Water Parks, Pools & Amusement Parks

Washington, Oregon and BC family vacations at an indoor water park, outdoor waterpark, fabulous pools and amusement parks.

  • Washington State Waterparks
    Water Parks, Pools & Amusement Parks

    Washington Water Parks & Water Slides

    Need a way to cool off the kids this summer? Try one of Washington’s waterparks, where children (and parents) can ride down giant water slides, splash in water sprayparks, dump buckets of water on friends, play in a wet-sand playground or just chill in the pool. If you’re within an hour or two of the Washington-BC border, you may want to read this piece on BC Water Parks. Ready? Let’s splash. Water Parks in Western Washington Great Wolf Lodge, Grand Mound, Washington Washington State’s mega-water park that draws visitors from BC and Oregon, this indoor water park offers year-round fun, thanks to day passes and overnight stays. You’ll get admission to…

  • water parks in BC, washington and Oregon with kids
    Water Parks, Pools & Amusement Parks

    Make a Splash! Water parks in Washington, Oregon and BC

    Nothing says “Cascadia summer” like a line-up of shivering kids waiting for the water park slides. So I created a list of Pacific Northwest water parks large and small, indoor and outdoor, Westside (cooler) and Eastside (dry, hot) to keep the kids chilled-out this summer. Do you have a favorite? Washington Water Parks Washington offers indoor water parks and outdoor water parks near big cities and out along the coastline, in both Western Washington and Eastern Washington. Have you tried them all? Great Wolf Lodge: Grand Mound, Washington Make a splash: This indoor Washington water park resort features toddler-friendly pools and big-kid slides. The five-person circular rafts slips down the River Canyon…

  • British Columbia,  Oregon,  Washington State,  Water Parks, Pools & Amusement Parks

    8 Amusement Parks in the Northwest and BC

    We don’t have any mega-big-deal-amusement parks (read: Disney) here in Washington, Oregon or BC. No huge surprise, as we also lack the year-round pleasant weather. But we do have several options within easy driving distance of major cities, including water parks and kid-friendly amusement rides. The parks are all fairly inexpensive, at least when compared to airfare for four, lodging and ticket prices at mega-big-deal-amusement parks. It’s low-key fun, an easy getaway in pleasant weather. Note: Updated in December 2022. There used to be 9 amusement parks, but Dinotown has gone extinct, alas. Amusement Parks in Oregon 1. Oaks Amusement Park. Portland, Oregon. One of the Pacific Northwest’s oldest operating…

  • Great Wolf Lodge Dance Party at Grand Mound Washington Water Park
    Great Wolf Lodge,  Water Parks, Pools & Amusement Parks

    18 Tips for Visiting Great Wolf Lodge

    Great Wolf Lodge in Grand Mound, Washington is undoubtedly one of the most well-known Washington Water Parks. Whether you’re going for a birthday party, with one of the new day passes, or for a warm, light-filled spring break from always-rainy skies, Great Wolf Lodge is definitely a family favorite. But before heading to any big-ticket, big-adventure resort with kids, it’s always best to ask an expert for tips. So I asked three British Columbia and Washington State moms who are repeat guests of Great Wolf Lodge for their best tips, and added a few more tips from my own research. Of course, these are just opinions and suggestions. You may…

  • Oregon Water Parks: Wings and Waves
    Oregon,  Water Parks, Pools & Amusement Parks

    Oregon Water Parks

    Oregon’s water parks are few and far between — most people flock to the sunny Oregon Coast to fill up on watery good times. But as if to make up for the lack of water parks, Oregon offers wonderful municipal aquatic centers. Here are Oregon’s water parks, aquatic centers and water slides.   Wings and Waves Waterpark at the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum. McMinnville, Oregon. It’s an air museum. No, it’s a water park. Well, it’s both. Although admission is pricey ($32 for an adult), you’ll get to enjoy a wave pool, a vortex pool, fountains, slides that take you right past an airplane (and nine more slides), along…