What to see and do in Portland with kids

Its been on my live list to go and see Portland and the Oregon coast so when we got a memorial day weekend we took that opportunity to travel up to Portland and see what it was like! I tell you what after wanting to see Haystack Rock for yearrrrrssss it was like an Eiffel tower moment for me. When we rounded the corner and saw haystack rock in the distance I gasped and screamed and the boys yelled along with me. I don't know if their excitement was more for the rock or for the fact that we would be getting out of the car. haha! Either way nothing beats the excitement of children and having someone to find joy in what you do.

First off here is the video of some of the places we saw and did, and keep reading below after you watch it to see our list of what to do in Portland!



 

1. Upper Left Roasters
This place was so clean and beautiful. Really fun atmosphere. And their avocado toast is something I am trying to duplicate. It was incredible And they have free hot chocolate- also really good!


2. Pine State Biscuits.
You can't go to Portland without eating here. But I suggest getting there early the line gets long but it sure was worth the wait!
3. Salt and Straw
Another place you have to try when in Portland. The flavors were outrageous but so fun to try each. And they don't go skimpy on the samples they love to let you try all of them. Again this is a popular place so its better to go earlier to avoid the lines.
4. St Johns Bridge.
After eating so much food, it was good to run around and play for a bit. This place was beautiful and had a grassy area all around for the kids to play and get wiggles out.
5. Powell's Bookstore.
The biggest used bookstore in the world?  It was awesome, we bought a couple of books- one was Harry Potter to read to the boys as we drove home.
 6. Cannon beach is about 2 hours away from downtown portland. I liked Downtown but would much prefer to spend more time at the beach.
Can never say enough about our Gathre mats. We bring them EVERYWHERE . If you want to see how awesome and functional they are at the beach you can watch  our video here.

7. Multnomah falls:
Another place that I've been wanting to see for years, like literally since I was in High School. So it was totally amazing to see in person and so much more grand!

   8. Oregon Coast:
We took a drive down the Oregon Coast one of the days and it was breathtaking. I read once that Portland is like the cold Hawaii and it really is. So much beauty everywhere. We stopped off in a little village called Manzanita and it was so cute, and a nice beach to stop off and play.
 


 We had some amazing friends who let us stay at their beach house and we couldn't be more grateful for them. They also gave us so many tips on what to see. We had such an amazing trip and can't wait to go back again!


Some other things that we did that was not picture:
Grill Cheese Bus: You order grill cheese sandwiches and get to sit on a old school bus that is really cool on the inside.
Blue Star Donuts: We heard Voodoo Donuts were fun, but the blue star were better tasting. I just wish we were there earlier in the day so we could taste all the flavors.