Portland, Oregon is a beautiful river city known for its aesthetics and culture. Its a great place to find outdoor adventure, a thriving arts & music scene, and access to all sorts of eco-friendly experiences. There is plenty of family fun to be had in the downtown area and the rest of the Willamette Valley. Trekaroo is proud to be launching Portland this week and looks forward to exploring the rest of the state of Oregon with all of you wonderful members of the Trekaroo community.
So, what have Trekaroo families shared thus far?
- 236 Activities listed in the Portland/Willamette Valley Region alone! Have you been to any of these kid-friendly places? If so, add your insight! Did you see something we missed? Be sure to share your experiences.
- Activities and hotel reviews across the 4 main regions of Oregon: Willamette Valley (Portland), Southern Oregon, Central Oregon, and Mt. Hood / The Gorge
- A list of Kid-friendly hotels in Portland waiting to be rated by parents like you
- Lots of fun lists like:
- Top Kid Activities in Portland as voted by Trekaroo families
- 5 Family Activities for $5 or less in Portland
- Cheap and Fun Eats in Portland!
- Things to see and do around Portland with Children
- Favorite kid-friendly restaurants in the Portland Metro Area
- Favorite Rainy Day Activities in Portland
- Family-Friendly Ski Resorts in Oregon with Kid Programs
- Favorite places to walk or hike in Oregon
Have you experienced Portland or any other part of the beautiful state of Oregon with your kids? Tell us all about your experiences – good and bad. Join now and start writing reviews. New members get to take advantage of Welcome Rewards. A gift card to Amazon, Starbucks, or REI was enough to convince me to join way back when!
What location is next? Georgia! Be part of the founding team to help launch Georgia on Trekaroo by sharing about activities you like and the best places to stay.
Special thanks to the 47 families who have collaborated to build a list of fantastic kid-friendly recommendations with their reviews! In particular, special thanks are due to PDXBloss, pitstopsforkids, bayareababyblog, Beaverton Mama, Living Beaverton, Camillegrimshaw, thriftyportlandmom, Leigh Anne, fani*fam, McPippi, and naturalist who have gone above and beyond to inside scoop and create such helpful lists for Portland and Oregon.
And of course, thanks to team Trekaroo who sacrifice so much to pull it all together.
Put on those rain boots and get out there!
Esther Lee (thelees3) – CEO
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Trekaroo – a reviews site dedicated to exploring and traveling with kids.
Travel with kids to: CA | CO | DC | FL | HI | IL | MA | NY | OR | PA | TN | TX | VA | WA
This week, Trekaroo is excited to be launching Portland, Oregon. We are dedicating the entire week to the beautiful state of Oregon and decided to kick it off with a guest post from a Pacific Northwestern mom in the know, Lora Shinn of Cascadia Kids. She has put together a great list of places to stay, play, eat, and shop while enjoying a weekend in the Rose City. You’ll find these great kid-friendly Portland destinations, plus more fantastic insider Northwest info in her book, Northwest Kid Trips.
Where to Stay: Hotel Monaco
This lovely hotel provides lots of great extras, including goldfish babysitting, a wine (and juice) hour and children’s bathrobes. The kid backpacks keep children busy – but the primo downtown location ensures easy access to the MAX line, which delivers families to Washington Park.
If you’d like to go with a neighborhood stay, this Northwest Portland hotel offers suite-style rooms right in the middle of a genteel neighborhood packed with restaurants, coffee shops, parks and boutiques. Book a room with a kitchenette, so you can take advantage of farm-fresh picks from the Portland Farmers’ Market.
Where to Play: Washington Park
Photo courtesy Washingtonparkpdx.org
For a full day of fun, ride the MAX line from downtown Portland to the 78-acre Washington Park, a springboard to three great attractions: Portland Children’s Museum, the Oregon Zoo, and World Forestry Center Discovery Museum. Mix and match according to your child’s age — Portland Children’s Museum is fantastic for the under-8 set, Oregon Zoo for all ages, and World Forestry Discovery Museum for older children. Eat well at the Portland Children’s Museum’s café, which serves sturdy sandwiches. From the Oregon Zoo, hop aboard the 30-gauge tracks of the Washington Park Zoo and Railway for a sojourn to the Rose Garden and the Portland Japanese Garden.
No visit to Portland is complete without a stop at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, a carnival of science excitement. Turn a bottle into a rocket that shoots over 8 feet high, make your hair stand on end with electricity, and let your preschoolers run wild in the Science Playground’s woodland area.
Where to Chow Down: McMenamins Kennedy School
Want a uniquely Portland experience? Head to this indoor playground, a school converted into an entertainment space. Catch a big-screen kid flick while seated in vintage-style velvet sofas, and dining on pizza or a burger. This spot is a fantastic option for anyone with a child over age 6.
Anyone who dines on the road with kids knows how we can all crave quick, healthy food (and a break from the fried greasy-grease that often shows up on “family restaurant” menus). This wholly Northwest restaurant chain puts whole-foods options on the table, including wraps with fresh fruit, beans and natural chicken, rice bowls with cilantro pesto and simple quesadillas with fresh-cut salsa.
Where to Shop: Finnegan’s Toys and Gifts
One of the biggest and best toy stores this side of the Mississippi. Expect to drop a few dollars here, because you’re bound to find a puzzle, puppet or poppet that you’ve never seen elsewhere. Nestled into downtown Portland’s streets, and just a few blocks away from the rose-bricked Pioneer Courthouse Square.
A trip to Portland would be incomplete without a visit to Powell’s, a real city-block’s worth of bookstore. Prepare to get lost in a world of words. Shelves hold vintage 50s books extolling manners, contemporary chapter-book classics, brand-new board books and everything in between. Low, round tables offer a spot to sort through your selections.
Related:
- All 236 Activities listed in the Portland/Willamette Valley Region
- Kid-friendly hotels in Portland
- 5 Family Activities for $5 or less in Portland
- Cheap and Fun Eats in Portland!
- Things to see and do around Portland with Children
- Favorite kid-friendly restaurants in the Portland Metro Area
- Favorite Rainy Day Activities in Portland
- Family-Friendly Ski Resorts in Oregon with Kid Programs
- Favorite places to walk or hike in Oregon
- Activities and hotel reviews across the 4 main regions of Oregon: Willamette Valley (Portland), Southern Oregon, Central Oregon, and Mt. Hood / The Gorge
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Trekaroo – a reviews site dedicated to exploring and traveling with kids.
Travel with kids to: CA | CO | DC | FL | HI | IL | MA | NY | OR | PA | TN | TX | VA | WA
