Every time I visit Portland in the summer, I have to repeat the mantra to myself, “It’s not like this all year, it’s not like this all year.” Otherwise I might accidentally try to move there. I went to college in Portland and lived there for a few years after that, and still have family in both Portland and Seattle. So I know that summer is the ideal time to visit, and that much of the rest of the year can be rainy and dreary and dark.
But summer there feels magical, especially early to mid-summer before the higher heat kicks in. I took my son on a trip and we made the most of the perfect weather and many hours of daylight (it doesn’t get dark until past 9 p.m.). In fact, by the end of the trip, I’d managed the impossible: made my six-year-old son tired.
Things to Do in Portland with Kids
During this trip, we stayed in downtown Portland at the Hotel Rose which dates back to the 1960s and feels funky and unique. It’s located next to the river and the Tom McCall Waterfront Park, which make for great outings for families.
Although the hotel offers complimentary bikes for guest use, it doesn’t have bikes for kids, so we rented one from Kerr Bikes right next to the hotel. Proceeds from rentals support the nonprofit Albertina Ker, which offers services for children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities and mental health challenges. The bike came in very handy, and my son loved having it to ride along the river, over bridges (we tried to cross as many as we could), and just around town.
Other kid-friendly activities that should definitely be on your list include Electric Castle’s Wunderland, a nickel arcade filled with old and new video games that, while they don’t cost an actual nickel, are still much cheaper than at your average arcade. Of course the famous Powell’s Books, the world’s largest independent bookstore, which sorts its books by color category and has endless displays of books and knickknacks ready to be stumbled upon.
I always feel like I could spend an entire day there wandering around. We also rode the Portland Aerial Tram, which starts at the bike path in Southwest Portland and takes you on a scenic view up to the OHSU hospital. On a clear day, Mount Hood is on full display.
For meals, there are tons of good options for kid-friendly dining. We tried mac and cheese at so many locations that we started a rating scale so we could pick our absolute favorite. Among the contenders were Mother’s Bistro & Bar, which also has a great playspace for kids; and The Old Spaghetti Factory, which has beautiful views of the river and a fun trolley car kids can plan inside.
BG Food Cartel
We also enjoyed Hopworks Beer which has a full tap list and a kids’ play space. Bethany’s Table offers a more upscale option that has games, coloring sheets and a kids’ menu, plus a “teen menu item” for the kids who don’t want little kid food, but they don’t want adult food either. One other option a little farther out of town is BG Food Cartel, a big space with food trucks so each member of the family can get their own dish and it has a turf area where kids can run around.
Finally, as big frozen yogurt and ice cream fans, we visited TartBerry, a very Portland-vibed shop covered with little Post-it notes customers had left behind, and CosmicBliss, which serves plant-based ice cream.
Things to Do in Seattle with Kids
Because Portland is so close to Seattle, it’s hard to visit the Oregon city without heading into Washington for a quick detour. We made the four-hour drive easily, with a fun stop halfway at Tumwater Falls near Olympia—a spot right off the highway with trails around beautiful waterfalls where we could stretch our legs.
For hotels, two really good options are The Maxwell Hotel with a very kid-friendly pool and Graduate Seattle in the city’s U-district near University of Washington. It has rooms and decor that fit the UW theme and a fun rooftop bar.
In Seattle, take the high speed elevator up to the top of the Space Needle close to sunset. If the sky is clear, Mount Rainier will be on full display. Underneath the Space Needle is also an artist-designed playground for kids, and the Museum of Pop Culture, which has a current exhibit on the studio LAIKA that creates movies such as Coraline and Wildwood. To get your blood moving, check out Discovery Park for an easy two-mile hike to the beach.
It’s always a little harrowing attempting a solo trip with a kid, but both Portland and Seattle are so easy to navigate and friendly to visitors that I was quickly put at ease. We did so much exploring and tried so many activities that by the end of the trip, both my son and I were ready for naps. But we’ll definitely be back again.
