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Cascadia Kids

Family travel in the Pacific Northwest and BC

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June 2, 2011

Creepy Collections: Discover summer scares in area attractions

You won’t need air conditioning to get the chills, this summer. It seems almost every city in our area is offering something a little spooky and freaky, from the Pacific Science Center’s “Science of Fear” in Seattle to The Oregon Zoo’s animatronic dinos to surrealist bird-people at the Vancouver Art Gallery. Here’s your guide to the best summer exhibits in our area.

Seattle

Goose Bumps! The Science Of Fear at the Pacific Science Center. June 11 – September 5, 2011

This freaky fun at Pacific Science Center focuses on why and how we feel afraid. See what spooks you – and discover the science behind your scare. Give yourself a workout in the Fear Challenge Course, learn how animals use fear to survive and discover ways to cope with your worries.

Dinosaurs. Real Close at the Woodland Park Zoo and Dinosaurs! at the Oregon Zoo. Both run until September 5.

Both the Woodland Park Zoo and the Oregon Zoo are going dino-riffic for the summer. Jump into the dino train (well, your car) and travel back in time to over a million years ago into a prehistoric forest. There, you’ll meet real-sized animatronic dinos that roar, move, and spit. Kids will also learn about dino habitat, how dinosaurs evolved into modern-day birds and how archaeologists work – but they’ll mostly remember that ferocious T. rex. These outdoor dinosaurs aren’t as terrifying as the marketing materials might make them sound, but sensitive children may be spooked.

AVATAR: The Exhibition at the EMP/SFM. Through September 3, 2012.

Tweens and teens who enjoyed Avatar will enjoy this exhibit’s behind-the-scenes look at the movie’s production. Gawk at the full-size AMP (Armored Mobility Platform) suit, wonder over Na’vi character models and their wardrobes, learn more about the world of Pandora and play with interactive exhibits demonstrating how 3D technologies work.

Beauty and Bounty at the Seattle Art Museum. Until September 11.

OK, this one isn’t scary. Older kids and teens who’ve learned a little about The Oregon Trail will appreciate SAM’s cool summer display featuring over 100 works of westward expansion. Never-before-exhibited landscape paintings and photos demonstrate 19th an 20th century artist’s awestruck responses to mountains, plains and coast. Kids are often impressed (but no, won’t be terrified) by the oversized paintings that captured the scale and grandeur.

Portland

Narnia, The Exhibition at OMSI, in Portland. Until September 25.

Step through the wardrobe and into Narnia, The Exhibition. Explore C.S. Lewis’s creatures alongside props and costumes from the popular film series. But the exhibit doesn’t just focus on movie magic and fantasy – real-world science includes geography, archaeology and engineering quandaries and solutions.

Dinosaurs! at the Oregon Zoo. See listing above.

Vancouver, BC

The Colour of My Dreams:
 The Surrealist Revolution in Art, in Vancouver, BC. Until September 25, 2011

Vancouver offers a summer escape into a bizarre, unsettling world. This exhibit is a grand exploration of over 350 pieces of surreal art from around the world, including works by Salvador Dalí, Max Ernst, René Magritte, Joan Miró, Man Ray, Dorothea Tanning and other leading figures of Surrealism. Themes include desire, androgyny, violence and transmutation, so the exhibit is best for teens or very mature tweens.

Filed Under: Other Tagged With: attractions, kids, Seattle

May 11, 2011

Washington, Oregon and British Columbia Travel Giveaways

Updated: May 6 2011

A whole mess of giveaways! The giveaways and sweepstakes listed below aren’t provided by me, but by regional tourism bureaus, travel websites, businesses and other resources. Check ’em out and enter today. I’ll add more when I hear of them, and remove old ones that have expired. Let us know if you win! Four Cascadia Kids readers have already become winners (see below).

Carefully read the contest rules. Some contests are limited to Canadian or US residents. Others are open to all.

Oregon Trip Contests and Giveaways:

The Oregon Adventurecation is back! Pick one of seven incredible Oregon vacations, courtesy of Travel Oregon. Ends June 15, 2011.

Gift certificate are given away every week for the Mt. Hood Territory. The grand prize will be a three-night vacation for two to Mt. Hood Territory and a $500 travel allowance for local lodging and meals.

Kids are almost always welcome in our region’s pubs.  Win a two-night weekend in “Beervana” (that would be Portland, of course), airfare, plus dinner at the BridgePort Brew Pub and tickets to Brew Fest. Ends June 26, 2011.

Win round-trip airfare plus two nights stay in Seattle (or Portland) and farm-to-table experiences with Tully’s Discovery Getaway.

Giveaway for a one-night stay in Astoria, Oregon from Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites. Ongoing, monthly winner.

Washington Trip Contests and Giveaways:

Share your Washington! Invite friends and family to visit our gorgeous region and you could win a year’s worth of in-state air tix PLUS two free tickets to anywhere Alaska Airline flies. Ends June 15, 2011.

Clipper Vacations is celebrating 25 years in the boat business; the fleet’s ships ferry people throughout the Puget Sound. Win a three-city, three-night tour of the Northwest’s best spots — the winner will enjoy a night in Victoria, Vancouver and Seattle, free transportation and free activities (such as a visit to Butchart Gardens and a guided tour of Seattle’s Pike Place Market). Ends June 30, 2011.

Win a Leavenworth Staycation from Seattle Perks Prize-a-Thon. Ends May 12, 2011.

Win a night at Hotel Murano or the Seattle Sheraton, win tickets to top attractions, plus gift cards from Tourism Revealed: Puget Sound. Ends May 31, 2011.

Win $200 RainierBucks to use on a Mt. Rainier stay via Visit Rainier.

Win a night’s stay in Leavenworth via the Best Western Icicle Inn. Ongoing, monthly winner.

Win round-trip airfare plus two nights stay in Seattle (or Portland) and farm-to-table experiences with Tully’s Discovery Getaway. Ends May 31, 2011.

British Columbia Trip Contests and Giveaways:

Clipper Vacations is celebrating 25 years in the boat business; the fleet’s ships ferry people throughout the Puget Sound. Win a three-city, three-night tour of the Northwest’s best spots — the winner will enjoy a night in Victoria, Vancouver and Seattle, free transportation and free activities (such as a visit to Butchart Gardens and a guided tour of Seattle’s Pike Place Market). Ends June 30, 2011.

The MV Coho is giving away two free round-trip tickets for car and driver to Victoria, British Columbia; once there, the winners will enjoy two nights at the Hotel Grand Pacific and events at the Victoria International Cycling Festival Events. Contest ends May 27, 2011; Tickets must be used June 10th-12th.

Hey mountain bikers. Ride on FOX Racing Shox in Whistler and win five nights accommodations, a ride with Fox Racing Shox rider Andrew Shandro, an adventure activity and a $100 dining voucher. Ends June 30, 2011.

Tourism Vancouver Island collects and posts island-wide contests — there’s always a Vancouver Island resort offering a free night’s stay somewhere. Ongoing.

Party of Five to Pride Sweepstakes. A celebration of Vancouver’s Pride Weekend with two nights shared accommodations for five people (in two connecting Superior Rooms) at the chic OPUS Hotel Vancouver on the edge of Davie Village, and a gift of $500 worth of culinary bliss at Raincity Grill Restaurant.

Win airfare to Los Angeles, then an Amtrak Coast Starlight trip from L.A. to Seattle, then a connecting train from Seattle to BC. (Whew, are you tired yet? You also get $500.) This trip sweepstakes is courtesy of Wild Horse Canyon wines. BC residents only. Closes May 15, 2011.

Did I miss a giveaway? E-mail me at lora AT cascadiakids.com or leave a comment below.

Filed Under: Other Tagged With: free, giveaway, Seattle

March 2, 2011

What You Need to Do in March: 7 things to put on your calendar

Want to plan for an awesome spring and summer? Achieve a few (or all) of these items in March:

  1. Make your camping reservations for this summer, if you haven’t done so yet. Reserve through Washington State Park Online Reservation Service (Washington) or Reserve America for Oregon. They’re going fast – when I checked, availability was very limited at some popular parks. The scramble for BC campsite and yurt reservations starts on March 15 at 7 a.m. PST at the BC Camping Reservation Service (Discover Camping). Read more on camping with kids in Washington State, camping with kids in British Columbia and camping with kids in Oregon.
  2. Book your room for hot summer properties: Oregon Coast, Whistler and Leavenworth. Particularly if you’re planning for a popular summer weekend.
  3. Decide which weekend you’re going to set aside for your local family tulip festival and make plans, just in case spring arrives early (here’s to hoping!).
  4. Go on a weekend daytrip to break up a rainy month; we have suggestions for Portland and Seattle.
  5. Play with kids in the snow before it melts away. Even if you have to drive up to the Cascades for the afternoon.
  6. Take advantage of off-season Priceline rates in the big cities: Portland, Vancouver, Seattle. Or take advantage of shoulder-season rates at one of the NW’s popular year-round destinations: Oregon Coast, Whistler, Mt. Hood and Victoria (you won’t find excellent Priceline deals in these cities, although Whistler sometimes offers a few).
  7. Enjoy this month’s free (or discounted) museums and attractions in Portland and Seattle.

Filed Under: Other Tagged With: camping, Leavenworth, oregon coast

December 27, 2010

Free & Cheap Fun with Kids for Winter Holiday Break

What are you doing this week? Check out these lists of great cheap and free fun in our region — and maybe add a few more of your own. These lists were written in summer, so you’ll have to gloss over some suggestions and skip those fountains (brr). But you should find plenty of fantastic activities here. And if you’ve already done everything in your own city, plan a weekend getaway trip to a nearby city and take advantage of their fab freebies:

Best Kids’ Bookstores in Cascadia

35 Free and Cheap Things to Do with Kids in Vancouver, BC

10 Things to Do with Kids in Vancouver (Rainy Day Edition)

35 Free and Cheap Things to Do in Victoria, BC with Kids

Free Museums in Seattle and Tacoma

35 Free and Cheap Things to Do with Kids in Seattle

35 Free and Cheap Things to Do with Kids in Portland, Oregon

Portland Freebies: Free and Cheap Portland Attractions

Filed Under: Other Tagged With: BC, free, Seattle, Tacoma

December 20, 2010

Daytrip! Four Portland day trips with kids

On certain winter weekends, you’re cooped up inside the house, kids bickering and frustrated while the rain pounds outside.

Sounds like it’s time for a daytrip.

A daytrip is a break from the usual routine. Hop in the car for an hour or so, motoring down the freeway and along country lanes. Enjoy a movie or a museum or a hot chocolate (or all three). Bring a change of clothes in case the kids want to play at a park (despite rain or snow). Over the next few weeks, we’ll explore daytrips based out of the Portland, Vancouver and Seattle metro areas.

Home Base: Portland

Oregon Coast with kids daytrip

Take Hwy 26 out to Seaside and Cannon Beach, where the kids can fly kites, make mud castles and storm-watch from the warm safety of a café. Or make your way out west toward Tillamook, Ore., and tour the Tillamook Visitors Center before visiting the quiet little towns of Rockaway Beach and Manzanita.

Time one-way: About 90 minutes.

Mt. Hood with kids daytrip

Take Hwy 26 east to Portland’s beloved mountain and take a free tour of Timberline Lodge, counting animals you find hidden in ironwork, woodwork and on the mountain. Play in the snow, drink hot chocolate at the lodge, then go to Government Camp and stop for a brief 10-minute self-guided tour of Mt. Hood Cultural Center and Museum (check out those tiny, vintage hiking shoes from an elementary-aged mountain climber).

Time one way: About 90 minutes

N. Bonneville Hot Springs with kids daytrip

Fed up with the rain? A day pass to the Bonneville Hot Springs offers a pool and two jetted hot tubs featuring heated, sulfate-rich water. Weekdays are the deal here, though ($15/3 hour pass for adults), and weekends incur significantly higher rates ($25/3 hours pass for adults). Kids under age 2 are free, and the Family Swim Time runs on Sundays from 1:30-7:30. Post pool, head into Stevenson, Wash. (my hometown!) to visit the Columbia Gorge Interpretive Center or a meal at the upscale Skamania Lodge.

Time one way: About an hour

Salem with kids daytrip

Head to the Oregon state capitol to enjoy A.C. Gilbert’s Discovery Village, an interactive children’s museum, the Riverfront Carousel and an indoor playground featuring four themes (trains, princess, music and market).

Time one way: About an hour

Filed Under: Day Trips, Other, Portland Tagged With: kids, oregon coast, rain

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