Search Kid-Friendly Activities
Discover the best things to do in Portland with toddlers, tweens and every age in between.
Ready for the best. family. vacation. ever? Whatever your kids are into (science, animals, video games, the great outdoors), there are plenty of family-friendly sights and activities to keep the kids occupied and the whole family entertained. Explore some of our favorite family-friendly activities and events in Portland.
Activities for Kids and Families
Top Kid-Friendly Activities
If Bill Nye “the Science Guy” were to design the world’s most fun-packed laboratory, odds are he’d look to OMSI for inspiration. Inside, hundreds of interactive displays, multiple exhibition halls, a planetarium, an IMAX theater and more can fill an entire day. Sea-worthy adventurers can take the 45-minute tour on the USS Blueback, a full-sized submarine docked outside in the Willamette River. The tour includes kicking back on a tiny bunk, spying the river through a periscope, pushing buttons in the control room, and even touching a torpedo. Kids 12 and over who want to dive even deeper can attend a three-hour “tech tour” led by a submarine veteran on the second, third and fourth Sundays of the month.
Budding biologists flock to Portland’s unusual museums like the World Forestry Center and the adjacent Oregon Zoo where 64 park-like acres (26 ha) boast natural enclosures that evoke everything from African savannahs to tropical rainforests. Kids can hop aboard the solar-powered Zoo Railway, a steam locomotive that dates back to the 1950s.
The Portland Saturday Market is the go-to spot for creative crafts, handmade art and jewelry, and other one-of-a-kind finds. Booklovers could devote an entire week to exploring the block-sized Powell’s City of Books, which augments its 1 million new and used books with offbeat local souvenirs and gifts.
Reveling in vintage charm, Oaks Amusement Park — America’s oldest continuously operating amusement park — offers a variety of rides and amusements including retro roller-coasters, a Ferris wheel and even a roller-skating rink. And while it lacks the biggest thrill rides of, say, Six Flags, there’s a great deal to amuse younger children in particular for a whole afternoon. Ride bracelets make a day’s entertainment very affordable.
Events & Activities
Kids under the spell of the stage will delight in fantastical productions featuring acrobats, puppets and more in Portland’s vibrant theater scene. Experience family-friendly performances at The Judy and Imago Theatre, among other venues.
Other family-friendly events in Portland range from rousing story times to tranquil nature walks to central city tours. You’re sure to find something fun to do in the heart of downtown and the surrounding Portland region, whether it’s a beautiful day or one that’s best spent indoors.
Parks & Playgrounds
Portland is famous for outdoor activities, and the city’s abundant public parks offer ideal places for kids to get in on the fun. There are 200-plus parks and gardens within Portland city limits, many featuring playgrounds. In the warmer months, splash pads and interactive fountains offer a great way to cool off — some favorites include Salmon Street Springs, Colonel Summers Park, and Columbia Park & Annex (check with Portland Parks & Recreation for a full list of interactive fountains and splash pads around town).
Credit: Ashley Anderson
For a fun way to spend a hot day, head to Jamison Square in the Pearl District. Like a geyser, the fountain’s waterfalls stop, drain and cascade again. After, order some homemade scoops at nearby Miss Oz Ice Cream & Dessert and chill out even more.
Parks With Playgrounds
Portland parks offer many great places for kids to play.
Entertainment: Golf, Games & More
For an immersive art experience combined with a miniature golf adventure, Portland artist Mike Bennett’s Wonderwood Mini Golf lets groups of all ages explore a 9-hole course packed with whimsy.
In downtown Portland, Glowing Greens is an indoor, pirate-themed, black-light-filled mini-golf course. Playing the course takes approximately 45 minutes, but you can fill the rest of the day with axe throwing and escape rooms on-site.
Gamers in the family will have a blast at Portland’s all-ages arcades. Electric Castle’s Wunderland on Southeast Belmont Street is one of the best options in town — you’ll find a slew of affordable arcade games, plus redemption games like Skee-Ball, an adjoining second-run movie theater, escape rooms and more. Other Wunderland outposts in and around town — including Gresham, Beaverton and Milwaukie locations — offer more arcade-game excitement, plus other activities like laser tag, go-karts and miniature golf. For more fun, many of Portland’s arcades that are designed for older audiences still offer all-ages play during at least some hours or on certain days.
Grab your goggles and floaties and head 20 minutes southeast of Portland to North Clackamas Aquatic Park. The water park features a 400,000-gallon wave swimming pool, three water slides, a 29-foot (8.8 m) rock-climbing wall, a toddler splash zone, a six-lane lap pool and a 13-foot-deep (4 m) diving well. (Other trips outside the city can lead you to kid-friendly regional attractions too.)
Kid-Friendly Eats
Looking for places to feast on foods fit for a whole family? Start here.
Shopping with the Whole Family
Malls and Shopping Centers
A trip to the mall can offer a little something for everyone in the family. Downtown Portland’s home for big-brand shopping, Pioneer Place, houses major brands like Louis Vuitton, H&M, Apple and more. In addition to a wide variety of stores, the multi-block Portland shopping center has a large food court and a Regal Cinema. For shoppers looking to support local businesses and experience the independent spirit of Portland, the revival of this Northeast Portland shopping center will be of interest: Lloyd Center hosts around 70 local and national shops and restaurants, a 10-screen movie theater and an indoor ice rink.
Toy Stores, Boutiques, Bookshops & More
Naturally, a city this eclectic is bursting with awesome only-in-Portland shopping options for kids.
Seasonal Family Fun
It doesn’t matter the time of year, Portland has fun-filled activities for kids all year long. Read on for our round-up of family events by season.
Fall Family Fun
Families can find fun outdoor activities in and around Portland every fall. With breathtaking sights and waterfalls, an hour’s drive east from downtown Portland through the scenic Columbia River Gorge lands your family in the picture-perfect and delicious orchards of Hood River. Experience a slice of the Fruit Loop and meander through the orchards with views — on a clear day — of Mount Hood and Mount Adams while apple picking.
Closer to Portland, find pumpkin patches and corn mazes on Sauvie Island, which is a half-hour drive from downtown, to the annual costumed pumpkin boat race at the West Coast Giant Pumpkin Regatta, a twenty-minute drive south of Portland in Tualatin, to more spooky events for Halloween.
Winter Family Fun
Though the weather outside may be frightful, winter in Portland still holds a lot of fun. Portlanders bundle up and celebrate the holidays in Portland with fun events that delight at any age, like the Christmas Ships Parade. And when the rain is too heavy, head inside and check off your holiday shopping list while supporting local makers at Crafty Wonderland.
With only an hour and a half drive from Portland, bring the family to the mountains for fun in the snow, like skiing or tubing the slopes of Mount Hood. The historic Timberline Lodge accommodates families of adventurers of any skill level, from black diamond runs to the hot cocoa crowd in the lodge. Or, stick closer to the city and explore winter hikes and walks.
Every February, the Winter Light Festival brings light to the wintry darkness with imaginative light displays that combine light and technology to create interactive experiences at many different locations in downtown and the Central Eastside.
Spring Family Fun
Take a break — or even Spring Break — to see Portland while the entire city is blooming with spring colors and kid-friendly events.
Follow the season of blooms from cherry blossoms at the Japanese American Historical Plaza in Waterfront Park from mid-March to mid-April, tulips at the Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival in Woodburn during the month of April, rhododendrons at Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden in April–May, and irises at Schreiner’s Iris Gardens in Salem in May.
The roses in the City of Roses start to bloom late in May, just in time for the annual Portland Rose Festival, with parades, dragon boat races and carnival rides filling Waterfront Park.
For those seeking the eccentric side of Portland, don’t miss the UFO Festival in McMinnville, just an hour southwest of downtown. Oregon’s annual celebration features days full of parades, costume contests, expert speakers and family fun.
Summer Family Fun
When the weather heats up, Portland’s public spaces overflow with summer fun and outdoor activities at some of the city’s most beloved venues, like Zoo Nights and McMenamins Edgefield’s Concerts on the Lawn.
With plenty of free family fun, the city’s Summer Free for All hosts movies, concerts and family-friendly events in the parks, or cool off at these Portland swimming holes. From July through September, Piano Push Play places beautifully decorated pianos throughout the city, with an invitation for any passerby to play. Another summer-long festival of events is Pedalpalooza, with plenty of kid-friendly rides on the calendar.
Get to know Portland’s unique neighborhoods with Portland Street Fairs. These events extend through the summer months, closing off the main street in each neighborhood so families can explore local vendors and food carts and watch kid-friendly performers.
More Kid-Friendly Fun
Wherever you are (and whatever the weather) find more family-friendly Portland fun.
Indoor Activities for Kids
Portland offers a broad array of indoor activities for kids and families, including story times, indoor playgrounds, arcades, skating and more.
Kid-Friendly Regional Attractions
Trips outside the city promise all-ages entertainment. Here are four must-see attractions within two hours of downtown Portland.
Portland Toy Stores
Whether you’re a parent looking for an educational game or a collector on the hunt for a vintage action figure, Portland’s independent toy stores and book stores deliver.
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