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
  • Portland Picks from a Pacific Northwestern in the Know
    

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

Voting has begun for the Dreamin’ Baby Photo Contest!

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CAST YOUR VOTES HERE

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The winning photo will be determined by YOUR vote.  You can vote once a day until August August 15, 2010

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The winning baby will get to make dreams in his or her very own Baby Bjorn Travel Crib Light.  This travel crib weighs just 1/3 of a regular travel crib and sets up in just a flip.  Trekaroo’s Carrie Yu took it for a spin was very impressed with this new product from Baby Bjorn.

Get the inside scoop on the Baby Bjorn Travel Crib Light:

Full review of the Baby Bjorn Travel Crib

Comparison Review of Lightweight Travel Cribs

Did you miss the chance to enter to win one for yourself?  Don’t fret, you can purchase one today on Amazon.

Did you know Trekaroo has a Travel Gear Store? Find all the travel gear we love for traveling with kids.

Recently, my sister-in-law, a group of her girlfriends, and their daughters decided it would be fun to plan a girls only trip to Port Aransas, TX.   It was an opportunity to cool down in that legendary Texas heat, get away from the stress of every day life, and to bond in a way that only girls can.  After looking through the pictures she sent me and seeing the pure joy on the girl’s faces, I insisted that she share some of their experiences with us.  As with so much of life, things didn’t go exactly to plan and they had to cut their trip short due to Hurricane Alex but they still managed to find some fun one the way home down by the Riverwalk in San Antonio.  Here, in pictures and words, is your inspiration to start planning a girl’s only vacation with your favorite little ladies:

As a California Native, it’s hard to imagine planning a beach trip in the state of Texas.  But  these days Austin, TX  is the place I happily call home and a trip to the California Coast does not fit into our current budget.  Luckily we found a much  more economical way to visit the beach with friends.  We headed on down to the Texas gulf city of Port Aransas and embraced those warm salty waters!

It was only a month ago that my girlfriends and I came up with the idea of a Girls Only Beach Vacation.  “The Girls” consisted  of 3 mom’s and 7 girls ranging in ages from 5 – 11.   The goal of our vacation was to give the mom’s & the girl’s time together to catch up, play and enjoy the simple things:  ocean, beach, pool & plenty of smiles & laughs along the way.

Our trip began early on a Monday morning as we traveled the back roads through small towns in Central Texas.  Prior to this trip, I wasn’t aware HWY 183 would take us from Austin to the Gulf Coast.  We took this path as it kept us off the busy freeway system and out of traffic.  We passed through Luling, Lockhart, Gonzales,Yoakum, Cuero, Goliad, Refugio, and Rockport on our way to Port Aransas.  I wish we had made time to explore some these places along the way.  Next time,  I think we need to plan stops in each city to really experience all that small towns in TX have to offer.  Interesting food, shopping and historical landmarks fill our roadways and it would be great to experience them with our kids.

We opted to try a fun and different way to get to Port Aransas and make our entry into our trip a little more memorable- the ferry.  The girls loved it, the mom’s felt a little seasick.  Upon arriving in Port Aransas, the girls were anxious to unload the car & hit the beach!  We spent a wonderful afternoon looking for shells, digging for crabs, jumping waves, body surfing and feeding the birds.  After a fun-filled day at the beach, we grilled some hamburgers and hotdogs and enjoyed dinner together up in our condo.   After our meal, the girls were ready for more fun.  This time, the hit the pool and followed our swim a sunset  on the beach.  The girls had a blast climbing the sand dunes and exploring the beach at dusk.

Day 2 started off with a bit of a worry.  Hurricane Alex heading towards the Gulf Coast and it looked as though Port Aransas was in it’s path.  In rained in the morning, so we made the best of the gloomy weather and broke out the nail polish! Manicures and pedicures were had by all.  By the time our colorful toes dried, the skies cleared and our girls were given another beautiful day at the beach and by pool.  Seaweed was everywhere, but that didn’t keep the girls from enjoying the waves and surf.  That evening we headed into town for a seafood filled dinner (fish & shrimp…yum) at Virginia’s on the Bay followed by a fun night of shopping at all the local beach shops.  The girls all picked out $0.99 shark tooth necklaces to remind them of their special trip together.  We topped off our night with popsicles and  TV as we all snuggled on the floor of our condo in our PJs.

By day 3, Hurricane Alex was getting closer and we had tropical storms in Port Aransas.  During a short break in the rain, we all made a quick trip to the beach to see how far the tide had come in due to the storm.  By 1pm we knew it was time to leave town.  So on our last day of our beach trip, we took the bridge out of Port Aransas, made our way to Corpus Christi and drove into San Antonio just in time for the rain to stop and to make a quick trip to The Alamo with our girls, or so we thought.  Unfortunately The Alamo closes at 5pm during the week, but we quickly discovered Ripley’s Believe or Not across the street next to the San Antonio River Walk.  The girls were able to enjoy three adventures for $16 and had a blast making new discoveries together.  Tip:  The Haunted House is not recommended for young children.  Following our trip to Ripley’s, we topped off our trip and our day with dinner on the River Walk.  The girls enjoyed watching a mama duck and baby ducks in the river and danced as a mariachi band came by our table to play us a song.  It was a wonderful way to top off a great trip with our girls.

Playing along with Delicious Baby’s Photo Friday.

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Sharlene Earnshaw (aka doubleadventure) is Blogger-in-chief for Trekaroo and the blogger behind Double the Adventure.

Travel with kids to: CA | CO | DC | FL | HI | IL | MA | NC | NY | PA | TN | TX | VA | WA

A few weeks ago, we visited the California Academy of Sciences specifically to check out the new Extreme Mammal Exhibit.  Our 7 year old is an “animal expert”, so a visit to the Academy of Sciences is always huge treat.  When we first entered the Academy, we were greeted by the teaser section of the Extreme Mammal exhibit.  It was really neat.  In addition to a HUGE sculpture of the largest mammal, there is also a scale where people can compare their weight to that of other mammals.  That part was fun.  The kids delighted in the hands-on aspect of this portion of the exhibit.

Pangolin at Extreme Mammal Exhibit Photo Credit: AMNH/D. Finnin

Once through the ticket queue, you enter another queue with informational posters. After a moment, the doors to the exhibit were opened for us by a young man.  He explained we were entering a temperature controlled environment and to not take any pictures.  He also said to make sure we did not touch any of the exhibits unless a sign specifically said so. No worries – there is plenty here to see and touch.

Kinkajou Skeleton at Extreme Mammal Exhibit - Photo by: Woolly Monkey Fossil in the Extreme Mammal Exhibit - Photo credit: AMNH/R. Mickens

While the exhibits were arranged in an old-school museum style, the flow of the rooms was great.  One topic naturally lead to another.  The information in each section was short and informative.  While my kids rushed through somewhat, there was enough to interest them and get them talking.  My son, Josh, was particularly moved by the section on endangered species and has been studying the causes of extinction since we came home.

Giant Ground Sloth at Extreme Mammal Exhibit - Photo credit: AMNH/D. Finnin

My only complaint with the exhibit – and it’s a minor one – is that, even though it was a new exhibit, it already had a worn appearance.   Some signage was damaged, ripped, or falling apart, and some interactive materials weren’t working properly.   The condition of the exhibit made me feel as if the exhibit was being neglected.   It did not impact my ability to learn and enjoy the exhibit, just my ability to view the exhibit in a completely positive light.

Ellesmere Island Diorama at the Extreme Mammal Exhibit - Photo credit: AMNH/D. Finnin

All in all, my 7 year old son who’s a huge animal fan was very moved by the extreme mammal exhibit.  My 5 year old daughter was just slight of bored during our 45 minute tour of exhibit.  Definitely visit with your kids 6 and up who can read and digest all the wonderful information, However, you might want to skip over this special exhibit and head straight for the wonderful aquarium with younger kids.

Related:

• Reviews of the California Academy of Sciences
• Activities for Kids in San Francisco
• Kid-friendly Hotels in San Francisco

Disclosure: This review is based on a complimentary visit to Academy of Sciences.  I received no other compensation and the business owner did not state any requirements that I express a particular point of view.

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Heather Tanner is a 2010 Trekaroo Superoo who visited the California Academy of Sciences on assignment to check out the Extreme Mammal Exhibit.

Travel with kids to: CA | CO | DC | FL | HI | IL | MA | NC | NY | PA | TN | TX | VA | WA

Ready for your kids to experience Elvis and the rich culture of country music and rock-n-roll?  Welcome to Tennessee! Trekaroo’s putting on it’s “Blue Suede Shoes” because we “Can’t Help Falling in Love” with Tennessee. Why? Because it’s got a little something for every child, young and old. There’s a rich culture of music to explore, historical landmarks that changed our country and the breath-taking Great Smoky Mountains that provides hours of outdoor adventure for every outdoor enthusiast.

So, what have Trekaroo families shared?

• Close to 700 kid-friendly activities throughout Tennessee
• Activities and hotel reviews across the 4 main regions of Tennessee: Eastern Tennessee and the Smoky Mountains, Nashville and the Heartland, Memphis and the Western Plains, and Central Tennessee
• A list of Kid-friendly hotels in Tennessee waiting to be rated by parents like you
• Lots of fun lists like:
  • Top Fun Activities for Kids In Knoxville, Tennessee – voted by Trekaroo Parents
  • Top 5 Activities for a Toddler / Preschooler in Chattanooga, TN
  • Best Activities for a Toddler / Preschooler in Memphis, TN
  • Top Activities for Toddlers and Preschoolers in Nashville, TN

Have you been to Tennessee with your kids, don’t hold back now, y’all. Tell us all about your experiences – good and bad.  Join now and start writing reviews.  New members get to take advantage of Welcome Rewards.

What location is next? We’d like everyone who’s been to Oregon to share about activities they like and the best places to stay

Special thanks to the moms of The Mommies Network in Tennessee, RunnerGrrrl, lldenton412, krisco32, mkmom, knoxvilledoula, Shelby Underhill, cinnamonsugah, ORFamilyof4, Nene. and JanTN and for their love of Tennessee and sharing so many of their adventures with  kids with the Trekaroo community. And of course, thanks to team Trekaroo who sacrifice so much to pull it all together.

Put on those shoes 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 | PA | TN | TX | VA | WA