Our curated selection of the best places to visit in Oregon with kids for a perfect family vacation or getaway.
Oregon is a state with stunning nature and a fantastic destination for families with kids.
Blessed with a breathtaking coastline, beautiful forests and waterfalls, Oregon is one of the best places in the US for families who love the outdoors and a great family vacation spot with something for kids and adults alike.
We love vacationing in the US with the kids and since we fly in all the way from Europe, we put a lot of research into our destinations, to make sure we see the very best spots in each place.
This is our selection of the best places to visit in Oregon with kids, perfect for first time visitors!
Table of Contents
Why visit Oregon with kids
There are many reasons to visit Oregon with kids:
- Oregon is a fantastic playground for outdoor lovers, with incredible forests, waterfalls, beautiful countryside and beaches
- Oregon has mild temperatures that are pleasant in summer, perfect for families who love the outdoors and prefer to avoid the scorching heat of more southern States
- There is a large variety of things do, ranging from kids attractions to family friendly wineries for mum and dad
- Oregon is safe and easy to explore by car and is perfect for a family road trip.
We recommend a family vacation in Oregon especially to families who love the outdoors and want to experience the beautiful nature of the Pacific north West, with its windswept landscapes, green forests and rugged coastline.
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The very best places to visit in Oregon with kids
Portland with kids
Portland is one of Oregon’s most famous cities and a fantastic place to visit with kids.
The city is known for its beautiful nature and it is indeed green and outdoorsy.
To give you an idea: Forest Park in Portland is one of largest inner city parks in the state and has over 80 miles of trails!
This park alone gives endless opportunities for a fun day out with the kids and makes Portland a perfect family destination if you want to mix the dynamism of a big city with outdoor pursuits.
Days outdoors are only one of the many fantastic things to do in Portland with kids.
In terms of children activities, Portland has a fantastic Children Museum and the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry OMSI: these are excellent escapes for a rainy day, a pretty common occurrence in Portland.
If your kids enjoy zoos, you can bring them to the Oregon Zoo in Washington Park or, if they just want to let out steam and play, you can treat them to a day at Oaks Amusement park.
Portland is also a fantastic place to use as a base to discover the area.
A short car ride out of Portland will allow you to visit Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum.
This is a fantastic, large museum perfect for kids who love transport and space exploration.
It has incredible exhibits, great family friendly tours and workshops and something that your kids are sure to love: a fabulous water park!
If you love structured activities, in Portland you find fun family tours such as this Portland: 2 Hour Family Walking Tour with Guide, the Underground Portland Donut Tour and the Portland City Bike Tour.
From the city, you can also easily reach many famous waterfalls, the Columbia River Gorge and Mt Hood area (see below), that are fantastic for kids.
Hood River and Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area
A family friendly, stunning area of natural beauty in Oregon in the Columbia River Gorge Scenic area.
Located to the East of Portland, this area is national preserve and is breathtaking.
Here, the Columbia River carved a deep gorge up to 4,000 feet deep and formed incredible waterfalls that catch light as if in a magical land!
The whole area is great for kids.
The waterfalls are fantastic and many of them easy to reach with children.
Great ones are the famous Multnomah Falls: as well as incredibly scenic, they have excellent family facilities such as restaurant, gift shop, snack bar and restrooms.
Latourell Falls and Bridal Veil Falls are also easy to reach and perfect for a walk with the kids.
Good to know: You can get hold of the Columbia River Gorge Junior Ranger booklet here: a great resource for kids with interesting info, maps and activities!
Several tours bring you to this area from Portland, should you prefer not to drive, such as:
- Portland: Half-Day Tour of Multnomah Falls & Columbia River
- Portland: Columbia River Gorge 3-Hour Small Group Tour
As well as the falls, this area is perfect for families thanks to its vast agri-tourism offering in and around Hood River.
Located at the foothills of beautiful Mont Hood, Oregon’s tallest peaks, this area is dotted with petting farms and pick your own fields, as well as plenty of opportunities for gelato and fun time at the playground or the water park.
Worth mentioning is the incredible Mount Hood Lavender farm: the farm has some of the most beautiful fields of lavender you can ask for and it offer plenty of kids’ entertainment perfect for a relaxing day out!
This area is fantastic for outdoor fun in summer but is family friendly in winter too, when Mount Hood is covered in snow.
During the Christmas season, you can catch the Mount Hood Christmas train, a Christmas-themed magical rail journey through this beautiful area!
Willamette Valley with kids
Willamette valley is a wine growing region in Oregon so possibly not the first place to come to mind for a family vacation.
However, as we discovered in when we went to Sonoma with the children, it is very possible to enjoy a wine region with kids and Willamette is a great one for families!
If you want to explore wineries, several in Willamette are kid friendly, you can find a list here.
If you prefer child-centered attractions, you will find several too.
For instance, Willamette Valley has a fabulous theme par called Enchanted Forest, (exactly what you thing it is: a magical forest world with attractions and rides) and Alpacas of Oregon where yes, you can see furry alpacas!
The area is also perfect for outdoor pursuits in Silver Falls State Park, the largest state park in Oregon and a fantastic place for kids.
Here, you can hike, go horse-riding, have picnics, go biking, play in the playground and even stay overnight in the local campground.
Newport Oregon with kids
Newport is a fantastic city on the Oregon Coast and one of the best places in Oregon to visit with kids.
The town is a perfect getaway to many of Oregon’s most scenic coastal location and has family friendly attractions that will make it a success with the kids
The Newport Aquarium is one of the best kids attractions in town.
Here, children can learn about the inhabitants of the ocean and will have a thrill walking under the glass tunnel that allows you walk under water!
The maritime theme continues at the Hatfield Marine Science Center which also has interesting exhibits and is an excellent stop for a rainy day.
A different take on coastal life comes from visiting Yaquina Head Lighthouse’s Interpretive Center where you can learn about life in a lighthouse, fascinating for mom and dad too!
As well as family attractions, what makes Newport so family friendly is the overall atmosphere of the place.
The town is easy to explore, it has a beautiful promenade, plenty of family hotels and more reasonable prices than many other locations, so it’s a win!
Seaside Oregon with kids
Seaside is a lovely family friendly town in Northern Oregon and a great getaway if you ant to explore some of Oregon’s most beautiful beaches with kids.
Seaside owes its name to the large, sandy beach that stretches in front of it and indeed, the ocean and the beach are the jewel in the crown here!
Children can run and play here for days and the town has many coastal attractions such as a pretty promenade, lots of specialty shops, arcades and tons of food establishments for all ages.
Child friendly attractions worth mentioning are the Seaside Aquarium and the fun Inverted Experience, where you can take photos of yourself upside down!
Kids will also love the mall, which has tons of shops, gelato places and a carousel. This is one of the best Oregon coastal towns for a family stay.
Cannon Beach with kids
Immediately south of Seaside, you find Cannon Beach, probably the most photographed place in Oregon and one of the best spring break destinations for families in the US !
Cannon Beach is a lovely small town with a large beach and an iconic rock called Haystack Rock.
You know those Oregon photos with a large beach, moody sky and a massive rock shaped like a dome? That’s Cannon Beach!
The main thing that leads people here is the iconic beach, however, the town is lovely for families.
After you fly a kite on the sand (you can rent one in town), you can warm up with goodies from the Cannon Beach Bakery, browse the shops and play and explore Ecola State Park.
Mom and dad will also be able to indulge in beer and wine tasting.
Crater Lake National Park with kids
We love US national parks so our list of things to do in Oregon with kids had to include one of the best National Parks on the West Coast for kids: Crater Lake!
Crater Lake National Park is a breathtaking family-friendly park in Oregon, which takes its name from a large lake formed by the collapse of a large volcano!
This park is a place of pristine natural beauty, with the blue waters of the lake surround by green forests and beautiful trails.
Here, you can go on a scenic drive or you can hike (there are several family-friendly trails), bike, go boating and swimming in summer, although the water is not exactly warm.
In winter, you can also come to Crater Lake for snow and winter activities for all ages.
The park has a great junior ranger program and you can download the booklet with kids activities for free >>> here <<<
Bend Oregon with kids
Bend is located in inland and it is a perfect vacation destination for outdoorsy families.
In Bend, you can hike to your heart content on the many family-friendly trails, you can splash and have fun tubing on the Deschutes River or try your hand at kayaking and SUPing (super fun for kids and adults alike!).
Not to be missed here are also the Newberry National Volcanic Monument and Lava River Cave, where you can explore a mile-long lava tube. .
The High Desert Museum is also a great place for children: entirely devoted to the history of settlers in the area, it has a fantastic outdoor area that even small kids can enjoy.
For afternoons of pure play and fun, you can choose between many fabulous play areas and adventure centers such as SAHRC and Paulina Park, Sun Mountain Fun Sport Center and Bend Rock Gym.
As you can see, if you are an active family, Bend is just perfect!.
Experiences you may like in bend with kids are:
Bend: Half-Day Cascade Lakes Kayak Tour (age 8 and up)
Bend Half day Volcano Tour (age 8 and up)
The best time to visit Oregon with kids
Summer , The best season to visit Mt. Hood and Columbia River Gorge in Oregon is from spring to fall, winter for snow activities on Mt Hood, Oregon coast summer to October
What to pack for a family vacation in Oregon
When packing for Oregon with kids in summer, the key is layers and comfortable clothing that can keep you and the kids comfortable outdoors.
Make sure you have a selection of short and long sleeve tips, sweaters and light jacket/wind breaker.
As well as your basics, we recommend you pack:
Water shoes for kids – for those stunning beaches and rivers
Comfy travel shoes for kids that can bring them from city exploring to easy trails
Proper hiking shoes for kids for more serious trails
If you have toddler, an all terrain stroller and/or hiking carriers
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