Council Crest Park

On a sunny day, Council Crest Park is amazing! You can see various cascade mountains including: Mt Hood, Mt St Helens, Mt Adams, Mt Jefferson, and Mt Rainier. In addition, if you want more than the amazing view, you can hike into the woods, bring a Frisbee, or play with your dog because there is an open space where many dogs roam on a nice day. There isn’t a playground, but it is a great place to have fun and learn about some of Oregon’s history.  For instance, “it is thought to be the highest point in Portland” according to The City of Portland Parks and Recreation, and known for being an amusement park in the early 1900’s.  Another awesome feature is if you stand in the center, where the large compass is grounded on the top of the mountain, and stand near or on the brass middle, your voice will echo. Kids especially love this unique characteristic, and if you happen to have preschoolers and work on a specific letter of the week, (like Ee – is for echo or Mm – is for mountain) this is the place to go! It would also be a wonderful place to have a picnic, but there aren’t any bathrooms so you might not want to stay to long. Overall, whether your 2 or 72 (and can handle hills) it is a must see for the magnificent panaramic view.  It is a little tricky to find, and parking can be limited, but you will know you are there when you keep going round and round in a beautiful circle. Check it out and have fun Playing in Portland.

Click on Portland Parks & Recreation to find out more about Council Crest Park.

Click on directions to locate Council Crest Park via Google Maps.

Blue Lake Regional Park

Blue Lake Regional Park is a great all-day event.  It is definitely a fun place, in which you, the adult, will want to join in the fun and play with your kids. I guarantee it will revive your soul. We need to play too, and there are various ways to play at Blue Lake Regional Park. It is almost impossible to do everything in one day, so make sure to grab some snacks or a picnic and stay as long as you want.  Some of the many activities you may participate in are swimming in the lake (make sure to check the website to make sure it is open, and it is only available for kids 5 and older), building a sand castle, playing at three different playgrounds, fish (Anglers under 13 can fish with out a license) walk through a lovely nature garden which inspires learning and education, plus so much more. After all that, you may enjoy cooling off at the spray ground/splash pad (available for all ages) for only a $5.00 park entrance fee. For an additional expense, you may rent paddle boats, rowboats, and canoes for the lake.  We didn’t participate in that fun, but we played at two of the three playgrounds, got in the lake, made sand castles, walked through the nature garden, dug for dinosaur bones and then splashed in the splash pad. Overall, there are only a few minor details to take into consideration regarding Blue Lake Regional Park, I mentioned earlier children under the age of 5 can’t get into the lake (for health safety), and the splash pad can get muddy by the grass, (not really a big deal, I guess I have high expectations after Conestoga’s phenomenal splash pad). This is also a park in which you can’t bring your pet. Last, but not least people were smoking, and I thought it was supposed to be a smoke free park.  Despite these minor details, it didn’t stop us from having fun. Some of the other fun things we did were walking across the grass to a sand volleyball court, enjoying what I think is an art structure at one of the smaller playgrounds, and I particularly had a lot of fun burying my kids body (except their heads) in the sand, per their request.  It was so much fun, I can’t wait to go back!  So if you are looking for an all day event – this is it.  It will cool you off, allow your kids to play hard, and they may fall asleep on the drive home. What more could you ask for? It is only 20 minutes from downtown Portland, and totally worth the $5.00 entrance fee.  So why not get your swimsuits, beach toys and every thing ready now.  Summer will be over before you know it, and you don’t want to miss out on this extraordinary fun made possible by Blue Lake Regional Park. It is a place where you and your kids will create memories that last a lifetime.

Check the website to make sure the lake is open, (they do close it from time to time due to health precautions) and see their description of the park.

Click on maps for directions to Blue Lake Regional Park.

Muddy!

Ibach Park

Ibach Park is one of the greatest parks in the metro area to discover, learn, and play. You might be surprised that it has been around for a while, but it hasn’t lost a bit of its splendor. It actually has been around so long, there are dinosaur bones!  Well that’s a bit of an exaggeration, it isn’t THAT OLD, but there is a replica of dinosaur bones in which you and your kids can walk and/or dig through. Because there is so much to learn and explore at Ibach Park, it reminds me a lot of RiverPlay Discovery Village Playground in Eugene. (Which according to Spoonful.com ranks among “The World’s Best Parks and Playgrounds.”) Ibach and RiverPlay Discovery Village specifically have a few features that are the same such as the ferry, canoe, and turf representing a specific river. They are also both designed by Landscape Structures and teach Oregon history through one of the best ways of learning – play.  However, if for some reason your child gets tired of discovering the great history of the Tualatin Valley through play, they can either pretend to canoe to the other side of the river and cross the meteor and/or dig in the sand, which also leads to a slide and climbing structure. In addition, they can run across the grass, and twist and spin on a whole other playground. My only reservation about the main playground is just like Pirate Park the incline hill is a slippery slope for children.  My children, as well as others have gotten scraped knees and elbows from the turf and sand rubbing against their skin as they have run or slid down the hill.  Be careful.  (I tell my kids if they want to slide down the hill, slide down the actual slide. That is what it is there for.) Despite this minor per-caution Ibach Park is wonderful, and I forgot to mention always calm!  Truly its greatness must be unknown to many because Ibach Park has endless opportunities for your child(ren) to imagine, discover, create and explore.

Click on The City of Tualatin to their description of Ibach Park.

Click on maps for directions to Ibach Park.

Grant Park

Grant Park is a classic Portland park.  It is named after the president Ulysses Grant who visited Portland 3 times, and is home to the Beverly Cleary Sculptures Garden for children where life-sized statues of the beloved Ramona Quimby, Henry Huggins, and Henry’s Dog Ribsy continue to play.  Since Grant Park is an older park there is plenty of shade and you can also find water fountains from June 1st – Sept. 15th.  The main structure definitely has its wear and tear, but it still brings smiles to every child that climbs on board.  Some of the classic attributes about Portland City parks, like Grant Park is the steep steel slide along with old wooden bright-colored teeter-totters.  Grant Park also has a tire swing which can be hard to find.  Last, but not least if you have runners in your family Grant Park has a nice track to run around.  Having a track can be especially beneficial if you and your family participate in family runs during the summer.  Overall, Grant Park is a great place to walk, run, bike, climb and do everything fun when the sun starts to shine.  So get out and have fun Playing in Portland!

Click on Portland Parks & Recreation to see their description of Grant Park.

Click on maps for directions to Grant Park.

 

JJ Jump

Often when Playing in Portland you have to play inside and JJ Jump is a GREAT place to play inside.  They state they are, “Oregon’s Best and Biggest Indoor Inflatable Arena” and my kids would agree because JJ Jump’s Clackamas location currently consists of a total of 7 bouncy houses, (1/2 of which are in a dark glow-room for cosmic jumping), in addition there is a rock wall, zip line, play stations, air hockey and other fun.  My kids loved the glow-room and the zip line the best. However, I was disappointed that they didn’t have a chance to try out everything because they were satisfied and having so much FUN with the zip line and bouncy houses. I really wanted to know about the rock wall.  Regardless, if your child doesn’t get a chance to do “everything” or as many times as they would like, this is a great place to play and have a party!  In addition to parties, JJ Jump offers various open playtimes and has homeschool events and summer camps.  My only precaution for this wonderful place is the zip line will give you a little scare.  It is above a concrete floor with no padding underneath.  There is ALWAYS someone right there, but it can be frightening the first time you see your little one hanging from the air.  Overall, this is a phenomenal place to play in the raining season or when it is too hot to play outside. Your kids will definitely be begging you to bring them back to JJ Jump.                    So check it out, and have fun Playing in Portland. 

For directions click on maps to find JJ Jump.

Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge

If you want a great place to discover nature, Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge is a fun to explore.  The Wildlife Center has various opportunities to learn and enjoy the great outdoors.  If you enter the main building you may view an inside exhibit which explains various things about nature and the Tualatin river.  In addition, you may want to visit the nature store and grab a complementary back pack for your child to have a greater exploring experience!  In the back pack, there are all sorts of fun things such as a cloud finder, binoculars, and reading material about what you may see as you and your child walk on the paths of the Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge.  After your walk, when you return the backpack, if you haven’t already checked out the telescope in the back of the store you will want to do so, and possibly get a free sticker or tattoo from one of the volunteers!  Tualatin River national Wildlife Refuge is great place to explore and is currently free, but there may be a cost in the future. So go, hurry and enjoy this free great escape while you can.

For directions to Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge click on maps.

 

Elizabeth Price Park

Do you want to go to a park in which you can walk on water? Elizabeth Price is the place! This park has so much to offer for being a small park and you really can walk on water because a portion of the park is on top of a water tank. I love this park because there are numerous ways to incorporate education and play. For instance, there are signs in which you can teach your child about wildlife, agriculture, conservation, history, and geography. There is also a labyrinth in which you can discuss spirituality, or because of the park being on water you may want to bring up the biblical narrative of Jesus walking on water. The only downfall of this park is there are no restrooms. So, if you are not close to home, go to the bathroom before you leave and in case of emergency you can hop on HWY 99 fairly quickly to get to a restroom.  The last thing to mention about this park is the new structure and it is nice fencing.  So bring a friend or schedule a play date because this is a lovely park tucked away on beautiful Bull Mountain.

Click on City of Tigard to see their description of Elizabeth Price Park.

For directions to this park click on maps or Elizabeth Price Park.

Oregon Gymnastics Academy

Do you want your child to grow in character, fitness and health? At Oregon Gymnastics Academy (OGA) your child is capable of gaining all those qualities along with other skills and various friendships. One great thing about OGA is you don’t have to be a member to enjoy their elite training center. OGA has an indoor play schedule open to the public for 0-6 year olds on Tuesdays and Fridays, as well as Saturdays for 0-17 year olds. OGA also hosts various events such as Parents Night Out, camps, birthday parties, fitness for those with special needs, and they even have a homeschool PE class once a week!  Of course for members they have various classes, which train both children and adults. So whether you want to play or train check out OGA.

For directions to OGA click on maps.

Rice Northwest Museum of Rocks and Minerals

Rice Northwest Museum of Rocks and Minerals is a nice outing any time of the year. If the weather is nice you may want to enjoy not only the astounding rocks and minerals inside, but also their beautiful landscape outside. At Rice Northwest Museum of Rocks and Minerals you will be surprised at how much there is to discover! There are glow in the dark rocks, jewels, petrified rocks, meteorites, a gift shop, and much more. My kids specifically liked touching the petrified dinosaur poop and seeing the crystallized gold. I liked the diamonds and the pink rocks. Truly there are rocks and minerals for everyone; I’m convinced you will be captivated more than once. Be sure to explore the whole area and not just The Northwest Mineral Gallery as the house has various rooms and nooks you will want to see. In addition, as you are leaving don’t forget to let your children grab a free rock as each kid may take one out of the outside rock pile. Overall, Rice Northwest Museum of Rocks and Minerals has been nationally recognized as the finest rocks and minerals museum in the Pacific Northwest, and one of the best in the nation. So check it out, you will learn a lot and see beautiful rocks and minerals from around the world.

For directions to Rice Northwest Museum of Rocks and Minerals click on maps.

Archers Field

Today we had so much fun at Archers Field!  So many kids and adults are currently into bows and arrows, and Archers Field is the best place to explore and adventure into archery. They have classes, b-day parties, homeschool activities, and a variety of events throughout the year.  When we were there today, (on a Tuesday) there were a variety of adults and kids.  A girl was having a birthday party and all her friends seemed to have a load of fun and even got to take home their target practice. My kids too, had a blast!  Don’t worry if you don’t own a bow they have plenty to loan just come pay and play. If you begin to love the sport there are a plenty of bows to choose and purchase at Archers Field.  It is a great place to discover.

For directions to Archers Field click on maps.