I am a flakey web mistress & mama to four (soon to be 5 ) kidlets.  I spend my days raising chickens, bread, children and other things I've made from scratch.
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Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival

My favorite Springtime event is the Tulip Festival in Woodburn.  I went there last year with my girl friends and our babies and had such a good time riding the cow train, checking out the food booths/having a picnic and of course, taking advantage of the beautiful scenery to get some good photos of the kids. This year should be even more fun as they kids are older and love to explore!
~Brooke

While there are many things we love to do in OR one of our favorite "springy" activities is visiting the
Tulip festival at the wooden shoe tulip farm in Woodburn.
It is always a lot of fun and the fields of flowers are absolutely beautiful! (great place to get family pics too!)
~Kate

Our favorite spring outing is to to to Woodburn for the Tulip Festival!
The beauty of the flowers never cease to amaze and we always feel like we've taken a trip to Holland.
We feel blessed to have such a beautiful place to visit so close to home!
The owners of the farm have really transformed the festival into a fun place for kids as
well with all of the activities they now have for them to do. Just beware that if your kids are the type
 to beg for a pony ride or a trip to the bounce house, it might be best to go during
the week when that stuff is not operating.
~Shira

We just love the Tulip fest at the Wooden Shoe Tulip 
farm, a wonderful opportunity for beautiful photos!!  We also hit the Clark 
County fairgrounds for their spring home and garden show.

By far the tulip festival has proven to be our annual favorite. Fields & fields of vibrance & beauty is simply
breathtaking!
~Rhonda

In spring, we love to go to the Tulip Festival in Woodburn!  
It is really fun and all the colors are just so refreshing after a gray winter.
~Sarah

Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival: Gorgeous fields of every kind and color of tulip you can imagine
(GREAT opportunity for beautiful settings for photos), fun free activities for kids (my daughter and
her friend LOVED the duck race!), and a huge range of bouncy houses of all sizes and shapes.
Yes, it gets muddy and messy (and the bouncy house thing can get expensive) but,
like pumpkin patches and berry picking,
it’s an experience you can’t get just anywhere!
~Heidi

Our family loves going to the Tulip Festival in Woodburn

My favorite family event in spring is going to the tulip farms near woodburn. The
flowers are beautiful and the kids love going. Closer to home I love to get out all
the gardening stuff and all dig in the dirt together before we start planting.

Our family loves going to the Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival every year. It is a lot of
fun and a great place to take pictures of our daughters in there spring dresses!
~Melissa

My name is Karen Carlson and we are new to Oregon - arrived in August.
The event I'm most excited about this spring is the Tulip Festival in Woodburn (I
think). I remember going to a daffodil festival when I was a little girl and really
enjoying it! We also love hiking, so we're hoping to get out as often as we can!

Our favorite family spring time activity is going to the Tulip Festival in Woodburn. 
It's a great place for all ages and the tulips are amazing. We go every year. We cannot 
start our Spring until we go see the Tulips. 
~April 

I am a new Mom, but one of my favorite spring time activities that I am looking forward to 
sharing with my daughter is the Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival in Woodburn.  The gardens are so 
colorful and it just screams "spring!" There are many fun booths too.  Now that I have a child, 
I am anxious for her to be able to enjoy some of the children's activies they have and they just 
keep getting better!
I look forward to your newsletters and all your fantastic ideas!  
~Jamie

One of the things that we really love to do in the spring time is visit the Wooden Shoe 
Tulip Festival in Woodburn, Oregon. Here’s a picture of my daughter taken last year. 
There are plenty of fun things to do for kids of all ages, yummy food and music too! 
It’s a great place to get lots of beautiful family  photos with all the magnificent 
colors of the tulips.

One of my favorite places to visit is in Woodburn WA.  It is the Hulda Klager Lilac Gardens. 
 Especially during their Annual Lilac Days which begins this year April 16 – May 8th.

My all time favorite activity to do with my family is to go to the Crystal Springs Rhododendron Gardens. 
We feed the ducks and their baby ducklings cracked corn (no bread allowed), while walking around
birdwatching. He loves it just as much as I do. And the bonus is, if you get their before 10:00am, it's free! 
We love to go there in the spring mostly because of the ducklings and flowering shrubs and trees, 
but it's honestly a great place year-round. But don't go on Mother's day if you don't like crowds!! 
Plus their are great private areas to sit and have a picnic or snack.
~Erin

One of our favorite things to do with our girls in spring is to go to Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden 
and see the blooming Rhodies and the baby ducks.  There is a little fruit stand just down the street from 
the garden that sells duck food  & peanuts for the squirrels, so we always stop and buy a bag of each to 
feed the ducks and squirrels.  The girls love it, and it is so pretty!
~Michelle

Now that my baby isn't a baby anymore, but a toddler (she turns 2 in May), I am looking forward to sharing in 
her wonder as she really discovers the great outdoors this spring. Gardening will be big with us, as well as visiting 
Leach Botanical Gardens, Hoyt Arboretum, and anywhere we can hunt for banana slugs. 
Thanks!
~Tina

One of our favorite things to do to usher in spring is to go to the Portland Rose Garden. 
My kids love rolling down the grassy hills near the outdoor amphitheatre. If my husband and 
I are up for it will take them to the Children's Park down the road afterward.
~Luisa

I am a financially-fragile, fulltime-working single mom and I absolutely love to take my very 
young daughter to the Oregon Garden.  Each new season promises a unique adventure and a fresh 
opportunity to indulge the senses, all while learning a bit about the wonders of nature. 
As a toddler, the Children’s Garden with it’s sandy hollow and Hobbitty-home, 
is Reagan’s favorite place to spread a blanket and share a picnic.
~Gretchen

We love going for walks at Hoyt Arboretum in the Springtime.

My daughter and I visited the Lan Su Chinese Garden last year around spring time.
I'm a Portland native and had never been! She (we) thoroughly enjoyed it and plan on
visiting again this year (when the rain finally breaks). She really wants to go to China now. :)
~Alissa

A favorite Spring (or anytime) place for us to visit is the Oregon Garden in Silverton. 
 It's not in Portland, but it isn't too far.  They have a children's garden. 
They have some educational programs.  It is a fun place to visit year round to watch the seasons change. 
~Cathy G.  (known as Grami)

We love to go to the Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden, of course to see the
beautiful blossoms, but also to see the many ducklings and goslings!
~Laura

I love to go to the Rhododendron Garden in Eastmoreland with my 4 year old daughter.
Its fun watching the flower blooming and identifying the various birds. 
~Stephanie

As soon as the rain stops, sun shows itself and the flowers start to bloom,
I love to hit the Rhododendron Garden for a picnic, duck feed and day of
exploration through the paths.

I am a new mom and also new to Portland.  So far my favorite thing to do is go to the
Nature Park Interpretive Center.  It is so very refreshing to see the signs of spring arriving!

The Gorge  (Spring Break in Oregon)

One of my favorite Spring Break getaways with the kids is a daytrip (or overnight)
in The Dalles. Might seem kind of random to go there, but it's nice and dry because of being outside
the rain shadow and in the high desert. The wildflowers are just beginning at this time, and the landscape is so pretty. It's usually so soggy and wet here in PDX during spring break, that we tend to like to visit the dry side of Oregon, and catch a glimpse of the sun. We've usually lucked out with having some dry days over there.
It's about an hour to an hour and half drive, which is fine for a day trip. Fun places to go in and around The Dalles: Cousins Restaurant and Inn (great place to stay overnight, too), The Columbia Gorge Discovery Museum, Rose Garden Playground (at the top of the big hill in town), also Maryhill Museum,
Maryhill Winery (both in Goldendale, WA, across the bridge from The Dalles)

I am the mother of a 21 month little girl, so there's a lot I am looking forward to taking her to as
the weather warms up. Last spring, I took her on a little trip out to the Bonneville Dam, where she got to watch the fish
ladder and see the sturgeon. Now that she is older, and running and talking, we have lots more to look forward to!

My Name is Delaney and our family's favorite spring activity is to drive up the scenic Gorge Highway
and see the waterfalls and beautiful green trees and new flowers. 
We then stop at Bonneville Dam and see the trout and sturgeon (a favorite of my husband and son!). 
We pack a picnic lunch and make a fun day of it.  Thank you.

One of my favorite trips in Spring or really any time of season is the Gorge. 
A trip up to Cascade locks, stopping my Multnomah falls to walk up to the bridge,
get a picture in and then an ice cream to go.  Next stop is Charburgers for a hamburger
or hot dog where the kids can dress their own meals at the burger bar and watch the great
Columbia river as they eat.  We often roam all over, but it’s a great trip to see the sights,
look at the spring goodies growing and fill our bellies at the same time. 

I live in Vancouver, but grew up in Oregon and spend a great deal of time there still since most of our family
 is still there. I really want to visit the Oregon Gardens in Silverton this year since we've never been.
We enjoy going into the Gorge during Spring and see the trees leafing out and flowers starting to come up.
The best part is that it is getting in nature, and it is free (minus the gas to get there).

We love going to the Bonneville fish hatchery in the Spring.  My son loves Herman the huge Sturgeon. 
It lets use get outside and have a wonderful time.  Don't forget to bring a few quarters so you can feed the fish,
that is my sons favorite part. 
~Caronna

The Oregon Coast   (Spring Break in Oregon)

This summer we plan to take an Oregon Coast Vacation starting with Astoria's "Sunday Market." 
Then we will visit Tapiola Park and the River walk. 
Later we will take the little one swimming at Astoria's aqautic center. 
My husband and I will travel down the coast stopping at Seaside's Prominade, stopping to look in the
shops and a ride on the Carousel with Christopher.  Before leaving, we will enjoy the quiet of haystack
rock (weather permitant!) and head to Newport's aquarium.  My son already loves looking at fish tanks
and other aquatic life!  As we head home, we are planning to stop at Tilamook's cheese factory for
some ice cream.  Sunshine or not we will have a fun baby-friendly vacation!

We love to go to the coast and explore the tidepools, antique stores (so much cool
stuff), museums and the aquarium.  What a great way to spend a long weekend.  Going
to the tulip fields is also very fun  :)

One of my very "favoritist" places in the whole world is the Oregon Coast and I love it anytime 
we can sneak away with the family for a little beach get-away!  It's beautiful rain or shine and always 
manages to enliven my spirits and calm my nerves.  
I love feeling the sand between my toes and listening to the sounds of waves, birds, and people chatter. 
 If we are lucky enough to have some sun, I love taking pictures of my kids playing together in the water, 
but even a storm can be fun to watch (as long as you have a dry place to watch from!).
~Laura

We’re fairly new to Oregon, but I just heard about the glass balls they put out on the beach at the coast 
and we are really excited to go do that next week.  Not sure what it’s called, 
but I saw on TV that it’s from March 20th-27th.  Can’t wait!
~Lora

My family loves to visit cannon beach and fly kites

One of my favorite memories from growing up in Oregon was 
 going to summer camp atCamp Westwind on the Oregon Coast near Lincoln City.  It was always so much 
fun spending a couple of weeks at the beach in the summer. When we moved back 
to Oregon a few years ago, one of the first things I did was sign my two oldest boys up for a week at camp.  
They loved it as much as I did!

I’m a new parent, so at the moment spring break has consisted of comforting a crying baby.
I hope to be able to share my love of the ocean with my daughter in the future.
 My ideal spring break would be heading to the coast, staying in a private residence
that has a view of the ocean, and just enjoying my time with my daughter.

 Sandra

I am planning on taking the family to the Oregon Coast Aquarium. I have a 5 and 7
year old who have not been there before. It should be the perfect day trip from
Portland, and the kids are going to love all the cool marine life they will see.

We enjoy visiting the Oregon Coast Aquarium to check out all the amazing creatures
that live in the ocean and then taking a lunch down to the beach.  My daughter can get
running and play in the sand while we have a nice stroll as well. 
Nothing like fresh air that comes off the ocean.
Thank you so much for your website!
~Audrey

My family's favorite spring break activity is going to Depoe Bay to whale watch.
We celebrate my son's birthday at the beach every year since he was born, hope to kept that
tradition throughout his childhood :) thanks for letting us enter the contest,
your website is so helpful :)
~Thanks, Julie (Mother of almost 3yr old and 12yr old step-daughter.)

my favorite family oregon spring break activity is to head over to the coast and spend the week sleeping in, enjoying the fresh air, and exploring the beach.  My son loves to play in the water and explore the tide pools. 
Also being big into marine biology no beach trip is complete without an excursion to the aquarium! 
 i love staying at any bed and breakfast to get a good beachy vibe while there!
~Janet

We love to go to SEASIDE!! We play at the arcade. And eat the candy that we had when we were kiddies.
~Patricia :0)

Local Parks  (Spring Break in Oregon)

I am a newly single mom of a very active 2 year old. During the spring time we love to take a walk down to Rivercrest Park in Oregon City, OR. Lots of room to run, a toddler play structure and a
big kid play structure and my son's favorite swings. My son loves to watch the
baseball games and practices played by the little leagues. 
There is also a water park there that opens in the summer that we enjoy.
~Chelsie

Typically it is still raining in the spring in Oregon so on go the raincoats, boots and even plastic pants and we go puddle jumping at the Rose Garden and Washington Park.  Hours of fun for all of us, the muddier the better.
~Annie

I am Kristina, Mom of Elijah (7) and Allison (5).  Our favorite Oregon Spring
time activities include riding bikes on Springwater Trail, walking to local parks
(we live by the Main City Park in Gresham) and visiting some of our favorite
Portland parks/playgrounds - Grant, Irvington Elementary, Laurelhurst, Eastmoreland,
& Washington Park... to name a few.

My family and I love to go and visit parks, all parks. We have 3 sons and 2 dogs so to keep
the cost down we make lunches and go and run and play. We can't wait for spring to come
around again so we can start going again.
~The "A" Family

Our daughter loves to walk to Peninsula Park (North Portland) and bring with her a bunch of
“friends” (stuffed animals) and take them on a park adventure! This spring she has a new
baby brother to entertain and I know she is looking forward to our frequent park visits as
the evenings are longer and days are warming up.

My favorite family activity in the spring is long days at our beautiful local parks! 
Picking different parks to spend the day enjoying the outdoors after a long winter
is absolute bliss!  We love to ride bikes, feed ducks, play ball, and pull out the sand toys. 
Best of all - breathe in fresh air.

Favorite spring activity is heading to the coast once we get some sunny days!
We also love to go to West Moreland park to feed the ducks then a walk up to sellwood.  
And really anything that involves being outside.  I've been a huge fan of your website
for years and really appreciate the calendar of free activities.  Thank you!!
~Melissa

Looking forward to the nice weather coming and to explore all the parks and trails.
~Samantha

My favorite family activity in the spring is long days at our beautiful local parks! 
Picking different parks to spend the day enjoying the outdoors after a long winter
is absolute bliss!  We love to ride bikes, feed ducks, play ball, and pull out the sand toys. 
Best of all - breathe in fresh air.
It’s very simple, but I think it’s what it represents for us as well – summer fun is right
around the corner!
~Joei

Our favorite family activity is to take a nice stroll through our favorite park and
see what new plants are sprouting and visit the ducks!

My 4 and 5 year just looooove being in the 'woods' of Forest Park.  It's in the city, but has a completely different feel than the streets of NW Portland just blocks away.  The trailhead center also has tons of cool wildlife info, including stuffed versions of animals that live nearby, bird watching books and a unique gift shop.
~Rebekah

Hiking & Biking Local Trails   (Spring Break in Oregon)

East Bank Esplanade riding bikes from SE to downtown
Vancouver bike paths along the Columbia river, scenic, safe and fun exercise
Multnomah Falls - paved trails are great even if it's rainy
That's just a few for now.  Wishing for luck on the drawing!
~Cassie

A spring activity I am looking forward to more family bike rides around different neighborhoods in Portland. 
There are so many beautiful neighborhoods that I drive by and never get to appreciate with parks intermingled. 
The parks give time to stretch our legs and give our toddler some time to move on his own. 
~Sharon

The new addition to the spring water corridor near 185th and Powell. I'm not sure what this part of
the trail is called but it's near our house, it includes a bridge that goes over Powell and goes
 North up to Glisan, and when it's done it will connect the spring water trail to other trails. 
I think they are still working on parts of it. I don't know allot about it but have heard
it's supposed to connect 4 or 5 existing trails to make a loop around Portland and Gresham area. 
So cool!

Last summer I was expecting my first child so my husband and I explored lots of pregnancy friendly
Oregon activities :) My most favorite was our drive along I-84 with a stop at Multnomah Falls.
There were lots of families there and I can't wait to go on the mini hike up to the bridge with our daughter, Jemma, in tow. The fudge shop at the base of the Falls was a great reward at the end of our hike!
~Gretchen

I am Kristina, Mom of Elijah (7) and Allison (5).  Our favorite Oregon Spring
time activities include riding bikes on Springwater Trail, walking to local parks
(we live by the Main City Park in Gresham) and visiting some of our favorite
Portland parks/playgrounds - Grant, Irvington Elementary, Laurelhurst, Eastmoreland,
& Washington Park... to name a few. 

Our favorite thing to do as a family in ANY season we can but especially spring because we have been hibernating for months is….Hiking up at Silver Falls!  We have a 13 year old, a five year old and now a 7 week old!  There are trails for every kid and adult it seems and feels good when you are done.  There are even separate trails we can bring our dog to or decide on biking instead!  The Falls are absolutely amazing and enjoyed by all.  We are waiting for our first chance to introduce our newest member of the family to Silver Falls but here is a picture of me and the kids year before last with a picture of my mom and I last year & my husband and son on Mother’s Day!  Thank you so much!
~The "F" Family


One of our family's favorite spring activities is a road (day) trip down to Silver Fall State Park, east of Salem, for a hike around the waterfalls. There are 10 different waterfalls if you do the whole 8-mile hike, but we do the short loop. Its gorgeous in the spring because the waterfalls are huge :)
You can also camp there, but we've never tried that.


4T Loop! Its quite the trek but my kids all year long are amped to do it again this year! 4Ts- Trail,
Tram, Trolley, & Train 4 distinct avenues to explore & enjoy Portland!
~Erika


We love to visit Multnomah Falls, and other surrounding falls along the gorge. 
We love going to the beaches for a day trip, hiking around various oregon parks. 
Also love to visit spray parks, or fountains to play in.....that is when the weather is nice!
~Stacey

Our Oregon Spring Favorites are running away to Multnomah Falls and hiking the trail. The waterfalls are usually swelled with spring rain and the periodic sun breaks make for beautiful photography moments.
~Lou

I enjoy walking with my daughter through the trails at the Audubon Nature Sanctuary: http://audubonportland.org/sanctuaries/visiting
It's so beautiful and peaceful!
~Melissa

Our favorite spot to hike thus far has been a trail we found that's about 9 
miles long (round trip) outside of Port Orford that runs along the coast. It 
took us to this 'secret' hillside along the ocean overlooking the most beautiful 
place I'd ever saw. We had a picnic there, and enjoyed every ounce of sunshine 
we were lucky to have.
~Mary

Other Outings   (Spring Break in Oregon)

Lakeside Crawdad Festival!
Great Food, Street Fair & Carnival, Classic Cars, and even a crawdad race. 
Lakeside, OR is a bit of a drive from the Portland Metro area so we make it a mini family vacation…staying
the weekend and hitting the beach and other attractions while we are there, too

Hi! One of our family’s favorite spring time outings is to visit the OSU Sheep Barn in Corvallis. The kids love to see all the sheep and the funny looking guard Llamas.
We haven’t been lucky enough yet to see a baby
lamb be born yet but we still enjoy seeing the new babies that are only days or hours old.


Starting when my children were in 3rd grade, I would take them on 1, 2, or 3 day
trips to historical sights around Oregon.  Not only did it help them learn about the
history of their state, but helped them to appreciate some of the sacrifices the early
settlers went through to make Oregon.  They had a hand in helping plan where to go,
what to do and fun evening activities (after a day of touring).  There were no expectations (i.e. "write a report about...") just fun learning.  One year we were able to watch a film crew make a documentary of Lewis and Clark with Sacajawea at Fort Clatsop. My kids were given the opportunity to ask the character actors questions about the time period


As much as we love the beach, my children were raised there, so
I think the activities that we have at home
in town are more fun: Children's Museum, Zoo,
for sure, and I am wanting to try this Mississippi
Mud Tree House for art classes for a 2 year
 old.. sounds like most fun in the world.
~Pam


One of my favorite things to do in the spring is to prepare my toddler for summer activities which often include water.  Clackamas Aquatic Park offers a morning "Parent/Preschool" swim which is open
to all kids under age 6.  It's Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 9am-10:30.  It's fun to spend
time in the pool while staying inside where it's warm!  Plus, you don't have to worry about all the
older children taking over the play
areas, it's a special time for just the little tikes to explore! I'll send a photo next time we go!

Since we do live in Portland and spring tends to be rainy, we plan an annual weekend trip up to Wolf Lodge!  Kids look forward to it every spring.  We get a theme room and splash the days away.  So much fun!!!
~Katherine

This spring break we plan to take the wall tent and camping gear down to the
Imnaha River of Hells Canyon and do some steelhead fishing.  Our kids are 2,3 and 6 and love to be outside.  I'm excited to eat some yummy fish and get in some hiking too.  Now that's a great taste of spring to come, especially since it snowed here today in the LaGrande, OR area!
~Becky

Even though my children are 2 & 4, I still consider myself a fairly new mom,
and plan on experiencing many more
activities/outings/adventures with my loves. This year I would really like to visit the Out'n'About
Treesort in Cave Junction! I've done tons of research on it & it looks like it would be an absolutely amazing & memorable adventure & experience. I hope that other Oregon Mom's are aware of this awesome "Treesort" we have right here in Oregon!

One of my favorite things about Spring in Oregon is simply getting 
those kids OUT OF THE HOUSE!  We homeschool, and $2 Tuesdays are 
phenominal for homeschooling at the zoo on their grassy concert lawn. 
A picnic and school among the animals.. love it!