Portland Advice?

Are you taking any trips this summer? We’ve been brainstorming a good place for a family vacation and we’ve decided to take a weeklong trip to Portland! We’re so excited! I’ve always wanted to go, and it seems like such a rad city, with great food, bikes everywhere, beautiful nature, mountains in the distance, the most microbreweries in the world. (Budget Travel even wrote an article, “Can a Place Be Too Perfect?”)

As we put our August trip together, I would love to ask you: Do you have any tips for visiting Portland? Neighborhoods to rent a house in, places to eat and drink, activities to do? Thank you SO much for any advice! We cannot wait. (Keller Fountains look amazing.)

P.S. 10 trips for traveling with a baby, and how to entertain a toddler on a plane.

(Photo by Michael J. Spear)

Tags: family travel, our vacations

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Ron

June 3, 2016 2:38 am

We lived in Portland for about a year and enjoyed the city very much. In the summer the farmers market by the South Park Blocks next to Portland State should be a blast in the weekend. The saturday market by the waterfront on the weekends is a great place to hangout as well.

We traveled to Portland earlier this year and stayed in the 23rd St. neighborhood. There are plenty of trendy shops and restaurants there. One of our favorite joints is Little Big Burger. For dessert, we enjoyed Salt & Straw’s eccentric ice creams.

The town is also full of breweries. We particularly like Bridgeport and Deschutes.

We hope you enjoy the city!

Ali

May 24, 2016 5:04 pm

Hi Joanna,

Portlander with young ones here coming late with some suggestions (when you originally posted this it was ski season here in Oregon and we were otherwise occupied). Not sure how long you are staying, but here are some suggestions grouped by locale:

CITY – DAY 1
Rent bikes near the Ace Hotel. They have some with Burley child trailers.
Jamison Square Park in the Pearl. Go only a week day.
Grab lunch at Hot Lips Pizza or Laughing Planet in the nearby Eco Trust building.
Stop in at Powell’s Books.
Ruby Jewel ice cream is near Powell’s and just as good as Salt & Straw with no queue.
While boys are in the children’s section at Powell’s with their dad, you dash out and head a few blocks west on Burnside to try on jeans at Imogene + Willie (the only store in the US outside of their Nashville HQ) and the Best. Jeans. Ever.

DAY 2 – CITY
Oregon Zoo – we are not big zoo people but the Oregon Zoo does a very good job of creating nice habitats for the animals. They have a super nice Pacific Northwest section with mountain goats, bald eagles and black bears.
Take the open air mini train to the Washington Park rose garden and go to “Elephant Park” (I don’t know the official name but my girls always call it that and love taking the train there). The park is right in front of the train platform when you exit the train. The train sounds cheesy but the kids love it and it winds through a lovely (and cool, if it is hot out) forest. Depending on the summer temps, roses may still be in bloom. You can take the train round trip back to the zoo.
No restaurants outside of standard zoo-visitor fare so pack a lunch.

DAY 3 – THE GORGE & MOUNTAINS
Rent a car and go to Hood River and the Columbia River Gorge for the day. Walcella Falls is an excellent hike with kids. I would skip Multnomah Falls unless you go super early.
Go to Pfriem in HR for a wonderful meal.
There is an awesome river-front playground right in front of Pfriem with a lovely beach for little ones.
Double Mountain for beer and pizza in the HR downtown area.
Mike’s Ice Cream also in downtown HR.
Take Hwy 35 South to Mt Hood & Government Camp.
Depending on when in August, stop by Mt Hood Organic Farm for pears just off of Hwy 35 on Smullin Road (if on the weekend, call ahead to make sure they don’t have a wedding going on in the afternoon). Amazing views of Mt Hood plus organic pears for a song.
Visit the historic Timberline Lodge with close-up views of Mt Hood for dinner then head back to Portland via Hwy 26 while children sleep in the car.

OTHER
Ecola State Park on the coast. (We usually head to the mountains so I don’t have much in the way of beach resources).
Sauvie’s Island for berry picking and beaches on the Columbia River.

Have a lovely holiday!

STAN

November 24, 2015 5:47 pm

thank for share

domonique | the simple proof

September 8, 2015 5:13 pm

love these tips and second many of them. reservations are a must in portland. the food scene is awesome! mingo, ava genes, and xico are terrific. if you get outside of portland, we loved multnomah falls (http://thesimpleproof.com/waterfall-alley-columbia-river-oregon/)

Alyssa C.

August 25, 2015 11:01 pm

Hello,

Portland is one of my favorite cities to explore.

I hope you have a great time! If you want some outdoor adventure you should visit Multnomah Falls.

http://awoodsymuse.com/2013/11/04/multnomah-falls-or/

Safe Travels~

Shelly

August 25, 2015 8:32 pm

With 426 comments, I may have missed a prior recommendation for this – but please, please if when in Manzanita – drive 30 minutes North to Cannon Beach just for dinner at the Irish Table. Cozy, intimate, wonderfully satiating food (and yes – I do realize I’m recommending Irish fare when you feel like you should be eating Fish & Chips – ha!). Despite the lack of seafood, you won’t regret spending the time at this glowing special spot…

Yella

August 22, 2015 12:43 pm

Just visited with husband and baby girl earlier this year and was smitten. A few food-related items that we thoroughly enjoyed:

Olympic Provisions. They are responsible for some seriously delicious and pretty widely distributed salumi that I’ve sampled here in the Bay Area over the past few years. Little did I know their restaurant (they have two locations but I believe we went to the one in the warehouse district) would be so on point. Unmissable for a meat and cheese board and some sparkling wine. We went with baby for a very early supper and it was perfectly easy.

Apizza Scholls. A great pizza joint with beer and wine. This place seems to have a following so try to avoid the line.

Cooper’s Hall. This is too cool! It’s a winery and taproom and kitchen in a former auto body shop. We had their rosé and some fried ramps with aioli – just happiness. Different than anything I’ve seen in terms of wine bars. Kids ok :)

SIP Juice Cart on NE Division St. A necessary lift. Their truck is situated right next to the local fave Pine State Biscuits.

And lastly, this is a weird one but I became addicted to Honey Mama’s Raw Chocolate while I was there. Sold at Whole Foods and Food Coop near NE Division, it is incredible stuff made locally and available at only a small handful of places. Cacao, coconut oil, honey, pink salt (and maybe one more ingredient). Try the one with rose petals omg. Kept in the refrigerated section because it is so coconut oily it wants to melt as soon as its at room temperature.

Have a ball! XO

jenna

August 22, 2015 12:03 pm

Highly recommend stopping in my sister’s new shop called Field Trip. You would love it. They have kids craft time on Tuesday mornings too! shop-fieldtrip.com

Karen Pride

August 21, 2015 3:48 pm

Hi Joanna,

I live in Portland read your blog daily. How exciting that you will be visiting Portland! Here are a list of my favorites places in the city:

cocktails: Angel Face Bar and Expatriate
beer: Breakside Brewing
Gluten-free beer: Groundbreaker Gastropub
italian food: Luce (my absolute FAVORITE restaurant)
pizza: Ken’s Artisan Pizza, Lovely’s Fifty Fifty, Dove Vivi
Breakfast: Milk Glass Market and Sweedeedee
Music Venues: Doug Fir, Mississippi Studios, Revolution Hall
Fav outdoor music venue if there happens to be an awesome band playing: Edgefield
Fun simple wine bar: Enso
Outdoor fun: Mt Tabor
Coffee: Coava (and a million other places. such good coffee in Portland)
Wandering around and shopping: Mississippi and Alberta St are my favorites
Quintessential Portland sunset picnic spot: Skidmore Bluffs
Provisions for sunset spot: Pastaworks Market or Foster & Dobbs
Healthy brunch, lunch or dinner: My place :) Harlow
Fav citys on Northern Oregon Coast: Manzanita and Astoria

Jane

July 26, 2015 12:25 pm

Hi Joanna,
I’ve been meaning to write this for a while. Portland is a really great choice for a family vacation! You have plenty of great recommendations already so here are just a couple more:
1. Take the streetcar to the tram (the boys will LOVE it!) but try to avoid the tram during “rush hours”- 7-10am, 3-6pm because it gets really crowded- think: sardines. Afterwards, there’s a splash pad in the park at the base of the tram that could be fun for the boys if you’re here on a hot day. They also have farmers markets in that park Thursdays through October and you could grab something to eat there.
2. If you’re here in September, look into the Vaux’s swifts at Chapman Elementary. Hundreds of people gather with picnic dinners to watch this huge flock of swifts (on their migrating to Venezuela) circle and circle and circle and finally swoop into their roost for the night. It sounds weird but it’s really awesome to see. It happens every night in September.
I’m originally a Michigander like you and the Pacific Northwest reminds me of Western and Northern Michigan in a lot of ways. I’m sure you’ll love it.

Brookie

July 9, 2015 7:24 pm

Fifth generation homesick Portlander and frequent visitor – do go for a float at the Kennedy School pool on a weekday morning. Skip the regular haunts on the coast and go to Astoria, and skip Multnomah Falls (but do drive the Crown Point Loop in spring) in favor of a trip to the Maryhill Museum. Walk and bike and take transit. Go to Gloria’s Secret in Beaverton after picking berries on Sauvies Island and sunning at the nude beach. I find Salt & Straw, Escape From New York, and Papa Hadyn to be terrible in every way, sorry everybody – but then again I love nearly every hole in the wall burrito joint and banh mi drive-in on 82nd. Washington Park hiking and walks in the west hills are breathtaking year-round, I completely agree.

Tracy Reeve

July 8, 2015 12:53 pm

oops posted mid-comment by mistake — here’s the rest of the resto recommendation — a family friendly restaurant we love, great delicious food, reasonable prices, mostly local or even grown on owner’s farm is Seasons & Regions on SW Vermont, great kids menu.

Tracy Reeve

July 8, 2015 12:50 pm

Native Portlander here. My recommendations:

1. Coast — Manzanita! Perfect small Oregon coast town, off highway 101, great vibe, great 7 mile soft sand beach, fun for families, under two hours from Portland, less touristy and crowded than Cannon Beach.

2. Second all who recommend the Columbia Rive Gorge. SO gorgeous (pun noted), easy day trip, many great short and long hikes and waterfalls, Hood River for lunch.

3. Parks, parks & more parks — a loop hike on Wildwood trail/Leif Erickson in Forest Park (access at top of NW Thurman and combine with a few hours on NW 21st and NW 23rd, fun restaurants, good shops and I vote “yes” on Salt & Straw ice cream). Also love little Big Burger on NW 23rd (and elsewhere). Visit Japanese Garden in Washington Park and while you’re there check out Rose Garden (SO many roses and great views of downtown) and Elephant Playground for your littles. My favorite downtown park is the European style paved Director’s Park with a great kid friendly fountain. Laurelhurst Park on the East side is lovely. If you like gardens the Chinese Classical Garden in Old Town is a must. Of course you have to check out the Pearl, and with kids Jamison Square and/or Tanner Street Springs. Another fabulous ice cream shop (downtown and Mississippi) is Ruby Jewel (have an ice cream sandwich with homemade cookies!). Food carts are fantastic, giant selection of them downtown and elsewhere in town. Hawthorne area has a great vibe, as does SE Division/Clinton Street neighborhoods. Ladd’s Addition is fun to stroll through to see the darling houses and unique, non-linear layout. In SW, Multnomah Village, Hillsdale and Gabriel Park are all worth exploring — a family friendly resta

Jessica Doll

July 1, 2015 3:25 am

We are headed to Portland in August too! We plan to spend some time on the coast, and some time downtown.

Mina

June 29, 2015 6:04 pm

Awesome choice! I grew up in the Portland area and I highly recommend renting a car and heading out to the coast (Pacific City, Cannon Beach and the Tillamook area are my faves) or the Columbia River Gorge (Multnomah Falls, Vista House and Hood River are so lovely). Both are breathtaking and so worth the drive. I personally love the Hawthorne area and it is full of cute little boutiques and vintage stores. I also love McMennamins and think you’d enjoy walking around the Kennedy School or Edgefield (although they are very boozy establishments!). Saturday Market is always fun and lasts all weekend. It’s like a big flea/farmer/handmade market and right on the water! I think that Voodoo and Salt and Straw are over hyped myself and not worth the lines. I would recommend Papa Haydn’s for sweet treats!

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