Jaime, hopefully some of our Toronto residents will chime in to help you out.
Since you live in DC, I think you might benefit from some "local" input. I live in Rochester, NY which is about 40-50 miles SE of Toronto as the crow flies, but 3 1/2 hours as the car drives (around the lake).
If you come up Rte 79 thru PA, you will hit at least 2 snow belts - Edinboro/Erie and Buffalo. If you come up Rte81 to Syracuse and go east on the NYS Thruway, you wil hit 3 snow belts - Syracuse, Rochester and Buffalo. That's the US part of the trip and please note that you will need to go through Buffalo. I can't speak for Canada between Buffalo/Niagra Falls and Toronto, but I'm guessing that there is a snow belt there as well. Also, the mountains in PA or West Virginia could be interesting.
In general, these snow belts are fed by "lake effect" snow. Cold air picks up warm moisture as it crosses the lake and dumps large amounts on the population. We're not talking snow flurries here; 5" - 10" at a crack is not uncommon.
To give you a sense of quantity, Rochester & Syracuse average about 100" of snow per year - more than 8 feet. Buffalo gets much more than that (but then, they deserve it
).
So, let's get to your question. Toronto is a great city to visit. It is Canada's cultural (Broadway shows & such) capital and they do it well. Restaurants to die for. You should be able to find a great package deal of some type on line if you apply yourself.
Having said all of that, I provided you with the input on snow without sugar coating. Not intended to scare you off, but to at least let you consider what you might face. There might be better times of the year t schedule a road trip here, unless you have 4 wheel drive. If so, come on up
.
