Blink and the school year will be here, so let’s squeeze in a last-minute trip to the Oregon coast. Wait, you didn’t book a cottage by the sea a year in advance? And you didn’t sell off a kidney to pay for it?
Same. My secret for a low-cost beach getaway is booking a room in a suburb of Portland, where hotels are cheap and plentiful. Hillsboro and Beaverton, both west of Portland off US-26, work well for this hack. It’s just a place to sleep, so I don’t worry too much about the charm. (Industrial office park aesthetic, woot woot!)
Visitors play in the creek behind the Tillamook Forest Center. There are also trails to explore.
We make fun family memories together, enjoy the last bit of summer, and, most importantly, stay under budget. Portland is just far enough to feel like you got away without the hassle and expense of flights or a rental car. Keep in mind that it’s generally a good 10 degrees hotter than Seattle: a warm day in Seattle is a scorching day in PDX. I plan for the heat by spending days at the coast and waiting until evening to explore Portland or find A/C.
Day trip to Cannon Beach: Free
I love doing Cannon Beach as a day trip. It’s a little over an hour from Hillsboro, which is totally do-able. Go on a weekday, though, because the two-lane road to the Oregon coast can get backed up on weekends.
Pack your kites, your buckets, and your shovels, and spend the day relaxing on the sandy beach. You’ll see pelicans in the water and maybe a few optimistic surfers. Be sure to wear layers. We needed jackets at Cannon Beach on a blistering 96-degree day in Portland. In the cute little town, you’ll find an ice cream parlor, knick-knack shops and restaurants. (Another reason I prefer Cannon Beach as a day trip is that there’s no real place to get groceries.) Public parking is free, and a public restroom is located in the town.
Take a self-guided tour of the Tillamook Creamery and learn about how cheese is made. You can see workers on the factory floor from viewing windows.
Day trip to Tillamook Creamery and Tillamook Forest Center: Both free
Oregon coast’s Tillamook area is nearly an hour from Cannon Beach, so there’s not much difference driving over from the Portland ’burbs. The town of Tillamook is worn around the edges, but the Tillamook Creamery is the ultimate cheesy beacon of welcoming. The creamery is open to the public and designed to handle crowds. Take a free self-guided tour. From viewing windows above the factory floor, you can learn about the cheese-making process and watch chunks of cheese zip along on conveyor belts. Pick up a free sample at the end of the tour.
Visitors can climb a fire lookout at the Tillamook Forest Center.
The Tillamook Forest Center is on the way to Tillamook, so there’s no extra driving involved. It’s on OR-6, between mile markers 22 and 23, and absolutely worth a stop. There’s a snazzy visitor center with a short film about the forest, kid-friendly displays, and a fire lookout you can climb. There is also a suspension bridge, a creek and trails to explore. Admission is free.
Hidden Creek Park West is a new inclusive playground in Hillsboro, Oregon. The park’s star is a giant monkey sculpture that can be climbed.
Evening at Hidden Creek Park West: Free
Wait until the temps cool down in the evening to check out the new inclusive playground at Hidden Creek Park West in Hillsboro. The park, less than a year old, is made for adventure and imaginative play.
The star of the park is an enormous monkey named “Oro the Giant,” sprawled out on the turf with a butterfly in its hand. Kids can climb inside and on top of the monkey via rock-climbing grips, ropes, and ladders. There’s even a slide coming out the back. Other features in this fully fenced park include a merry-go-round set flush with the ground, a sand and water play area, and an obstacle course. The restroom even has a universal changing table. Nicely done, Hillsboro.
The Tyrannosaurus special exhibit at OMSI runs through September 8, 2024.
Last chance to see Tyrannosaurus at OMSI: Free with PacSci membership
The Oregon Museum of Science and Industry is a must with kids in Portland. You have just a few days left to catch the Tyrannosaurus special exhibit, which closes on September 8. The show starts with a Jurassic Park vibe: Tyrannosaurus stalks past OMSI and roams downtown Portland. In the main exhibit space, you’ll see impressive skeletons and fun interactive stations.
You can touch coprolite aka dinosaur poo.
Touch a real piece of dinosaur poo! (Coprolite, to be scientific.) Set off a meteorite and see if you can cause mass extinction. See how your grip matches up to a Tyrannosaurus’ bite force. Aside from the special exhibit, we love the experiments and puzzles in the Turbine Hall, especially the chemistry lab.
Adult tickets to OMSI are $20, and kids 3 to 13 are $15. Admission is free if you have a Pacific Science Center membership.
Great Wolf Grand Mounds indoor waterpark is set at a balmy 84 degrees.
Day pass to Great Wolf on the way home: Starting at $32
The Oregon coast is beautiful but way, way too cold for swimming. However, the water at Great Wolf is always a balmy 84 degrees. The indoor water park in Centralia at exit 88 off I-5 is located halfway between Portland and Seattle. Great Wolf Grand Mound wrapped up a $40 million renovation in July. Look for a new toddler water play area, new restaurants, an upgraded lobby, new MagiQuest game, a larger arcade and more improvements. Rooms are pricey when school is out, but you can hack it by buying a day pass instead. A half-day pass, 4 p.m. until close, starts at $32. As a parent, I promise you that it’s enough time in the water park and that the kids will pass out the rest of the drive home.
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