Tag Archives: water

Jul201125

Samantha

0

Water, Water Everywhere!

Summer’s prime time for water play, and we’re fortunate to have plenty of options –- both indoors and out -– throughout the metro area. From water parks to fountains to swimming holes and outdoor pools, there’s always somewhere you and your kids can splash and play! INDOOR WATER FUN: Evergreen Wings & Waves Waterpark : The new water park next to McMinnville’s Evergreen Aviation Museum features over 70,000 square feet of spurting, waving, shooting, streaming water play fun! Crowned with a Boeing 747 on the roof –- the starting point for the park’s four largest water slides -– it’s the area’s largest waterpark and the only one that combines traditional slides, pools and water play features with an interactive children’s museum and a cosmic outer space theme. 460 NE Captain Michael King Smith Way, McMinnville. 503-434-4185. evergreenmuseum.org/waterpark . You’ll also find big slides, lazy rivers and other water play features at many public pools around the area. Here are a few of our favorites: North Clackamas Aquatic Center : 7300 SE Harmony Rd., Milwaukie. 503-557-SURF (7873). clackamas.us . Portland Parks & Recreation Pools : Specifically, check out the pools at the East Portland Community Center (740 SE 106th Ave.; 503-823-3450); Mt. Scott Community Center (5530 SE 72nd Ave.; 503-823-3183); and Wilson Pool (an outdoor option; 1151 SW Vermont; 503-823-3680). portlandonline.com . Conestoga Recreation and Aquatic Center : 9985 SW 125th Ave., Beaverton. 503-629-6313. thprd.org . Firstenburg Community Center : 700 NE 136th Ave., Vancouver, Wash. 360-487-7001. cityofvancouver.us . PUBLIC FOUNTAINS: Beverly Cleary Sculpture Garden : Grant Park, NE 33rd and US Grant Pl. 503-823-PLAY (7529). portlandonline.com . Blue Lake Park Spray Ground : 20500 NE Marine Dr. 503-797-1850. oregonmetro.gov . City Park Fountain : Fifth and Hall, in front of the library, Beaverton. Esther Short Park : West Columbia and 8th Sts., Vancouver, Wash. Forecourt and Lovejoy Fountains : Between SW 3rd and 4th, at Market (Forecourt) and Hall (Lovejoy). Jamison Square Fountain : Between NW Kearney and Johnson and NW 10th and 11th. Rivercrest SprayPark : 131 Park Drive, Oregon City. 503- 496-1546. orcity.org . Salmon Street Springs : SW Salmon at Waterfront Park. Tanner Creek Park : 3456 Parker Rd., West Linn. 503-557-4700. westlinnoregon.gov . Tualatin Commons : Tualatin-Sherwood Road in Tualatin City Center. NATURAL “SWIMMING HOLES”: Blue Lake Regional Park : Includes a swimming beach for ages 5 and up, a water play area for children under 5, fishing and playgrounds. Boat/canoe rentals on weekends. Off Northeast 223rd Avenue between Marine Dr. and Sandy Blvd., Gresham. 503-797-1850. oregonmetro.gov . Frenchman’s Bar Park : Beach access to the Columbia River, picnic sites, play equipment and more. 9612 NW Lower River Road, Vancouver Wash. 360-619-1111. ci.vancouver.wa.us . Glen Otto Community Park : Sandy River access with swimming beach, picnic areas, and children’s playground. 1102 E Historic Columbia River Hwy. 503-666-8303. ci.troutdale.or.us . Salmon Creek Park : Swimming pond with a lifeguard on duty during the summer. 1112 NE 117th St., Vancouver, Wash. 360-619-1111. ci.vancouver.wa.us . Vancouver Lake Park : Swimming allowed in one section of the lake. 6801 NW Lower River Road (3 miles west of Vancouver on SR-501), Wash. 360-619-1111. ci.vancouver.wa.us . OUTDOOR SWIMMING POOLS: Check out our Family Fun editor’s roundup of outdoor pools around the area. Where does your family like to splash, float, swim and slide?

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Water, Water Everywhere!

Sep201013

Samantha

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And The Winners Are …

You voted. We counted. Now we announce the winners of our 2010 “Family Favorites” Reader Survey . (Read our September issue for a more detailed recap of our readers’ comments – including some additional categories.) Family Favorite Restaurant (Our “Happy Highchair” Award) : Hopworks Urban Brewery (2944 SE Powell Blvd.; hopworksbeer.com ) claimed the top spot, with comments like, “My husband and I actually consider this family outing a ‘date night’ because we get to have uninterrupted conversation while the kiddos play in the kids’ area.” Laurelwood Public House & Brewery (Sandy Blvd., Kearney and NE 40th locations; laurelwoodbrewpub.com ) came in a close second, with reader reviews including, “Sipping on a cold Free Range Red beer with my husband while the kids are off playing in the play area is my mini-vacation.” Coffee Shop : Munchkin Playland (18335 NWWest Union Rd.; munchkinplayland.com ) took top honors this year, barely outpacing Café Sip-n-Play (3000 SE 164th Ave., Vancouver; cafesipnplay.com ), both receiving rave reviews for their children’s play spaces. Toy Store : Piccolo Mondo (4768 SW Bethany Blvd.; piccolomondotoys.com ) moved from third place last year to win the category this year. In addition to great service and selection (amenities all of our top toys stores this year share), Piccolo was praised for their children’s activities, cool toys kids can play with while mom and dad shop, free gift wrap and a game “library” (borrow before you buy). Thinker Toys (7784 SW Capitol Hwy; thinkertoysoregon.com ) finished a strong second and Kids at Heart (3445 SE Hawthorne Blvd.; kidsathearttoys.com ) took third. Ice Cream Parlor : Baskin Robbins (multiple locations; baskinrobbins.com ) claimed the gold in this category for the first time, with Cold Stone Creamery (multiple locations; coldstonecreamery.com ) taking a respectable second. Bliss Bake Shop (4708 NW Bethany Blvd.; blisscupcakeshop.com ) surprised us by taking third place with 16 flavors of Tillamook ice cream. Book Shop : It’s hard to compete with Powell’s (1005 W Burnside and other locations; powells.com ) which, once again, earned the No. 1 slot for its unbeatable selection of new and used books as well as comfortable seating in the kids’ section and the coffee shop. Second and third place winners, Annie Bloom’s (7834 SW Capitol Hwy; annieblooms.com ) and Green Bean Books (1600 NE Alberta St.; greenbeanbookspdx.com ), both were cited for amazing selections of high quality children’s books; Green Bean also was praised for free children’s activities and story times. Kids’ Clothing/Shoe Store : Clogs-n-More (multiple locations; Clogs-n-More Kids, 3435 SE Hawthorne Blvd.; clogsnmore.com ) garnered top honors in this category, with bella stella (2751 and 2635 NE Broadway; bellastellaresale.com ) in second, lauded for reasonably priced new and used items, a play area and super friendly staff. The Hanna Andersson Outlet (7 Monroe Parkway, Lake Oswego; hannaandersson.com ) was mentioned by many readers for great selection at discounted prices. Movie Theater : McMenamin’s Kennedy School (5736 NE 33rd; mcmenamins.com ), with their weekly Mama Matinees and comfy couches, narrowly beat out Academy Theater (7818 SE Stark; academytheaterpdx.com ), but the Academy boasts something the Kennedy School does not: onsite babysitting! Children’s Hair Salon : Little Clippers (15082 SW Bangy Rd., Lake Oswego; 10822 SE 82nd Ave., Clackamas; littleclippers.com ) once again reigned supreme, with amenities including cool cars to sit in, DVDs to watch, a play house, hair glitter and more. Outdoor Destination : The Oregon Zoo (4001 SW Canyon Rd.; oregonzoo.org ) was the runaway winner again, with our incredible public parks coming in second. Indoor (Rainy Day) Destination : OMSI (1945 SE Water Ave.; omsi.edu ) once again topped this category, followed by the Portland Children’s Museum (4015 SW Canyon Rd.; portlandcm.org ). Family Vacation Destination : The Oregon coast took top honors again this year, with Cannon Beach, Newport, Seaside and Manzanita all mentioned numerous times. Sunriver (area: sunriverchamber.com ; resort: sunriver-resort.com ) also was nominated as a nearly ideal family vacation spot. Grocery Store : New Seasons (multiple locations; newseasonsmarket.com ) took top honors for their uber-friendly employees and quality food. Not far behind was Trader Joe’s (multiple locations; traderjoes.com ), with reasonable costs, kid-sized shopping carts and the “hide and seek” game for little ones. Bike Shop : By the passion of the comments, this category probably should go to Clever Cycles (903 SE Hawthorne Blvd.; clevercycles.com ) which was lauded for its myriad family and kid-friendly options, but the Bike Gallery (multiple locations; bikegallery.com ) actually received the most votes – although nary a comment among them. Sunset Cycles (15320 NW Central Drive; sunsetcyclesnw.com ) also received numerous votes for friendly and complete service. To read more about our Family Favorite winners – including those for Birthday Party Place, Children’s Gym, Fitness Center, Yoga Studio and Place to Swim – check out our September issue in print or online .

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And The Winners Are …

Aug201026

Jeremy

0

Algae alert issued for Blue Lake

Visitors to Blue Lake Park should avoid all contact with the water, officials said. The alert also applies to pets.

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Algae alert issued for Blue Lake

Jul201021

Jeremy

0

Summer swimming hot spots

It's certainly the right weather to be out on the water but with the dangers of swimming in rivers, where else can you go to cool off during a hot summer day?

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Summer swimming hot spots

Jun201023

PDXrover

0

Drunken boating crackdown this weekend

A national crackdown on drunken boating is set for the weekend in an effort to reduce injuries and fatalities on the water.

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Drunken boating crackdown this weekend

Jun201018

Jeremy

0

WOW! (What’s On this Weekend!)

Happy Father’s Day Dads! This weekend is packed with family fun in town, in the mountains and on the coast. Check out our picks below. And as always, check our online calendar for complete event listings every day. ALL WEEKEND Delta Park Powwow and Encampment. Native American dancing, arts and crafts vendors, food. Camp out. FREE Friday evening through Sunday afternoon. Delta Park, N Denver Ave. and MLK Blvd. 503-380-6595. bowandarrowcc.org . Night Walks. Explore the Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge at night with a naturalist. 8:30 pm Saturday and Sunday. FREE, registration required. 19255 SW Pacific Hwy., Sherwood. 503-625-5944. oregonmetro.gov . Kruger’s Berry Jam. Hayrides, kids’ jam making (Noon and 2 pm), face painting, entertainment, U-pick and more. FREE, except berries and face painting. 11 am to 4 pm Saturday and Sunday. Kruger’s Farm, 17100 NW Sauvie Island Rd. 503-621-3489. krugersfarm.com . FRIDAY Zoo Father of the Year. An animal dad will be chosen as Father of the Year and get a special treat. 10:30 am. Free with zoo admission. Oregon Zoo, 4001 SW Canyon Road. 503-226-1561. oregonzoo.org . SATURDAY Star Parties. Rose City Astronomers and OMSI lead star gazing for all levels and ages. Free w/$5 park use fee. Dusk. Rooster Rock State Park, exit 25 off I-84, and Stub Stewart State Park, off OR 47 near Vernonia. 503-797-4610 xt. 2. rca-omsi.org . Explorando el Columbia Slough. Bilingual family environment festival will include guided canoe rides, music, storytelling, crafts and more, hosted by Columbia Slough Watershed Council. FREE. 1 to 5 pm. Whitaker Ponds, 7040 NE 47th Ave. 503-281-1132. oregonmetro.gov . Cannon Beach Sand Castle Day. Build a creation or watch the masters at work. FREE to watch; entry fees vary. 9 am building begins. Signs for parking, Hwy. 101. 503-436-2623. cannonbeach.org . Ft. Vancouver Village House Grand Opening. Ft. Vancouver’s new permanent exhibit, a reconstructed historic village, debuts today with costumed interpreters, archaeology demos and more. FREE with admission to Ft. Vancouver. 10 am. 1001 E 5th St. 360-816-6230. nps.gov/fova/planyourvisit/events.htm . Portland Children’s Museum Pet Hospital Opening. The Children’s Museum’s new permanent exhibit on pets and vets opens today. 9 am to 5 pm. Free with museum admission. 4015 SW Canyon Road. 503-223-6500. portlandcm.org OMSI Planetarium’s 60th Anniversary. Special activities and telescopes on the plaza. FREE with museum admission. 10 am to 4 pm. 1945 SE Water Ave. 503-797-4000. omsi.edu . Nature Nightlife. Enjoy stories and learn about nightlife in the forest. First hour in classroom, second hike. FREE, but pre-registration is required. 6 to 8 pm. Tualatin Hills Nature Park Interpretive Center, 15655 SW Millikin Way. 503-629-6350. oregonmetro.gov . SUNDAY Tualatin Summer Reading Kick-Off. Victor Johnson performs groovy music. FREE. 3 pm. Tualatin Library, 18878 SW Martinazzi. 503-691-3074. tualatinlibrary.org . Fathers Free at Portland Children’s Museum. Dads get in free with paid child. 9 am to 5 pm. 4015 SW Canyon Road. 503-223-6500. portlandcm.org . Father’s Free at AC Gilbert’s Discovery Village. Free admission for papas with one paid child admission. Noon to 5pm. AC Gilbert’s Discovery Village, 116 Marion St. NE, Salem. 503-371-3631. acgilbert.org .

Excerpt from:
WOW! (What’s On this Weekend!)

Nov200712

Samantha

0

Jamison Square – Water Fountain

What’s to Love: Jamison Square is well-designed, city block in the heart of the Pearl District. The center piece being the water fountain, which attracts pretty big crowds in warm weather…. [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

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Jamison Square – Water Fountain