One day in Portland

Heading out to beautiful Oregon on Sunday and will only have one day in Portland. The week will be spent in Welches and the following weekend in Cannon Beach. I can%26#39;t wait!

Anyway, we have lookde through many visitor guides and some websites, but since we only have one day in Portland, we%26#39;d like to get as much out of it as possible. We will have a car and it will be two adults and a 10 and 12 year old. The kids aren%26#39;t much into zoo%26#39;s or children%26#39;s museums anymore.

We thought about doing the aeriel tram and heading along the waterfront. What else would you recommendto see and where to eat that%26#39;s good but casual? I know one day isn%26#39;t enough, but it%26#39;s all we have for this trip.

Thanks in advance!

One day in Portland

Heading out to beautiful Oregon on Sunday and will only have one day in Portland. The week will be spent in Welches and the following weekend in Cannon Beach. I can%26#39;t wait%26gt;%26gt;%26gt;%26gt;%26gt;%26gt;%26gt;%26gt;

unless you have a specific reason for spending a week in welches i personally think there isnt that much to do there -- i would reverse the times spent there and in cannon beach but thats just me

One day in Portland

There is Marina Fish House down on the waterfront that is casual, Harborside is also very good but a little pricey. Have fun in Portland! :)

Thanks for the replies - we are in Welches for the week at a timeshare we traded. We are going to do some spring skiing and hiking along with driving along the Mt. Hood Scenic Byway.

Any more tips for Portland?

We%26#39;ve had some discussion about the aerial tram on this forum, which visitor guides may not tell you was built primarily to transport staff, students, and patients between facilities of OHSU. So, just don%26#39;t be surprised if there aren%26#39;t many other tourists riding with you.

What are you thinking about for the waterfront? On one side of the river there%26#39;s a park (basically a long strip of grass); on the other, an esplanade. Either or both are nice for a walk: views of the skyline and bridges. And there%26#39;s a skate park on the east side under one of the bridges that the kids might enjoy seeing. But, other than that......

If you don%26#39;t want to do the zoo or museums (did you check out OMSI?), it%26#39;s hard to come up with activities the kids would enjoy. Maybe walk them through Pioneer Square, let them shop and ride the escalators in Pioneer Place. Shop and play some ping pong in Lizard Lounge. Let %26#39;em climb the rock wall at the REI in the Pearl District. Drive up into Washington Park (nice city views). Feel like I%26#39;m striking out here... Unless you%26#39;ve otherwise planned it, I%26#39;d suggest driving out the Columbia River Gorge.

This is a few miles out of Portland, but may be of interest?

www.oregon.com/trips/willamette_falls.cfm

You%26#39;re too early for any boat tours, other than the lunch and dinner cruises.

OMSI is fun for all ages :-)

Mistletoe has some good suggestions.

You won%26#39;t be here on the weekend, so that rules out a trip to Saturday Market, which they would probably find quite fun.

Portland%26#39;s waterfront isn%26#39;t really like other city%26#39;s waterfronts. Not full of shops, restaurants, etc. It is basically a huge park on both side of the river.

I think the aerial tram is a bit of fun. Since you have a car a drive up to Hood River through The Gorge might be illuminating. Lunch in Hood River, maybe a stop at Multnomah Falls?

For food, wander down into The Pearl and have a bite at Piazza Italia if you all like Italian food. For dinner at good rates you might like Sungari Pearl or P.F Changs.

A walk along the waterfront is one of my favorite things to do - but it depends on the weather. Current forcasts indicate sun and temps around 70.

Have fun and welcome to Portland.

Since Welches is on the Mt. Hood loop and isn%26#39;t that far from Portland, you could do a couple of day trips around the loop (including the gorge and Multnomah Falls) and even spend another day in Portland and be back for dinner. Don%26#39;t know if the wind surfers are active this time of year at Hood River, but the kids might like to see that. Perhaps, a ski boarding lesson on Mt. Hood, followed by a meal at Timberline Lodge and taking off the chill in front of the lodge%26#39;s huge fireplace. Coming from Wisconsin, the snow might not have a great deal of appeal, but being on top of a volcano might hold some fascination. If you can be in Portland on the weekend, the Saturday Market might be fun for the whole family (open Saturday and Sunday).

How about a movie and pizza (and microbrews for the older folks) at the same time?

http://www.mcmenamins.com/index.php?loc=9

Since you%26#39;re in Welches, be sure to check out Wildwood Recreation Area. Neat interpretive trail there and tons of spots for a picnic. It will cost you $2 though.

I was going to suggest Tryon Creek State Park for your Portland visit, but you%26#39;ll probably be sick of nature by then. If I were a 10-year-old kid from Wisconsin, I%26#39;d probably get a kick out of all the skybridges and such at the Pioneer Place Mall, or taking the MAX through the tunnel to the forestry museum and up that crazy elevator.

Forestry center? That%26#39;s a thought also.

http://www.worldforestry.org/