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Portland International Airport with Kids
Whether you’re arriving Portland to enjoy a wonderful family vacation, or you’re headed out of town, the Portland International Airport (PDX) offers plenty of kid-friendly diversions. Who’d think that going to the airport could be so enjoyable? Who knows, you might even want to arrive a few minutes early. What to Do with Kids at Portland International Airport (PDX) Families visiting en route through PDX have a few options. You can take them to the kids’ playground, visit the shops and restaurants, ooh over the art, or take a quiet break. Kids’ play areas at Portland International Airport Two play areas keep little ones busy at PDX. Tired parents and…
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35 Free and Cheap Things to Do in Portland with Kids
What’s kid-friendly, free and fun in Portland, Oregon? Here’s a list to get you started. What would you add? Outdoor Portland with Kids (Free & Cheap) These are activities that are mostly outside (you have to put on a coat or sunscreen, and plan to be outside for a while) Play in Salmon Springs Fountain’s 137 jets at Tom McCall Waterfront Park. Try on glasses made from forks or buy a spoon-fork (spork!) with melded-together handles in Spoonman’s booth at Portland Saturday Market. Or listen to live music, pick up a treat from a food vendor, or buy a new hat. Go for a bird-watching hike on Sauvie Island. Look for…
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Best Hikes with Kids near Portland, Oregon
Today, we interview Bonnie Henderson, the author of Best Hikes with Kids: Oregon. Let’s find out more about hiking in Northwestern Oregon. Do you have any favorite rainy-day hikes in Oregon? Is there an area of Oregon that’s particularly wonderful for family hiking, even during spring or fall? Why do you like that kid-friendly hike? Bonnie: I love hiking at the Oregon Coast in the winter when the weather is crummy. Not if it’s pouring, and not on the beach itself, but when you’re tired of the same old trails around your house and the Cascades are still snowed under, the forest right along the coast is a great place…
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Peak Escape: Timberline Lodge, Oregon with kids
Sleeping in your overstuffed bed at Timberline Lodge on Oregon’s 11,239-foot Mount Hood, you may feel like you’re the only mama on the mountain. Yes, despite your children snoring in their beds. Knotty doug fir paneling wraps you up in a cabin-like interior  — and whether rain or snow falls, it’s cozy and silent inside. We recently visited Timberline Lodge for an overnight stay, and I can’t recommend it enough. The lodge offers ski lifts right outside the door  and 1930s-era history inside the somber stone walls. Built as part of a WPA project to put the unemployed back to work, the lodge’s timber frame still stands solid at 5,960 feet (right…
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Portland in a Day: 12 hours of fun
Where do you go in Portland with kids – if you’ve only got a day? My friend Sarah recently came down from Victoria, BC, with her daughter Rowan (age 4) and I wanted to introduce her to the city I grew up in. We only had one day to cover Portland’s Greatest Hits, so I was determined to pack as much as possible into 12 waking hours. I snagged a four-star hotel room off of Priceline (RiverPlace Hotel, $100/night) using the Priceline bidding method. Once we arrived, we upgraded to a junior suite for $25, which offered a King and a Queen pull-out sofa bed. My kids and I shared the…
