Check out our readers’ choice award winners for sweet treats, adventure attractions, kid-friendly take out, playgrounds, hikes and more.
Adventure Attraction
WINNER: Mt. Hood Adventure Park at Skibowl
Families have a wide, exciting range of fun choices at Mt. Hood Adventure Park at Skibowl. Naturally, this place is a wintertime must-visit with tubing and skiing. But it’s just as fun when the powdery stuff has melted. Find tamer thrills for younger kids, like the kiddie go-karts, pony rides or carousel. Your tweens and teens will flock to the adrenaline-producing attractions that include a bungee jump, zip lines and sprint karts at the Malibu Raceway. And just about everyone loves the Alpine Slide.
TOP 5
- DEFY Beaverton
- Escape Games PDX
- Skamania Lodge Zipline Tour & Aerial Park
- Skyhook Ninja Fitness
- Tree to Tree Adventure Park
Museums & Family Memberships
WINNER: Oregon Zoo
Any animal lover will tell you that the Oregon Zoo is a special place. Home to more than 2500 animals, birds, reptiles and more, the zoo also has a stellar family membership.
TOP 5
- Oregon Museum of Science & Industry (OMSI)
- Portland Art Museum
- Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum
- Lan Su Chinese Garden
- Gilbert House Children’s Museum
Family-Friendly Hike
WINNER: Tryon Creek
Tryon Creek covers 658 acres of second-growth forests, with lots of opportunities to spot squirrels, woodpeckers, owlets, and other wildlife. They host regular guided nature hikes and lots of family-friendly events, including their annual Trillium Festival.
TOP 5
Playground
WINNER: Gabriel Park
Ending Westmoreland Park’s multi-year winning streak is the new inclusive playground at Gabriel Park in SW Portland. There’s even an in ground trampoline you can wheel or walk onto! And the soft-surface ground is perfect for crawlers, too.
TOP 5
- Harper’s Playground at Arbor Lodge Park
- Kʰunamokwst Park
- Pirate Park
- Westmoreland Park
- Washington Park
Kid-friendly Bike Trail
WINNER: Banks-Vernonia State Trail
Kids love all the bridges on the Banks-Vernonia State Trail — there are 13 of them on this 21-mile paved trail! Don’t miss the 733-foot long and 80-foot high Buton Trestle. In between the bucolic towns of Banks and Vernonia await glimpses of wildlife, wide pastures and lush forests.
TOP 5
- Springwater Corridor Trail
- Eastbank Esplanade
- North Clackamas Trolley Trail
- Tualatin River Greenway Trail
- Willamette River Greenway
Sweet Treats
WINNER: Salt & Straw
Breakfast cereal, edible flowers, Thanksgiving turkey — the makers at Salt & Straw ice cream find flavor inspiration in (oftentimes) the unlikeliest places. And our readers love them for it!
TOP 5
- Pips Original Doughnuts & Chai
- Cloud City Ice Cream
- Fifty Licks Ice Cream
- Blue Star Donuts
- Voodoo Doughnut
Kid-friendly Take Out
WINNER: Laughing Planet Cafe
Laughing Planet has earned the top spot with its fresh, healthy array of burritos, bowls and salads, a kids’ menu that tempts even picky eaters, donations to local nonprofits making a positive impact — and those table-top dinos! It doesn’t hurt that kid-approved smoothies, burritos and bowls add up to one of the healthiest kids’ menus in town. (Just check out all the veggie options in the kids’ trifecta!) Their locations in über-family-friendly neighborhoods make it so easy for parents to pick up a lunch or dinner that kids will eat with no complaints. It’s no wonder it is a repeat winner in our readers’ poll.
TOP 5
- Grand Central Bakery
- Hopworks Urban Brewery
- Pine State Biscuits
- La Provence – Petite Provence Bistro – Boulangerie Patisserie
- Slappy Cakes
Pizza
WINNER: Pizzicato
Pizzicato is not just a take-out hero with a great selection of kid-pleasing options, it’s also a community hero. Pizzicato has raised funds for local nonprofits such as Street Roots, Urban Gleaners and Black Resilience Fund.
TOP 5
Arcades/Bowling/Family Fun Center
WINNER: Enchanted Forest
This family-owned business has been serving up imaginative theme-park fun since 1971!
TOP 5
- Electric Castle’s Wunderland Cinema and Nickel Games
- Grand Central Bowl
- Topgolf
- KingPin’s Family Entertainment Center
- Wilsonville Family Fun Center/Bullwinkle’s Entertainment
Indoor Playspace
WINNER: Playdate PDX
Playdate PDX, a NW Portland treasure, has helped many a parent get work done while the kids have a blast in the three story indoor structure.
TOP 5
Birthday Party Spot
WINNER: Oaks Amusement Park
There’s no better place to celebrate than Oaks Park, “where the fun never ends!” It has been operating since 1905, providing more than a century of family fun for Portlanders. Enjoy the amusement park rides in the summer or go for a skate with your birthday party invitees year-round.
TOP 5
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