Exploring a Favorite City with Your Kids | Portland Adventure

Portland is one of my very favorite cities, probably because of the effective, easy-access public transportation system paired with the earthy, crunchy, modern atmosphere and the public parks!

We always jump on the MAX and head downtown to splash in the fountains {Jamison Square} and get unique food {Cool Moon Ice Cream}. I know we've barely scraped the surface of what there is to do downtown. We've explored Powell's Bookstore, eaten pizza, ordered smoothies at Fruitlandia, taken the tram up to OHSU, bought fresh berries at a farmer's market, and stood in line at Voodoo Doughnuts. This last visit we enjoyed time at the Portland Child Art Studio -- so much to do there.








Vancouver, WA, just across the river, has a lot to offer too. We just LOVE Esther Short Park, with its kid-friendly water feature. In times past, we've splashed in the WSU fountains at the center of campus too. The riverfront trail along the Columbia is really lovely as well.



When you're exploring a favorite city, here are my best tips:
Avoid parking frustrations by jumping on public transportation, if available.
Search Google for kid events and classes in the area. {Once we went to an eclectic concert for kids...it was so great!}
Find public parks and fountains.
Plan ahead with a list of ideas, then leave yourself plenty of time and be flexible.
Use your smartphone to get from place to place {so handy!}.

So. All that to say -- we love Portland! :) And I made a video to remember it all by.