Bridge
Need some more ideas to get you through the summer? Use this quick and easy list of 50 fun activities, events and crafts that will cure summer boredom for kids and parents alike!
1. Head across the bridge to explore Vancouver, WA
2. Make a trip to the Saturday Market for people-watching and lemonade.
3. Spend a hot day cooling down in your neighborhood wading pool (or discover one in a new neighborhood!)
4. Make a weekend trip to Seattle!
5. Find the perfect spot to fly a kite
6. Grab a rootbeer for the kids and a real pint for mom and dad at one of Portland's family friendly breweries
7. Check out books at your local library and ask about their summer reading programs
8. Rainy Summer day? Spend it playing indoors at Café Sip n' Play
9. Let your little one explore their inner-yogi with some summer yoga classes
10. Catch a $1 kid's movie at Regal Cinemas' Summer Movie Express. (Check out our movie theater tips before you go!)
11. Find the farmer's market closest to you, engage the kiddies with fun activities, and pick up fresh ingredients for making dinner
12. Get the best of both outdoor worlds - hiking and playground time-all at one park! Visit Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge
13. Pack a picnic dinner and watch the sunset from Powell Butte Nature Park
14. Too hot to be at home? Wait it out while catching an outdoor concert
15. Make some homemade ice cream
16. Pretend you're Robin Hood or Maid Marian at the Sherwood Robin Hood Festival
17. Find the mobile rock-climbing wall that's visiting Portland neighborhood parks all summer
18. Check out the Cultural Pass to Adventure from the library for a free day pass to some of Portland's coolest museums and attractions
19. Explore the fun shops and cafes in Multnomah Village
20. Discover your favorite fish n' chips place-we suggest Hawthorne Fish House in Hawthorne
21. Get some pent up summer energy out while bouncing off the walls, literally
22. Make a batch of homemade bubbles for hours of backyard fun
23. Craft some Cork Snakes - your excuse to pick up an extra bottle of wine at the store this summer
24. Take a weekend trip to Mt. St. Helens
25. Eat out for free all summer long
26. Get up before sunrise to watch the hot air balloons launch at the Festival of Balloons
27. Take advantage of the Free for All Summer programs available at neighborhood parks around Portland
28. Add a little culture to your summer at the Portland Art Museum (Sundays are for families!)
29. Make it your quest to find the best taco in town
30. Take the light rail to Portland's beloved Oregon Zoo
31. Explore the best of nature including creeks, bugs, birds, plants and flower at Tryon Creek State Park
32. Ride the Portland Aerial Tram and explore the sculpture garden at the top
33. Explore the funky artistic Alberta Street
34. Grab lunch at the walk-up Waffle Window
35. Spend the afternoon in downtown Portland (don't miss a stop at Finnegan's Toys!)
36. Book a weekend trip to Florence - a fun, off-the-beaten-track family town
37. Feeling hip? Check out downtown's Pearl District for a day of cupcake bakeries, ice cream shops, rides on the streetcar and more!
38. Step back in time with a trip to the Ming Dynasty
39. Head to Mt. Hood for the day or the weekend - you can even ski up there during the summer!
40. Get lost inside Powell's City of Books
41. Spend the night in a yurt!
42. Indulge in a day of cheese and ice cream at the Tillamook Cheese Factory (a great day-trip!)
43. Explore the Oregon State Fair
44. Get your climb on
45. Arrr, matey! Bring your littlest pirate-obsessed kiddo to the Portland Pirate Festival (pirate outfits encouraged!)
46. Bundle up and catch a movie under the stars
47. Discover a new spot for breakfast
48. Sign up for an organic vegetable delivery box or a dinner delivery service and have fun trying some new recipes
49. Go fruit-standing on Oregon's Fruit Loop - a route of roadside fruit stands on the way to Mt. Hood
50. Stay up late to catch the OMSI Star Party on the Summer Solstice
What's on your must-do list for this summer?
- Katie Kavulla
