The Experience: When our grandparents and parents were little, they may have spent summer days catching frogs, digging in the dirt and playing outside using little more than their imaginations and whatever they found on the ground. They didn’t need skateboards, TV, or sidewalk chalk. They got sunshine and fresh air, they reinforced their More…

The Experience: The best thing about Sunriver, other than 300 sunny days a year on average, is that there’s so much to do for all tastes and styles. It’s one-stop outdoorsy vacationing. Low-key sorts could while away days just relaxing in a hot tub, exploring the Village and playing games in the evening. But if you’re looking for family-friendly action, you have loads of choices:

* Frolic in one of three swimming pools, one with a 50-foot slide. (A new outdoor aquatic center and amphitheatre will open in 2012.)
* Rent a canoe, kayak raft or stand-up paddle-board at the marina and spend the day playing on some of the Deschutes’ mellower waters.
* Sign up for mini tennis clinics ($12-$15 per kid; $35 adults) and then have a family tournament on one of the many public courts ($20/hour).
* If tennis is too highbrow, rent pickleball equipment at Fort Rock Park or reserve the park’s sand volleyball, basketball, softball horseshoe, bocce ball or picnic facilities. The park also has a large playground.
* Walk, run or bike 35 miles of paths that weave throughout Sunriver. (Most rental homes include bikes; Bike Barn rents them.)
* Hoof it over to Sunriver Stables for trail rides (7 and up) or pony rides.
* Sign your kids up for weekly summer camps (ages 3-12) that include tennis or swimming instruction, playtime at the South swimming pool, weekly field trips and other enrichment.

Inside information: Lodging ranges from rooms and suites at Sunriver Resort Lodge to condos or homes you can rent from the resort or directly from owners. Check Sunriver-resort.com, VRBO.com or any number of other sites available if you Google “inexpensive Sunriver lodging.” You can also camp nearby; a private campground called Thousand Trails rents campsites, yurts and cabins only 4 miles from Sunriver. One note: if you’re planning on swimming, check that your lodging includes free passes to the pools (which aren’t cheap).

The 411

Seasons: Sunriver is open year-round. In winter, you can ski at nearby Mt. Bachelor, snowshoe, go ice-skating or even enjoy sleigh rides. Check Sunriver’s online calendar of events. Cost: Rates for a stay in Sunriver range from the low hundreds to several hundreds for either a lodge room or a rental home. Check for lodging specials. Camping or sharing a larger home with friends is often the most economical way to stay. Location: About 15 miles south of Bend on Highway 97.
Contact information: 800-801-8765, sunriver-resort.com.

— Sarah Pagliasotti

The Experience: It’s spring break, and the sun is doing its usual game of hide and seek, but don’t let that keep you and the kids inside all week. Consider getting out of town for a hike, where you’ll find the forests lush with early greenery and discover the season’s first wildflowers. More…

The Experience: Also known as Thousand Acres, this park located at the west end of the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area is a great place for kids to romp, stomp, run and play. Although it’s described by many as a dog’s paradise, because dogs are allowed to run off-leash in most of the park, with 1400 acres there’s room for everyone. It never feels overrun by canines, or people for that matter. More…

Wildlife viewing, bird watching, classes and camps.
5151 NW Cornell; 503-292-6855; www.audubonportland.org.

NE 223rd off Sandy Blvd., Troutdale; 503-797-1850; www.oregonmetro.gov.

You’ll find a wealth of “gorgeous” hiking possibilities in the area, many appropriate for families.
Visit www.gorgefriends.org or call 503-241-3762 for trail and day hike information.

230 acres overlooking the Tualatin River Valley with interpretive trails, a demonstration garden, children’s play area and a variety of distinct habitats including conifer forest, prairie and Oregon white oak woodlands.
18892 SW Kemmer Rd., Beaverton; 503/629-6350; www.thprd.org/parks.

More of an urban stroll or bike ride than a hike, families can walk along the Willamette then cross a bridge to Waterfront Park downtown.
Between Hawthorne and Steel Bridges along the Willamette River; 503-823-PLAY (7529), www.portlandparks.org.

Portland’s largest park, includes over 74 miles of hiking, biking and equestrian trails.
NW 29th and Upshur to Newberry Rd.; 503-823-PLAY (7529); www.portlandparks.org.

Twelve miles of trails wind through 185 acres with more than 1,100 species of trees gathered from around the world. Kid-focused tours offered regularly.
4000 SW Fairview Blvd.; 503-865-TREE (8733); www.hoytarboretum.org.

710-acre wildlife preserve. ($2 admission ages 10 and up.)
2600 SW Hillsboro Hwy., Hillsboro; 503-681-6206; www.jacksonbottom.org.

Outdoor forestry education site. Guided tours available.
31195 SW Ladd Hill Rd., Sherwood; 503-228-1367; www.worldforestrycenter.org.

A linear trail from the foot of the West Hills to Council Crest and the Oregon Zoo.
SW Marquam St. Sam Jackson Pk.; 503-823-PLAY (7529); www.portlandparks.org.

120-acre natural wetland in the heart of the city with exceptional bird watching opportunities.
SE 7th & Sellwood; 503-823-PLAY (7529); www.portlandparks.org.

A 1,200-acre natural area in the Sandy River Gorge.
3010 SE Oxbow Parkway, Gresham; 503-797-1850; www.oregonmetro.gov.

Portland’s second largest park, Powell Butte is an extinct volcano. Includes a paved, wheelchair-accessible trail.
SE 162nd at Powell Blvd.; 503-823-PLAY (7529); www.portlandparks.org.

Five thousand acres of wetlands, marshes, grasses – and scores of birds and other wildlife.
Headquarters: 28908 NW Main Ave., Ridgefield, Wash.; 360-887-4106; www.fws.gov/ridgefieldrefuges; Friends of the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge: www.ridgefieldfriends.org.

Wildlife area covers 12,000 acres featuring beaches, hiking, fishing and birdwatching.
18330 NW Sauvie Island Rd. (Oregon Dept. of Fish and Wildlife Office); 503-621-3488; www.sauvieisland.org.

See beaver, river otter, black-tailed deer, osprey, bald eagles and Western painted turtles in this wildlife area with paved access.
5300 N Marine Dr.; 503-797-1850; www.smithandbybeelakes.org.

A 21-mile-long recreational biking/hiking trail.
From SE Ivon Street through Gresham to Boring; 503-823-PLAY (7529); www.portlandparks.org.

Hiking, biking and horseback riding trails. Children’s activities, guided hikes, lectures and more.
Between Boones Ferry and Terwilliger Blvd. (off I-5); 503-636-4398; www.tryonfriends.org.

Wildlife reserve including evergreen and deciduous forests, creeks, wetlands, ponds and meadows. Includes an interpretive center, reference library, nature store and exhibit area.
15655 SW Millikan Blvd., Beaverton; 503-629-6350; www.thprd.com/parks/thnp.cfm.

19255 SW Pacific Highway (Highway 99W), Sherwood; 503-625-5944, ext. 227; www.friendsoftualatinrefuge.org.

7040 NE 47th Ave.; 503-823-PLAY (7529); www.portlandparks.org.

This multi-faceted area is administered by the Bureau of Land Management and includes hiking trails, picnic facilities, interpretive plaques and a cut-out “underwater” river viewing area. Open May through fall.
39 miles east of Portland off Highway 26, near Welches; 503-622-3696; www.blm.gov/or/resources/recreation/.

Wildlife viewing, bird watching, classes and camps.

5151 NW Cornell; 503-292-6855; www.audubonportland.org.