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What’s to Love:  We finally returned to The Stoneworks Gym in Beaverton, OR, and I’m happy to report that it’s still the same quality business that it was 3 years ago.  Super friendly, helpful, excellent instruction, unpretentious, and no attitude whatsoever from fellow climbers.  If your kids have never climbed before, Stoneworks Gym is an excellent place to learn the basics!  Matt Spohn, the gym manager and son of the owner, takes the family business seriously.  It’s obvious that his first priority is customer service, which translates into a pleasant environment.

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What’s to Love:  ”Functional Fitness” is a trendy term these days.  What does it mean?  I’m sure I could gather many definitions from practicioners, teachers, and students.  To me, it means exercising in dynamic/non-linear ways like rolling, tumbling, climbing, twisting, turning, jumping, leaping, grasping, etc.  Most importantly, the movements have to be done with a mindful intent on the technique.  Oh yeah, it MUST be fun!  It’s the type of fitness that makes you feel like a kid again.  Revolution Parkour houses one of the first Parkour Academies in the country and after experiencing a course first-hand with my 7-year old son, I can certainly attest to the “having fun” aspect.

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What’s to Love:  Open just a couple of weeks now (Grand Opening on Tuesday, March 29th, 3PM to 9PM), we spent nearly 3-hours at John’s Incredible Pizza playing games, enjoying the rides, and eating.  This place is HUGE (46,000 square feet) with over 110 games, but it’s the little things that actually make John’s worth a visit.

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What’s to Love: Over the course of three+ years, I haven’t used a single expletive in an article.  If there ever was a time to use one to describe the sheer awesomeness of a place, it would be reserved for Sky High Sports.  Because this is a family site, I’ll leave it out, but WOW!  This place is absolutely amazing!!!  Sky High Sports has several areas (e.g., kids’, foam pit, dodge ball, private, main, etc.) of interconnected trampolines (even up the walls!) that will put a big smile on your face and push your heart rate to 175+ in a matter of seconds!

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What’s to Love:  Beaverton City Park is located right next to the city library.  We first visited on a very hot day when my son was around 3 years old. As you can see in the first video clip below, he was pretty spooked-out by the vertical row of spraying jets, so he just hung out on the fringes. I literally had to pick him up and run with him through the spray. This is your basic fountain with nothing too fancy, but it certainly can cool you off on a hot day. Plus, it’s a good fountain for all ages.

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What’s to Love: Cedar Hills Park is a quaint little park right off the very busy “Cedar Hills Boulevard” close to Beaverton. While the actual playground equipment is somewhat sparse, the park does have a few nice features that make it worth a visit.

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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: Waluga park (east off Quarry Rd.) has a quaint little playground designed specifically for kids 6 and younger. The playground has a structure for older kids, and one for younger toddlers. We just sort of stumbled onto this property by accident, and it’s worth a stop if you’re in the area. There is plenty of shade, a drinking fountain with really good water, a covered picnic area, and a paved biking path. Because it’s tucked into a wooded neighborhood, this park feels like it’s out in the country.

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What’s to Love: My son and I stumbled upon this little gem while touring (outer) SW parks and playgrounds. We were headed to see “Springbrook Park,” but ended up pulling into Uplands Elementary School. We were pleasantly surprised by the awesome playground structures (see pictures). Lucky for us, there were two trailheads at opposite ends of the playground that led directly into Springbrook Park.