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A kid’s perfect day in Portland

From breakfast to dinner — we’ve rounded up a day full of kid-friendly activities for the whole family to enjoy.

A little girl walks along a fallen tree while holding her dad's hand.

There are plenty of kid-friendly hikes around Portland.

Sorry, but — NO ADULTS ALLOWED — this one is for the kids. Grown-up, please hand this over to your little one. Got it, kiddo? Let’s plan a family day together. Here’s a fun schedule for you to try.

Morning

Be a chef and cook breakfast for the adults at home. The night before, ask your family to choose from one of these recipes. Don’t be afraid to ask for help if any of the instructions seem confusing.

While you eat, talk about your plan for the day. Ask your family to help you prepare a backpack with things you’ll need. We suggest bringing:

🍫 Plenty of snacks like granola bars
💧 A water bottle
🧢 A hat

If you have time before heading to lunch, play at the playground at Gabriel Park. Maybe pay a visit to the PDX Minifig Exchange or Robot Alley.

Two little girls sit inside a space capsule at OMSI in Southeast Portland.

You’ll find out-of-this-world fun at OMSI.

Photo via OMSI

Afternoon

For lunch, head to Grassa for rigatoni or some slurp-worthy spaghetti. After you’ve filled your belly, spend the afternoon exploring OMSI. What are you looking forward to most? Exploring the universe in the Kendall Planetarium? Or using the forces in the Physics Lab?

Evening

Wrap up the day with a family dinner. Head to one of our local farmers markets to pick out foods you can make together. Over dinner, talk about everything you did today. Ask questions like:

  • What was something new you learned?
  • What was something funny that happened?
  • What would we do differently if we did that again?
  • What do you definitely want to do again? (And again and again…)

Grown-ups — send us more family-friendly recommendations and we may just feature them in an upcoming newsletter.

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