Portland: A City Built For Kids
We've
traveled across the country, and one of our favorite places to play with our
girls (ages 3 &4) is in our hometown of Portland.
Portland Children's Museum offers a full day of creative play for kids with
their fun water area, restaurant/grocery, dig pit, construction site, clay
workshop, and theater.
Across the parking lot from the museum is the Oregon Zoo. Our girls love the
Stellar Cove exhibit with the sea lions and sea otters along with the polar
bears, elephants, and sheep in the petting zoo.
The Japanese Garden is another fun place to explore with kids--letting them
smell the flowers and watch the giant koi fish.
On hot days, the kids can play in the water fountain at Jamison Park, and
on cold days, OMSI (Oregon Museum of Science and Industry) is a museum along
the Williamette River that will interest both parents and kids of all ages
with its OMNIMAX, submarine, and planetarium.
Near OMSI is Old Wives Tales, a family friendly restaurant that offers healthy
food and a play area for kids. Another great restaurant for young kids is
Peanut Butter and Ellies or the Spaghetti Factory under Marquam Bridge. If
parents want a quiet meal, Grandma Leeth's is an innovative restaurant with
a play area in the middle with supervised child care. A bit pricey, but if
you don't have a babysitter, it's a great alternative for parents to go out
to dinner (and the glass windows to the play area mean you can see your kids
at all times).
The
Portland area is also full of trails to walk or bike ride, and you can rent
kayaks to paddle down the river.
The Riverwalk is a perfect place to walk with children and for those who like
to hike, Tryon Creek State Park near Lake Oswego had great trails for families.
After a few days in Portland, if you want to venture outside the city, there
are an endless amount of activities for families along the Columbia River
(waterfalls!), at the beach, or around Mt. Hood.