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Families Travel! Great Wolf Lodge with Kids
Located about 90 minutes north of Portland, Oregon and 90 minutes south of Seattle, Great Wolf Lodge (one of 12 in the Great Wolf chain) was created with families in mind, from 4,000-square-foot water pools to evening pajama storytimes. Ryan Ellis of Vancouver, Washington, went with wife Marissa, and children (Sam, age 10, and Ben, age 7) to the waterpark resort in Grand Mound, Washington. Let’s find out what Ryan thought of Great Wolf – and what you should know before you go. New Post: Great Wolf Lodge Day Passes: Are They a Good Deal? Q: What did you like about Great Wolf Lodge with kids? I liked that there was something for every age. Kids had the…
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The I-5 Drive: Kid-friendly Oregon stops from Portland to Southern Oregon
Today,  Amy Whitley, the Oregon-based editor at Pit Stops for Kids cruises over to guest-post on my blog. Pit Stops for Kids is a great resource for families traveling through our region. You’ll find parent reviews on road-side attractions, restaurants, motels, parks, and airport playspaces. Seriously, her site is fantastic. Thanks, Amy. The Northwest is cross-crossed with dozens of wonderfully scenic and historic highways and byways, but sometimes, you just need to get from Point A to Point B. Living in Southern Oregon, we’ve put in our share of miles up and down I-5 from the Washington border to our north and the California border to our south. Luckily, this section…
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Giveawayyyy! 7 places to see pirrrrates of the Pacific!
Arrr, mateys. If you’ll be travelin’ around our fair region, you’ll be wantin’ to meet some scallywags of the Pacific. We’ve got plenty o’ pirates, as we’ve got the balmy climate, easy access to shippin’ routes and dozens of islands fer storin’ loot. 1.Science World, Vancouver. On May 7, 2010, Vancouver’s Science World museum welcomes the Treasure! exhibit. As we all know, if there’s one thing a pirate loves, it’s a chest full of gold. Learn more about underwater treasure, modern treasure hunts and hidden treasure at this two-story science museum. And if ye don’t care for gold, diamonds and other valuables, Science World offers two floors of awesome exhibits…
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Tip Tuesday: Taking kids out of school to travel
Every week, we speak with experienced family travelers to discover tips and tricks. Question for this week: Would you take kids out of school to travel? If so, how do you get the teacher’s permission? We talk with two travel bloggers who have older children. Read over their thoughtful responses (and read more on their sites) — then share your opinion! *** Answers: Our family’s solution to this challenge comes from presenting the travel experience as an educational opportunity. First, I provide the teacher with advanced written notice, as early as possible – this gesture is always appreciated, particularly if there is a major project due during our absence. (If there is, we…
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Families Travel! Geocaching with kids
Geocaching may be the perfect Cascadia sport. It’s a puzzle (appealing to our inner geek), it’s an outdoor excursion (appealing to our inner jock), it’s a social trading game (yes, even cheerleaders can play). Geocachers hide containers with tradeable trinkets – pick one and keep it, and leave your trade inside. Cache stashes could offer small plastic toys, movie tickets, foreign money or stickers. Note your visit in the logbook with a stamp or signature, also kept in the container. Caches can be tucked away anywhere: city park, campground stream, old-growth tree or a mountain peak. How do you find these containers? With your Global Positioning System (GPS) device or cellphone, after retrieving instructions from a geocaching website (the most…
