10 Things to do with your kids in Oregon This Summer

Oregon is one beautiful state that offers a huge variety of unique things to do with your family - here's 10 things that should be on your bucket-list next year!

Even back in April 2012 when I began this blog to share our lives, I knew I wanted it to be more than that.

I've often talked about my passion for living on here, and from that stems so many topics. Learning new recipes, crafting with the kids, and some of my favorites - sharing our adventures with you.

I've always shared things on a local level too - having a "local living" tab so you can easily scroll through the events, places, and other things we have done here in the greater Willamette Valley.

But living locally isn't just about Portland, Oregon. I hope that by sharing some of our adventures it will inspire you to create your own - wherever your "local" is.

Someday I would love to expand and venture out farther with the family and share local experiences from other states - but for now I will continue to share living locally in Oregon.

With that being said I wanted to write and highlight some great places and things to do here in Oregon. Spring break and summer will be here before we know it, and it'll be time to begin looking for things to keep the kids busy. Here's some of my favorite things we have done over the past two years:

1. Visit the Oregon Zoo - The Oregon Zoo has always been one of my kids favorite day trips. There is always a new animal to see and a treats to eat. The Zoo offers a discount Tuesday once a month, and we braved the crowd last July, but my suggestion would be to skip the deal and pay full price for less crowds during the summer. For more information visit the Oregon Zoo Website.

2. Climb to the top of the Astoria Column - About a year and a half ago we finally made it to Astoria and climbed the infamous Astoria Column. They have little wooden airplanes that you can send off from the top and watch them soar all the way down. Anika had a little fear from the height of the Column, but she made it. This is my favorite photo from our trip, and you can see the comparison of the column to my husband and kids. Astoria is a very historical coastal town as far north west you can go in Oregon, and its worth spending a day and/or night it. For more Astoria adventure ideas visit their Chamber of Commerce website HERE.

3. Visit the Beach - One thing that I love about living in Oregon is the abundance of beaches we have. Sometimes when we visit my family in Southern Oregon we will just take Highway 101 down the coast and turn it into a scenic day trip. There's many little towns and shops to explore.

4. Crater Lake - I have been an Oregonian my entire life and had never been to the Crater Lake until two summers ago! It is a must on an Oregon visit! It is the deepest lake in North America and it is simply breathtaking. It will take a little drive to get there, but once you step out and take a look at the lake you will be in awe. The blue is the richest blue I have ever seen. We went in July and there was still some snow on the grounds and my kids were so elated that they were teasing me that it really was Christmas in July. We packed a full lunch and had a picnic.

5. Take a ride on the Mount Hood Railroad - Over in Hood River, which is about 2 hours east of Portland, there are lots of fun things to do, including their local Mount Hood Railroad. We rode on the railroad for the first time this past winter for their annual Polar Express Train Ride. They have afternoon excursions, dinner trains, and many other themed adventures throughout the year that look like a lot of fun. There's also other festivals like a Cherry Blossom Festival held every year that I imagine is simply beautiful.

6. Go to a rodeo - Last summer we took the kids to see their very first rodeo in St. Paul Oregon. St. Paul is a tiny town in the Willamette Valley that really has nothing going on except for the infamous St. Paul rodeo. The town with a population of just over 400 people draws in thousands of people ever Independence Day. There's other rodeos around throughout the summer, but the largest one around is held in Pendleton every year and is called The Pendleton Round-Up. It over in eastern Oregon and I've not made it out there to it yet, but its on my bucket list to do one of these years.

7. Experience the Oregon State Fair - What would summer be without attending a state fair? The Oregon State Fair is held at the end of summer every year and always has something fun for everyone, whether its the rides, animals, or concerts.

8. Visit a local farm and pick blueberries - One of my favorite things to do every July is travel to one of the many local farms in the Willamette Valley and go blueberry picking with the kids. Blueberry picking is the perfect berry to take kids picking with, because there's no thorns, and they're easy to pick! Afterwards we always reward ourselves to a homemade smoothie or milkshake. The Last couple summers we've headed over to Farmer John's in Mcminnville for picking.

9. Stop by Southern Oregon - I was born in Southern Oregon, and there are lots of activities for outdoor enthusiasts. If you like rafting the Rogue River is a huge attraction! There is also the Oregon Caves, Fun artsy towns like Jacksonville to visit, and the Wildlife Safari in Winston, which is a large outdoor exotic animal park.

10.  The Tillamook Cheese Factory: It wouldn't be an Oregon summer without a trip to the beach and a stop to the Tillamook Cheese Factory along the way. The kids love going and watching the cheese making process and sampling a variety of their cheeses, and finishing the trip off with a large waffle cone.

I hope this gives you a few ideas of places to visit in Oregon this year! This is just a few of the great things we have done...I hope to share more with you in the near future! Do you have a favorite place to visit in Oregon?

~Melissa