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50 Free Museums in Washington & Oregon for Military Families
This summer, military families get free passes into over 50 fantastic Pacific Northwest museums. The Blue Star Museums initiative is a partnership among Blue Star Families, the National Endowment for the Arts, and more than 1,000 museums across America. Blue Star Museums offer free admission to active duty military personnel and their families from Memorial Day, May 30, 2011, through Labor Day, September 5, 2011. Read more at the Blue Star Museums page. A few of my favorite family museums: High Desert Museum (in Bend, Ore.), Portland Art Museum (Portland, Ore.), University of Oregon Museum of Natural and Cultural History (Eugene, Ore.), Kids Discovery Museum (Bainbridge Island, Wash.), KidsQuest Children’s…
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Free & Cheap Fun with Kids for Winter Holiday Break
What are you doing this week? Check out these lists of great cheap and free fun in our region — and maybe add a few more of your own. These lists were written in summer, so you’ll have to gloss over some suggestions and skip those fountains (brr). But you should find plenty of fantastic activities here. And if you’ve already done everything in your own city, plan a weekend getaway trip to a nearby city and take advantage of their fab freebies: Best Kids’ Bookstores in Cascadia 35 Free and Cheap Things to Do with Kids in Vancouver, BC 10 Things to Do with Kids in Vancouver (Rainy Day…
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Kid Picks for Seattle Restaurant Week
On Sunday, October 17, Seattle Restaurant Week kicks off. For almost two weeks (October 17-28), Sunday through Thursday, diners will enjoy three-course dinners for just $25 at over 100 area restaurants. Evado PR helped me collect information on kid-friendly restaurants that offer children’s menus. I’ve highlighted menu items that might be more adventurous, along with the standards. Of course, these menu items are offered the other 51 weeks, so you’re not limited to dining during SRW. Don’t see your favorite restaurant listed here? Don’t stress. Call ahead and ask whether they make special accommodations for kids, whether smaller portions or appetizer options. Go to the Seattle Restaurant Week site to…
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Harvest Days: Farm tours, family celebrations and pumpkin patches
Get out into the autumn weather: pick pumpkins, catch leaves and attend an Oktoberfest or two. If you’re planning to travel to another city (or nearby) this season, check out these fantastic events: If you live near Seattle, grab a light jacket for this weekend’s families-welcome harvest celebration. Can’t make it? Find farmy goodness (markets, stands and u-picks) at Puget Sound Fresh website, including the always-popular Remlinger Farms. Further from Seattle, this weekend (September 25), the party-hearty Leavenworth offers a Leaf Festival. Leavenworth also hosts an Oktoberfest that runs through three weekends in a row. A more sedate time may be found at the Skagit Valley Festival of Family Farms, on October…
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Museum Madness: Free Northwest museum entry on September 25
On September 25, 2010, you and a guest can gain free entry to one of the Pacific Northwest’s fabulous museums, thanks to the Smithsonian Magazine’s Museum Day. Go to the site to see the complete list, but for family-friendly options, here are my picks and why you should go: Hands On Children’s Museum in Olympia, Washington, for general fun. Fort Nisqually Living History Museum, in Tacoma, Wash., for pioneers. Washington State History Museum in Tacoma, for two floors of hands-on history. KidsQuest Children’s Museum in Bellevue, Wash., for more little-kid options. Nordic Heritage Museum, in Seattle, for vikings and a Lego warrior ship. Seattle Art Museum, for oddball modern art…
