The Experience: Travel back to a simpler time every Thursday night throughout the summer at Kruger’s Farm Market on Sauvie Island. Gather with other families to listen to live music and share picnics from home or buy corn on the cob from local vendors, while the kids dance on the green, green lawn and run free in the fields. More…

The Experience: The first thing you need to know about Bishop’s Close, a privately owned garden in southwest Portland, it that it does not have public restrooms. The second thing is that it’s really designed as a place for quiet comtemplation, not for rambunctious children.

Those two caveats being noted, Bishop’s Close can be a wonderful place to take kids for a short stroll, provided they use the toilet before you go and they can stick to a path without running and shouting. More…

The Experience: This is one of our favorite urban wilderness areas in Portland, not just because my daughter and I once saw a great horned owl there in broad daylight. It’s a wonderful example of how the natural world can survive, and even thrive, in the middle of an industrial area. More…

The Experience: With a paved path and plenty to look at, this public garden across the street from Reed College is a great place to bring young children and babies in strollers. Spring, when the hundreds of azaleas and rhododendrons are in bloom, is the most spectacular time to visit, but the garden holds attractions year-round. More…

The Experience: Elk Rock Island, in the Willamette River, is another one of my family’s favorite “urban getaways”. Located just off of S.E. 19th Avenue and Sparrow Street in Milwaukie, it takes about 20 minutes to get there from our house in Northeast Portland. And though it truly is an island, it is accessible by foot during most of the year. More…

The Experience: If your family is into biking, you need to know about this place. The non-profit collective in Northeast Portland is dedicated to educating people of all ages about cycling, including safe riding and bike maintenance.

For just $5, you get an hour of shop time, access to all of the tools, and expert advice or instruction from a skilled bike mechanic. More…

The Experience: We’ve been going to Oaks Amusement Park since the kids were toddlers; they’re 9 and 12 now, and they still love it!

I like it, too, because it feels quaint and old-timey – and safe. All of the rides for younger children are clustered on one side of the midway, while the thrill rides for older kids are on the other.
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The Experience: I love the Oregon Coast because my family can play on the beach AND hike in the mountains – the best of both worlds!

One of our favorite places to stay is Manzanita, a quiet town without the hustle and bustle of Seaside or Cannon Beach. On the first day of a visit there, we head straight to the ocean for beachcombing, walking, kite-flying and wading. By day two, we can usually coax the kids away from the water for a walk in the woods.
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Tillamook Forest Center
The Experience: Next time you and your family are headed to the coast, or if you’re just in the mood for a day trip, check out the Tillamook Forest Center. About an hour from Portland on Highway 6, the Forest Center is beautifully situated right on the Wilson River, in the middle of the Tillamook State Forest.
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Sunday Parkways
The Experience: If you missed the first two Sunday Parkways of the season, don’t despair! There are still three left, one each in July, August and September.

In case you’ve been tied up with babies, bottles, nursing, potty training, homework, developmental testing and all the other minutiae of parenting for the last couple of years, here’s what it’s all about: Sunday Parkways closes down several miles of roads in a selected area of the city and opens them up for walking, jogging, cycling and general partying in the streets.

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