From Oregon Zoo’s train ride inside its
stunning location within Washington
Park (adjacent to the Portland Children’s
Museum and Word Forestry Center) to the
dazzling display of a million and half lights
featured in its annual Zoo Lights Winter
Festival and its jam-packed Summer Concert
series there’s lots to take in at the Zoo – and
that’s before we even get to its world class
animal conservation program!
Experience the simple joys of a color-filled
stroll through the Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden, play in one of the city’s
many public fountains, or enjoy nighttime
Cosmic tubing with the kids on Mt. Hood.
Test your wheels at America's largest (and
best) roller skating rink located in one of the
10 oldest amusement parks in the country,
or walk through the nursery rhymes of your
childhood at the Enchanted Forest.
Learn about art, science, space and more
at one of the many area museums like the
combination Evergreen Aviation & Space
Museum (which doubles as a water park)
where you can see the Spruce Goose and
watch a movie from the pool – or keep it low
key with a cup of Chinese high tea at the
beautiful Lan Su Chinese Garden in Portland’s Old Town/Chinatown. No matter
what you’re into, you’ll definitely have a blast
enjoying all the Portland area has to offer.
For an overview of kid-friendly activities and attractions, check out Travel
Portland’s lineup at www.travelportland.
com/collection/portland-with-kids.
Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden
SE 28th Avenue & Woodstock Boulevard
Portland, OR 97202
www.portlandoregon.gov/parks
This manicured, highly managed garden
nearly surrounded by Crystal Springs
Lake has an outstanding collection of
rhododendrons, azaleas, and other less-er-known ericaceous plants as well as many
companion plants and unusual trees. Admission is free to all from the day after Labor
Day through the month of February. A $4
admission fee is charged between 10 a.m.
and 6 p.m., Wednesday through Sunday,
March through Labor Day. Admission is
free for children under 12.
Forest Park
NW 29th Avenue & Upshur Street to
Newberry Road, Portland, OR 97231
www.portlandoregon.gov/parks
An abundance of wildlife can be found in
Forest Park – the largest urban park in the
country. Forest Park’s extensive system of
trails, fire lanes and gravel roads provide
excellent opportunities for hiking, walking,
running, and simply escaping the urban atmosphere. The 30-mile Wildwood Trail in Forest
Park is part of the region’s 40-Mile Loop trail
system that links Forest Park to pedestrian
and trail routes along the Columbia River to
Gresham, through southeast Portland, along
the Willamette Greenway, and back to the
Marquam Trail in southwest Portland.
Fort Vancouver
1501 East Evergreen Boulevard
Vancouver, WA 98661
360-816-6200; www.nps.gov/fova
Once home to both fur traders and fighter
pilots, Fort Vancouver offers an authentic
look at life in the Pacific Northwest through
the past 200 years. Located just across the
Columbia River from Portland in Vancouver,
the region’s only national historic site is
centered around a complete replica of Fort
Vancouver, the fur-trading camp founded by
the Hudson’s Bay Company in 1825.
The fort served as the company’s headquarters west of the Rockies and housed the
Northwest’s first hospital, school, saw mill,
shipyard and more. Today, visitors can see
authentic demonstrations of period blacksmithing, carpentry, cooking and baking.
Begin your visit to the 366-acre campus with
a stop at the visitor center, where National
Park Service staff launch group tours and
offer tips on exploring the site on your own.
The center’s short introductory film, “One
Place Across Time,” also provides great
context for enjoying the area’s rich history.
The site includes the Pearson Air Museum,
dedicated to the location’s military history,
Every summer, Fort Vancouver hosts a
star-spangled Independence Day fireworks
display — the largest one west of the
Mississippi.
iFly Indoor Skydiving
10655 SW Greenburg Road
Tigard, OR 97223; 971-803-4359
www.iflyworld.com/portland
iFLY is an indoor skydiving experience
that creates true freefall conditions, just like
skydiving, without having to jump out of an
airplane. iFLY’s vertical wind tunnel generates a wall-to-wall cushion of air, on which
you safely float. There’s no parachute, no
jumping, and nothing attaching you to
planet Earth. It’s just you and the air, and
an incredible adrenaline rush. No experience is necessary. Just about anyone can fly,
including those with physical disabilities.
Children as young as 3, to adults as young as
103 have flown with iFLY. There are only a
few exceptions—for example, if you’ve dislocated a shoulder or have had a neck injury.
Lan Su Chinese Garden
239 N. W. Everett Street
Portland, OR 97209
503-228-8131; www.lansugarden.org
A year-round wonder, the Lan Su Chinese
Garden is an authentic Ming Dynasty
style garden, built by Suzhou artisans,
that takes up an entire block of the city’s
historic Chinatown district. Since the
garden’s opening in 2000, its covered walkways, bridges, open colonnades, pavilions
and richly planted landscape framing the
man-made Zither Lake have created an
urban oasis of tranquil beauty and harmony.
It’s an inspiring, serene setting for meditation, quiet thought and tea served at The
Tao of Tea in the Tower of Cosmic Reflections, as well as public tours of the grounds
led by expert horticulturalists.
