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Oregon Coast Road Trip with Kids
Just south of the busy tourist towns of Cannon Beach and Seaside is the 40-mile, quieter Three Capes Drive, which has a few haystack rocks of its own. From north to south, you’ll follow the gentle C shape from Tillamook to Pacific City. This coastal drive — rich in over 2,500 acres of warm-sand beaches, dramatic cliffs, dunes dotted with evergreens and coastal rainforest – encourages you to slow down, smell the sea air and unwind. Here’s an all-day itinerary for enjoyment: 10 a.m. Oregon Coast Road Trip 1: Tillamook Cheese Factory with Kids, Oregon The town of Tillamook acts as a road-trip gateway to the coast, tying Highway 6 from Portland…
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Seattle Restaurants for Families (Take the Kids!)
My kids are pretty good at eating — if there was an extracurricular award for it, I’m sure we’d be putting it on future college applications. So I’ve tried a ton of restaurants with them from babyhood to the tween years. Here’s my mega-list. Intro Breakfast for Families Family Coffeehouses and Cafes Desserts for Families Seafood for Families Kid-friendly Seattle Restaurants Seattle Breakfast for Families So, for breakfast, I really feel like Portland and Victoria count their eggs, hatch them, and then make them The Crumpet Shop (Downtown Seattle). Right around the corner from Pike Place Market, this homey storefront serves organic crumpets with savory (pesto and cheese) and…
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Suncadia Resort with Children: Trip Report
Recently, Josie Swanson, her husband and her two sons  (2.5 and 5.5) visited Suncadia Resort, just east of Washington’s Cascade mountains. She shared some new restaurants she found (which sound SO good) and activities at the resort. Let’s hear more! How did you like Suncadia Resort? What kinds of things did you do with the kids while at the resort? The kids liked the playgrounds, water slides/pool/hot tub, hiking/biking/scootering around, seeing lots of wild animals (elk and deer), etc. I liked the sauna, steam room and gym. It was a great place to run (except for the altitude!). I didn’t do the spa, but would next time. We stayed in…
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BC Water Parks and Water Slides
Cultus Lake Water Park, Fraser Valley, BC. This waterpark offers a two new rides in 2013. The Boomerang takes up to four passengers in a raft  in a double-figure-eight slide, down 60 feet before diving to the ‘boomerang’ landing canal below. The Bazooka Bowls dares the daredevil — it takes riders through a black-hole flume, into a 30-foot bowl slide where they’ll rotate before dropping into a 9-foot bowl below. Too scary? There’s a spray “Pirate’s cove” that’s very cute and suited for younger children. OK to bring in your own food, and great discounts on the Cultus Water Park’s website. Bridal Falls Waterpark, near Chilliwack, BC. This BC water park is pretty straightforward…
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Painted Hills (Oregon) with Kids: Photos & Tips
The Painted Hills are one part (or “unit”) of a three-part Oregon national monument: The John Day Fossil Beds, located in Eastern Oregon. They’re all pretty cool, but I think this is my favorite. Over millions of years, ancient Oregon volcanoes spewed ash that fell, then transformed into these breathtaking mounds of crimson, gold, and ebony claystone (bentonite). Lacy fossil leaves and metasequoia needles were found here — evidence of a once-damp, rainforest-like climate almost impossible to imagine today. Smart travelers pack a camera — during spring, otherworldly parfait-like layers of color brighten after a rainstorm, and more than 22 varieties of vibrant flowers blossom in the hills and valleys. In…
