• Seaside

    Seaside, Oregon with Kids

    Fall might be the perfect time to hit the beach. At least according to Jackie Boucher, a Vancouver, BC mom who also blogs at Wee Life (and that beautiful blog is more than a wee bit addictive). Last year, Jackie traveled over six hours to reach the gorgeous Oregon Coast, along with her husband Adrian and their son, Spenser, then age 5. The family loved their destination, the outrageous family-fun town of Seaside. “It was quirky and kitschy and fun with loads of stuff for kids,” Jackie says. Jackie and hubby had been to the Oregon Coast before, pre-baby Spenser. But back then, the coast was only a stopover on…

  • Travel Tips

    Vacation Rentals with Kids in BC, WA and OR

    Imagine creating a gourmet spread in your temporary house: warm Seattle-baked bread, locally-crafted cheese, and tiny strawberries from Seattle’s Pike Place Market. After lunch, your toddler naps in the house’s second bedroom while you catch up on your reading. She wakes and you head to the local playground. There, your family exchanges a hello with newfound friends. It’s like a little slice of Northwest life. Or perhaps you’d rather stay on the San Juan Islands, where water laps the shore outside your door. Then again, how about a condo in Portland’s Pearl district? If only to be closer to the  neighborhood pub – which welcomes children, of course. Vacation rentals…

  • Beach Trips,  Oregon Coast

    A Stop-By-Stop Guide to the Oregon Coast with Kids

      A friend recently told me about her upcoming Oregon Coast trip, and asked, “Where should I stop along the Oregon Coast?” So I’ve made up a quick itinerary of where I’d go and what I’d do if driving the Oregon Coast, from Astoria to the California-Oregon border. This stop-by-stop guide down Hwy 101 along the Oregon Coast shows great stops and kids activities. Plan frequent stops into your day, and you’ll discover less complaining and more cooperation. Drive along the Oregon Coast’s Hwy 101 with my Google Maps directions. (But always double-check directions and open hours, etc. before going anywhere) Stop 1. Start your trip in Astoria. Pick up…

  • Rockaway Beach Oregon with Kids
    Family Travel Ideas

    Families Travel! Greg goes to Rockaway Beach

    Recently, Seattle dad Greg Bamford, wife Shannon and their two daughters Clara (4) and Annabel (18 months) went for three nights and four days to Rockaway Beach, Oregon a little under two hours from Portland. They also popped into Bend, Oregon for a brief visit. Let’s read about their journey. What did you do in Rockaway Beach, Oregon with kids? We stayed at a family cabin at Rockaway Beach in Tillamook County. It’s right on the beach…very quiet, smells great, lots of walks and digging in the sand. Really not much of anything to do in town. They mainly love playing in the sand. Digging and getting dirty. And reading in…

  • Beach Trips,  Cannon Beach

    Cannon Beach Guide: Family-friendly picks

    Oh, the Oregon Coast — golden beaches, great food, and thriving coastal communities full of art galleries and cool toystores and bookstores. Enjoy a misty morning tidepooling adventure with a hot coffee in hand. Or recline in a beach chair with a new book — while the kids create turreted castles from crystals of warm sand. Your choice. One of my favorite destinations along the Oregon Coast is Cannon Beach, only about an hour west of Portland. Cannon Beach’s Haystack Rock offers probably one of the most-photographed scenes in Oregon: Sundown, when the skies turn impossible shades of pink and purple, and the sun sinks behind the basalt monolith. Keep…