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What’s to Love: I feel rather ashamed that it has taken me so long to highlight our exceptional Portland Art Museum. It’s not like I haven’t taken my kids there in the past four years – I have…really! It’s just that with two young boys, a visit to an art museum is usually not high on the adventure list. I feel like you have to use this type of activity strategically; perhaps, visiting when there is an exhibit that appeals to children. That’s EXACTLY what is happening now at the Portland Art Museum!

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Jackson Bottom Wetlands Preserve is just outside downtown Hillsboro, Oregon. It’s a nice location for hiking with younger children and viewing birds/wildlife. There is a beautiful Education Center with a gift shop and exhibit hall.

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What’s to Love:  File this under “MUST VISIT NOW!”  This place is AMAZING!  Even a week after the visit, our kids were still talking about it, and I’m trying to fully grasp and articulate our experience.  I cannot believe we hadn’t visited these incredible museums.  Out in what seems like the middle of nowhere, Portlanders have access to aviation and spaces museums that rival anything you’d see at Cape Canaveral or Washington D.C., or anywhere else for that matter.  These museums are squeaky clean, full of helpful volunteers, and will literally make you just stare around in awe.

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What’s to Love:  Their message – “Audubon Society of Portland is devoted to the conservation of Oregon’s last remaining wild places.  Our first articles of incorporation written in the early 1900′s reflect this sentiment, ‘to use any and all lawful means for the protection of the wild birds and animals for the State of Oregon and elsewhere.’  We have taken this task very seriously over the years.”  (source)  After seeing some injured birds live (falcon, owls, turkey vulture, red-tailed hawk), I believe their commitment.  However, I believe the Audubon Society is somewhat off the radar for family fun, but for me, it’s an absolute must for small children.  Here is why…

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What’s to Love: Tualatin Hills Nature Park (THNP) can seem like Nike’s trail running course – it’s literally in the company’s backyard. I’m usually a bit leery of a “Nature Park” in the middle of a giant suburb. However, our visit to Tualatin Hills Nature Park was perfect! The weather was fantastic, the trails were immaculate, the biking was fun and just right for a 4 year old without training wheels, and the picnic area was relaxing and quiet. I invite your comments on this wonderful park. Read more…NOTE: Just visited again on March 5 – hadn’t been there for a couple of years, and it’s still awesome!

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What’s to Love: Just like the World Forestry Center in Portland, the Tillamook Forest Center (TFC) really surprised me in a positive way (in terms of family fun). However, unlike the World Forestry Center, admission to the TFC is free! There are so many wonderful, hands-on exhibits inside their beautiful visitor center, an award-winning film about the Tillamook burn, educational classrooms, and a really nice gift shop. It’s an hour drive from Portland, but well worth it.

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What’s to Love: Right off the very busy highway 99W in Sherwood, OR is a very pleasant surprise. The first thing you’ll notice when pulling into the Refuge is the beautiful new interpretive center. The interpretive center houses exhibits, restrooms, a small gift shop, a spotting scope, and some very helpful and friendly volunteers. Because of traffic, getting to this place can be a real pain, but it’s definitely worth the trip.

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What’s to Love: Where do I start? The Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (affectionately know to all as “OMSI” ahm-zee), is almost a pointless post. Most people in the Portland area are well aware of this incredible community resource, and everyone seems to love OMSI. I should probably break this up into 5 or 6 different posts, because there are so many things to love about OMSI. However, since OMSI offers a plethora of general information via their website, I’m going to stick to my usual format – trying to pinpoint what might be extra special just for parents and their kids.

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What’s to Love: Around 2005, the museum received a 7 million dollar renovation, and it shows! Most of the exhibits are family-friendly. The building itself is beautiful. Adults will marvel at the woodwork, hand carvings, and Cascadian-style architecture. I have to admit, I wasn’t expecting too much (in terms of family fun) when we decided to give the Forestry Center an initial visit, but I was pleasantly surprised.

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What’s to Love: Location, location, location! Portland’s Children’s Museum is right next to the Oregon Zoo, Forestry Center, and Hoyt Arboretum. It’s easy to make a whole day out of a trip up to this area of Portland. The $7 admission fee can add up, but they do offer a $55 two-person membership,which is excellent if the same parent takes the child to the museum. A family membership is only $80/year and $95/year gets you the family package plus 1 guest. The museum itself was one of my favorite places to take my son 12 months to 3 years. It’s a clean a well kept – there are so many great exhibits and things to do here, and you can easily occupy an entire morning or afternoon. My son has always been partial to the kiddie shopping area where he could push around a shopping cart, grab some fake fruit and vegetables, and proceed over the the checkout lane.