Fun-filled Activities and Family-Friendly Destinations to Spark Joy
Don’t let spring simply be a slow march toward summer. No one knows this better than kids. Pool days and campouts are still in the distant future. Oregon spring break with the kids, however, brings a burst of energy. An easy and affordable family trip reinvigorates the senses. Reconnect with the senses of spring, especially with so much to do, see, and taste in Tualatin Valley.
Kid-Friendly Activities
Tualatin Valley is a gamer’s paradise, and that’s for kids of all ages. Langer’s Entertainment Center features bowling, arcade, rock wall, laser tag and more. At King Pins Family Entertainment Center in Beaverton, add some virtual reality games to an day of bowling and laser tag. While Next Level Pinball Museum and Arcade features more than 600 pinball machines and retro and contemporary arcade games. Claw City is filled wall-to-wall with claw machines filled with exciting prizes awaiting to be grabbed.
Additional indoor activities for families include:
- Liggle Land, a fun playground–designed just for kids with a separate area for toddlers
- DiG PDX, Oregon’s largest indoor sandbox where kids up to age 6 can play with toy construction vehicles and dinosaurs, build sandcastles and whatever their imagination takes them
- Sky Zone Trampoline Park featuring many attractions and opportunities to have an “extreme” experience in a safe place to be fearless
- K1 Speed offering racing fun for kids and adults with its all-electric fleet of karts imported from Italy
Squeeze a little education into the kids’ spring break at Hillsboro’s Rice Northwest Museum of Rocks and Minerals. Despite its name, you’ll find no grains here. Instead, little eyes go big as they roam through the collection of gems, fossils and a whole room filled with petrified wood. Outside, there’s a large yard for play (and burning off some energy). Kids can even pick out a pet rock from the outdoor rock pile.
For outdoor enthusiasts, Tree to Tree Adventure Park (opens for the season March 23, 2024) offers myriad adventures for the family, including a zipline canopy tour, aerial ropes course (ages 7+) and a kids adventure course for the little ones (ages 2-6). Pumpkin Ridge Zip Tours has a two-hour zipline experience open to fun-seekers (ages 8+, must be at least 60 pounds).
Kid-Friendly Breweries & Wineries
As Tualatin Valley is located at the northern end of the esteemed wine region, the Willamette Valley, wineries are often at the top of a visitors must-do list. The beauty and friendly environment of our wineries make a perfect addition to any itinerary, even with kids in tow.
Árdíri Winery and Vineyards sits on a beautiful east-facing slope with a view of Mt. Hood. The open-air facility has an adjoining patio, fireplace and three fire pits for a cozy, family-friendly afternoon.
In the same vein, Oregon’s beer scene doubles as a family-friendly one. Most breweries in Tualatin Valley are also brewpubs, serving hearty fare. Lazy Days Brewing and Binary Brewing in Beaverton are kid friendly, as well as Cooper Mountain Ale Works, with two locations: downtown Tigard and Old Town Sherwood.
Kid-Friendly Hotels
An upheaval of routine is hard on kids and parents alike. A mixture of creature comforts and fun novelties help. A family stay at the McMenamins Grand Lodge in Forest Grove is a perfect example of such a mix. Here, you’ll find kid-friendly live music events, an on-site movie theater and food menus where even the pickiest of eaters will have a hard time choosing what to order.
The Aloft Hillsboro-Beaverton gives all the amenities of a luxe hotel stay, while still accommodating to little guests. The hotel lobby doubles as a game room with a pool table. Take the elevator to the indoor splash pool.
For more kid-friendly Spring Break ideas visit these pages: