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: Looking for ways to get your kids outside and active during the rainy days of winter? Mt. Hood Skibowl is the place to go, with enough options to please everyone in the family. The closest ski area to Portland, Skibowl also features two hills dedicated to snow tubing and a kids’ snowmobile track. More…

Downhill skiing, snowboarding and inner-tubing.
11000 Cloud Cap Rd., Mt. Hood; 541-352-7803; www.cooperspur.com.

Features Nordic trails.
Hwy. 20, 20 miles northwest of Sisters; 541-822-3799; www.hoodoo.com.

31 miles south of Hood River on Highway 35; 541-352-6002. Undeveloped snow play area. Free (sno-park permit required).

Offers downhill and cross country skiing, snowshoeing, tubing and more.
22 miles southwest of Bend on Cascade Lakes Highway, 13000 SW Century Dr., Bend; 800-829-2442; www.mtbachelor.com.

This organization introduces kids 11 and up (with a registered parent) to outdoor adventures such as snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, and building snow caves and igloos.
PO Box 23171, Tigard; 503-524-9192, nwdiscoveries.com.

Organized trips throughout the winter, including alpine and Nordic skiing and snow tubing.
503-823-PLAY (7529); www.portlandparks.org.

Everything from skiing to snowbiking. Ski runs range from a toddler run to Extreme Hill.
87000 E Hwy. 26, Government Camp; 800-SKI-BOWL (754-2695); www.skibowl.com.

Tubing in a safe, family-friendly environment.
Hwy. 26, Government Camp; 503-272-0256; www.summitskiarea.com.

Operated by the Oregon Nordic Club, this area is dedicated to cross-country skiing.
Hwy. 35, Mt. Hood; www.teacupnordic.org.

Downhill skiing, lessons and a historic lodge.
Timberline Lodge, Mt. Hood; 503-272-3311; www.timberlinelodge.com.

Alpine and Nordic runs and a family center.
Hwy. 58, 70 miles east of Eugene; 541-345-SNOW; www.willamettepass.com.

953 Lloyd Center (NE 13th and Multnomah); 503-288-6073; www.lloydcenterice.com.

Youth hockey leagues and public ice skating.
14313 SE Mill Plain Rd., Vancouver, Wash.; 360-896-8700; www.mtviewice.com.

Ice skating and hockey leagues.
20407 SW Borchers Dr., Sherwood; 503-625-5757; www.sherwoodicearena.com.

9250 SW Beaverton-Hillsdale Hwy., Beaverton; 503-297-2521; www.valleyicearena.com.