia, only a few miles from our favorite race track, Summit Point Motorsports Park. After an unfortunate 3-2 loss, we piled back into our F31 and headed north to our first official stop of the road trip, Buffalo, New York. The 422-mile route to Buffalo took us on the Pennsylvania Turnpike past Pittsburg, then on Route 79 to Erie. Almost exactly a year prior, we had taken this same route to Erie to view the Eclipse in a brand-new BMW X2 courtesy of BMW North America (see the article in the Fall/Winter 2024 issue of BimmerLife magazine), so it was fun reliving that automotive adventure in one of our own vehicles.

Past Erie, we headed northeast, skirting the Great Lake all the way to Buffalo. By the time we arrived at our hotel, it was past our normal dinner time. A neighbor and Buffalo native suggested we check out the original Anchor Bar in downtown Buffalo, which was a short ten-minutes away. As if rock-star parking and delicious wings weren’t enough, there was an array of cool motorcycles decorating the restaurant, including a 1958 250cc one-cylinder R26! The next morning we continued doing touristy things and ate breakfast at the original Pancake House, which didn’t have any vintage motorcycles mounted to the walls, but thankfully the pancakes and eggs were still delicious.

After breakfast, we headed straight to Niagara Falls State Park. Parking on Goat Island, we were able to view the America Falls as well as the Horseshoe Falls of Canada. Purchasing tickets for “Cave of the Winds” allowed us to visit a museum and take an elevator down to the base of the American Falls, providing some excellent photo opportunities. We hiked around the rest of the park, including the Observation Tower off Goat Island. While my wife Sara remembers visiting when she was a kid, it was Avery’s, Carter’s, and my first time witnessing the natural wonder of the Falls. Being able to get so close to the Falls was both a jaw-dropping and anxiety-infused experience. 

A short drive over Rainbow Bridge and through Canadian Customs gave us access to the Canadian side of Niagara Falls, where we checked into the Sheraton Niagara Falls hotel. The “Niagara Falls Pass” package gave us access to the WeGo bus system, as well as a number of attractions like the Butterfly Conservatory, Journey Behind the Falls, and the Power Station.

A view of the American and Horseshoe Falls from Canada.

Journey Behind the Falls and “The Tunnel” under the Power Station gave us close-up views of the Horseshoe Falls, requiring rain gear to avoid a complete soaking. Due to ice still encompassing the base of the Falls, we weren’t able to take the “Maid of the Mist” boat tour, but ambient temps in the 40s and 50s still made sightseeing quite enjoyable. Avery and Carter enjoyed collecting “activity stamps” at each of the stops listed in our Niagara Falls passports, and the view from our fifteenth-floor hotel room gave us a unique perspective of the Falls being lit up at night.

After two nights in Niagara Falls, we pushed further north to Toronto. Looping around the western side of Lake Ontario, we hugged the large body of water until we reached Delta Hotels Toronto, directly across the street from North America’s tallest standing structure, the CN Tower. The 80-mile trip from Niagara Falls to Toronto was only supposed to take 90 minutes, but due to traffic it was nearly twice that long. Given the amount of walking we’d already done on this trip, perhaps the F31, sporting an eight-speed ZF 8HP transmission, was the best vehicle choice after all. Hours of clutch-in clutch-out traffic wouldn’t have been kind to my left leg.

Two nights in Toronto afforded us time to see the CN Tower, Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada, the Royal Ontario Museum, and walk through the city, visiting University of Toronto, Chinatown, and Kensington Market. I spotted a number of cool BMWs, and managed to be quick enough with my camera to catch some of them. If you only have a day-and-a-half in Toronto, I recommend visiting all of those spots.

On the fifth morning of our road trip, we said goodbye to Toronto, sitting in more traffic when leaving the city. After breaking through the congestion, it was smooth sailing back to Buffalo, crossing back into the US at the Peace Bridge. Instead of heading directly home, we decided to break up the 510-mile return trip and made a stop in Corning, New York. Corning, home of Corning Museum of Glass, is a small town divided by the scenic Chemung River. The museum hosts a number of live demonstrations, showcasing the artistry and industry of glass. I wasn’t sold on the idea initially, but was pleasantly surprised by the museum’s offerings and the charm of the historic part of the town.

We knocked out the remaining 300 miles home following Route 15 south, only stopping once at a Bakery just outside of Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Throughout our trip, a series of audiobooks, breathtaking views, and conversations kept us entertained during long stretches of seat time. Thanks to virtually no cell service in Canada due to our ancient cell phone sim cards (now corrected), it was essentially a device-free trip, allowing us to focus more on the experience itself without the distractions of digital leashes.

We had a few automotive realizations during this 1,000-plus-mile road trip. First, with nearly-eight and eleven-year-old children, our F31 is starting to lack rear-seat legroom. The term “minivan” was uttered more than once, but we’ll see if we can find something a bit more enthusiast oriented than that—we still have time to figure that out. Second, Avery will have a learner’s permit in less than four years. This F31 may very well be her first car. And third, there really is nothing better than an old-fashioned road trip!

— Mike Bevels