Off Topic. Not sure if allowed but...

liketoyak
liketoyak Posts: 210 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Not weight loss related. Where should one visit in Oregon, Idaho, Washington states? Am travelling in August with a male15 and female9 year old plus husband.

Replies

  • L1zardQueen
    L1zardQueen Posts: 8,753 Member
    Places to eat?
  • liketoyak
    liketoyak Posts: 210 Member
    L1zardQueen wrote: »
    Places to eat?

    Sure! and visit? We are going on a road trip to Junction City for a Scandinavian Festival. Looking for outings and extremely special sights to see.
  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,439 Member
    What’s your route? I live in Southern Idaho.
  • simmoner4
    simmoner4 Posts: 131 Member
    I’m from Idaho. Which part of the state will you be going through?
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 10,093 Member
    If you get to the coast you could go out on a whale-watching boat or ship.
  • kami3006
    kami3006 Posts: 4,979 Member
    lynn_glenmont wrote: »
    If you get to the coast you could go out on a whale-watching boat or ship.

    ^ Those are so much fun.
  • apullum
    apullum Posts: 4,838 Member
    I have *very* limited experience with that area, but if you wind up in Seattle, do the Theo chocolate factory tour! https://www.theochocolate.com/factory-tours/
  • Fflpnari
    Fflpnari Posts: 975 Member
    If your headed to Portland and the kids like rides check out oaks park. They also have roller skating, go carts, mini golf
    Beach is always a great place :)
  • Wetcoaster
    Wetcoaster Posts: 1,788 Member
    edited June 2019
    I go to the Oregon Coast quite a bit. Great place. We stay in Lincoln City as it is a faily short drive from Portland and Newport is close by. .and rent a condo rather than a hotel so we can cook our own food. Oregon Dunes is a cool place to visit....Oregon Coast Aquarium in Newport is a must see...sea lion caves.

    Portland is a nice place also. We stay at the Double Tree Inn in Portland. It is right across from the big mall with a skating rink in it. Portland has The Oregon Museum Of Science And Industry....the Oregon Zoo. For adults seems like there is a brew pub on every block and way too many strip bars for a cirty that size (or so I am told).

    Seattle has the space needle and Museum of Pop Culture (used to be called Rock and Roll Museum) almost side by side. There is a PInball Museum, Pike Place Market, giant ferris wheel by the water, Sky View Observatory in the tallest building in Seattle(great for pictures), go to a Mariners baseball game.....there is a hotel right across the street that we have stayed in with a pool on the roof and you can see partially inside Safeco Field from it. You can take day trips on the ferry sytem. You can also take a day trip to Victoria BC on the Seattle Clipper ferry (I live on Vancouver Island). Also you could drive to Anacortes and take a ferry to the San Juan Islands. I have been going there every summer for 40 years and stay in Roche Harbor although it is really expensive to stay there now. There is Lakedale Campgrounds on San Juan Island also it is in between Friday Harbor and Roche Harbor.

    Boy I talk a lot.
  • aokoye
    aokoye Posts: 3,495 Member
    I second OMSI for Portland - it's also interesting for parents/caregivers. The rose test garden is interesting but your kids might not want to walk around looking at a lot of roses. Powell's is a must if you like books and there is a very good street cart pod three blocks away. They will also ship your books to you if you. If you and your family like hiking, Forest Park has a number of hikes and is in the city - it's one of the largest urban forests in the US (it's 5,200 acres).

    Skip Voodoo Doughnuts - it's not worth it (and I'm not even talking about calories), I personally prefer Sesame Doughnuts or Blue Star, but I've heard very good things from a number of people about Pips Doughnuts - this of course is assuming you really want doughnuts (you won't miss anything if you skip them). Portland has very good coffee (so does Seattle) so for the love of god skip Starbucks. One of my favorite coffee shops is Courier Coffee (which is down the street from the Powell's on Burnside) and on Saturday late morning-afternoon they typically have shaved ice - or they will in August.

    The other question is what do you and your children enjoy doing? That would make recommending things a little easier. I will say, if you all like museums, do go to the Chihuly Glass Museum in Tacoma.
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,463 Member
    Mt Ranier, MtSt Helen's, or Mt Hood
    Oregon Aquarium in Newport OR
  • Hannahwalksfar
    Hannahwalksfar Posts: 572 Member
    Smith River and redwoods. Kellogg beach as well
  • liketoyak
    liketoyak Posts: 210 Member
    Hannahwalksfar wrote: »
    Smith River and redwoods. Kellogg beach as well

    Thanks! Any particular place you'd recommend for the redwoods?
  • liketoyak
    liketoyak Posts: 210 Member
    aokoye wrote: »
    I second OMSI for Portland - it's also interesting for parents/caregivers. The rose test garden is interesting but your kids might not want to walk around looking at a lot of roses. Powell's is a must if you like books and there is a very good street cart pod three blocks away. They will also ship your books to you if you. If you and your family like hiking, Forest Park has a number of hikes and is in the city - it's one of the largest urban forests in the US (it's 5,200 acres).

    Skip Voodoo Doughnuts - it's not worth it (and I'm not even talking about calories), I personally prefer Sesame Doughnuts or Blue Star, but I've heard very good things from a number of people about Pips Doughnuts - this of course is assuming you really want doughnuts (you won't miss anything if you skip them). Portland has very good coffee (so does Seattle) so for the love of god skip Starbucks. One of my favorite coffee shops is Courier Coffee (which is down the street from the Powell's on Burnside) and on Saturday late morning-afternoon they typically have shaved ice - or they will in August.

    The other question is what do you and your children enjoy doing? That would make recommending things a little easier. I will say, if you all like museums, do go to the Chihuly Glass Museum in Tacoma.

    Thanks for all the info! I'm not really sure what we are looking for at this point. Interesting to ask that question an not know the answer.
  • liketoyak
    liketoyak Posts: 210 Member
    Wetcoaster wrote: »
    I go to the Oregon Coast quite a bit. Great place. We stay in Lincoln City as it is a faily short drive from Portland and Newport is close by. .and rent a condo rather than a hotel so we can cook our own food. Oregon Dunes is a cool place to visit....Oregon Coast Aquarium in Newport is a must see...sea lion caves.

    Portland is a nice place also. We stay at the Double Tree Inn in Portland. It is right across from the big mall with a skating rink in it. Portland has The Oregon Museum Of Science And Industry....the Oregon Zoo. For adults seems like there is a brew pub on every block and way too many strip bars for a cirty that size (or so I am told).

    Seattle has the space needle and Museum of Pop Culture (used to be called Rock and Roll Museum) almost side by side. There is a PInball Museum, Pike Place Market, giant ferris wheel by the water, Sky View Observatory in the tallest building in Seattle(great for pictures), go to a Mariners baseball game.....there is a hotel right across the street that we have stayed in with a pool on the roof and you can see partially inside Safeco Field from it. You can take day trips on the ferry sytem. You can also take a day trip to Victoria BC on the Seattle Clipper ferry (I live on Vancouver Island). Also you could drive to Anacortes and take a ferry to the San Juan Islands. I have been going there every summer for 40 years and stay in Roche Harbor although it is really expensive to stay there now. There is Lakedale Campgrounds on San Juan Island also it is in between Friday Harbor and Roche Harbor.

    Boy I talk a lot.

    Thanks! We are coming from Edmonton to San Fransisco and back up. I'll be sure to research your suggestions and run them by the family.
  • liketoyak
    liketoyak Posts: 210 Member
    Fflpnari wrote: »
    If your headed to Portland and the kids like rides check out oaks park. They also have roller skating, go carts, mini golf
    Beach is always a great place :)

    They'd like that!
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,463 Member
    You asked about the redwoods. There are several state and national redwood parks in N CA. Any of them would be wonderful.
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,968 Member
    Stehekin. Sahale Glacier Camp. Harts Pass. The Hoe. Maybe the Elwha too, it was the largest dam removal project in history and nature is already recovering.

    What are you interested in seeing and doing? What parts of Washington will you already be in?
  • texasredreb
    texasredreb Posts: 541 Member
    Crater Lake! Sea Lion Caves! Kid friendly wineries are all over if you like wine.
  • spiriteagle99
    spiriteagle99 Posts: 3,743 Member
    Driving along the Oregon coast. Hike at Cape Perpetua. Lewis and Clark NP. Mt. St. Helens. Crater Lake. Driving along the Columbia River with stops at some of the many beautiful waterfalls. In Idaho, stop at Twin Falls to see Shoshone Falls. Craters of the Moon NM. Sawtooth NF has great hiking.
  • apullum
    apullum Posts: 4,838 Member
    liketoyak wrote: »
    Wetcoaster wrote: »
    I go to the Oregon Coast quite a bit. Great place. We stay in Lincoln City as it is a faily short drive from Portland and Newport is close by. .and rent a condo rather than a hotel so we can cook our own food. Oregon Dunes is a cool place to visit....Oregon Coast Aquarium in Newport is a must see...sea lion caves.

    Portland is a nice place also. We stay at the Double Tree Inn in Portland. It is right across from the big mall with a skating rink in it. Portland has The Oregon Museum Of Science And Industry....the Oregon Zoo. For adults seems like there is a brew pub on every block and way too many strip bars for a cirty that size (or so I am told).

    Seattle has the space needle and Museum of Pop Culture (used to be called Rock and Roll Museum) almost side by side. There is a PInball Museum, Pike Place Market, giant ferris wheel by the water, Sky View Observatory in the tallest building in Seattle(great for pictures), go to a Mariners baseball game.....there is a hotel right across the street that we have stayed in with a pool on the roof and you can see partially inside Safeco Field from it. You can take day trips on the ferry sytem. You can also take a day trip to Victoria BC on the Seattle Clipper ferry (I live on Vancouver Island). Also you could drive to Anacortes and take a ferry to the San Juan Islands. I have been going there every summer for 40 years and stay in Roche Harbor although it is really expensive to stay there now. There is Lakedale Campgrounds on San Juan Island also it is in between Friday Harbor and Roche Harbor.

    Boy I talk a lot.

    Thanks! We are coming from Edmonton to San Fransisco and back up. I'll be sure to research your suggestions and run them by the family.

    I can talk a little bit about SF since no one else has mentioned that yet :). I don't live there, but I live close enough that we drive up for a day trip or weekend a few times a year.

    SFMOMA is good if you enjoy art museums: https://www.sfmoma.org/
    Are you cat lovers? Have you ever been to a cat cafe? Book a reservation at KitTea. All you can drink green tea, plus cats: https://www.kitteasf.com/
    Looking for redwoods? Go to Muir Woods. Note that you will need to park off-site and take a shuttle. You can reserve this online. I would recommend going early since it can get crowded, and it's a small park: https://www.nps.gov/muwo/index.htm
    Bi-Rite ice cream is very popular, and in my opinion worth it. https://biritemarket.com/creamery/ice-cream/

    I don't want to exhaust you with too much more stuff, but if you have particular things you're into or types of food you like, let me know. There's also fun to be had in other cities around the Bay Area if you have plans to venture out of SF proper.
  • Tacklewasher
    Tacklewasher Posts: 7,122 Member
    Are you trailering or hotelling? If pulling a trailer, I've done that from the Okanagan to mid-Oregon and might have some insights.
  • cheryldumais
    cheryldumais Posts: 1,907 Member
    Just an FYI, Oregon is beautiful on the western side. The east is what I would call high country dessert. If you want a pretty drive then the western side is more interesting. Interstate 5 used to be the way to go but the traffic is now brutal. I'm actually heading to Portland on Friday myself to visit family, lol. Most of the highlights have already been pointed out so I won't reiterate. Enjoy your trip.
  • tccroston
    tccroston Posts: 34 Member
    So many great suggestions on here!

    I’d also look into Cannon Beach in Oregon (especially if you’re a Goonies fan). A lot of tide pools for the kids to explore.

    I would also highly recommend taking a trip to the Olympic Peninsula. First Beach, Second Beach, Ruby Beach... Some of my favorites! You’ll park and usually have about a mile “hike” to the ocean. Not rugged, but not paved, usually wood chips and definitely a clearly marked path.

    You could use anywhere around Port Angeles as a base of operations (many, many rental properties if you’d rather not stay at a hotel). There’s a whale watching tour that departs out of Port Angeles, if that intersts you. We did the sunset tour, it was cool!

    There are berry farms, wineries, and lavender!

    If you’re a Twilight fan, most of the movie was filmed around Portland, but the movie was based off of Forks, Washington, and they still have tours up there.

    For a small fee ($10 last time I was there, and it’s basically a donation to the tribe), you can walk out to the farthest northwest point of the country.

    No matter where you go, enjoy your time! Make a ton of memories and have fun!!!

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