Travel for Kids: Portland, Oregon



united states		\| oregon

		Portland


		Portland is a river city, straddling the Willamette River on both sides, and connected by bridges. Just up the river, in the early 19th century, Oregon City was the territorial capital and end of the Oregon Trail, but Portland expanded into one of the biggest frontier towns in the Northwest. Best-loved children's author Beverly Cleary grew up here, and all her stories have a home in Portland (there is a real Klickitat Street). Like Henry, Ribsy and Ramona, kids will have a great time in Grant Park.


			Downtown

			Along the River

			East - Lloyd District

			Washington Park

			Oregon City - End of the Oregon Trail


			Benson Bubblers – Kids can get a wonderful drink of delicious water from old-fashioned water fountains (with four spouts). These bronze drinking fountains were a gift from Simon Benson in the early 20th century, and they’re still going strong – look for the Benson Bubblers all over town.

			Drawbridges – Portland has four large drawbridges over the Willamette River - Hawthorne, Morrison, Burnside, and Steele. It’s always fun to watch the big bridges raising up to let the boats go through.

			Take the tram – Our favorite tram ride in Portland is from Lloyd Center to the zoo in Washington Park. At Lloyd Center, pick up the red or blue MAX (Metropolitan Area Express) that goes over the Williamette River, through downtown Portland, to Washington Park. On Sundays in the summer, ride the free vintage trolley from Lloyd Center to SW 10th Ave. downtown. And during the summer, trams are free in the center of downtown, just hop on and off.

			Oaks Amusement Park (Oaks Park) – Established in 1905, this is a lovely old-fashioned amusement park with folk-art carousel, Ferris wheel, bumper cars, roller coaster, rides for all ages and roller skating rink (it has a wooden floor). Rent lace-up roller skates with four wheels (kids and adult sizes), and skate to the turn-of-the-century music on a pipe organ. The rink is a perfect activity on a rainy day.


			Fun food –

			Take the kids to the “U-Pick farms” on Sauvie Island, 10 miles north of the city. In summer, grab a box, head out to the field and pick blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, marionberries, blackberries, peaches, or corn. In fall, find your own pumpkin at the pumpkin patch. Kruger’s Farm has summer concerts, picnic tables under the trees, hay rides, a corn maze (and try their honey sticks, little plastic straws filled with flavored honey).



			Travel for Kids has plenty of fun things to do with kids in Portland, but you'll need a fun place to stay. Here's our own Travel for Kids hand-picked list of family hotels in Portland, all styles and price ranges, in neighborhoods that are comfortable for families, and near to places you'll want to explore:

			Portland family hotels

Henry Huggins
Henry and Ribsy
Beverly Cleary

Henry Huggins, Beverly Cleary’s first novel set on Klickitat Street, is a funny endearing story about a boy who makes his own excitement. Standing outside the ice cream store, Henry finds a lost dog, Ribsy, who eagerly eats up his ice cream cone. Henry’s adventures have only begun when he tries to take the dog home on the bus. (Chapter book)

Beezus and Ramona
Ramona the Pest
Ramona the Brave

Meet Ramona Quimby, a girl with spunk and imagination who also lives on Klickitat Street, and her favorite place to play is Grant Park. In the first book, Ramona turns a visit to the library into a hilarious and exasperating experience for her big sister Beezus. (Chapter book)

Roughing It on the Oregon Trail
Diane Stanley, Holly Berry

It's 1843, ride with great-great-great-great grandmother Elizabeth in a crowded wagon on the bumpy trail west, eating cold beans and biscuits, walking in mud and rain, scaling snow covered mountains to reach Oregon City (Portland). (Picture book)

Across the Wide and Lonesome Prairie
Kristiana Gregory

1847. Fictional diary of Hattie Campbell as she travels west with her family along the Oregon Trail, passing herds of buffalo on the praire, surviving treacherous river crossings, sickness, poisonous plants and perils of the journey. (Chapter book)

More children's books on other Oregon pages.

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