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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

Courtesy 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

Museums & Family Memberships

WINNER: Oregon Zoo

Borneo pygmy elephant Chendra plays in the pool at Elephant Lands. © Oregon Zoo / photo by Michael Durham.

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

Family-Friendly Hike

WINNER: Tryon Creek

Photo © Tim LaBarge

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

Courtesy Portland Parks

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

Kid-friendly Bike Trail

WINNER: Banks-Vernonia State Trail

Image courtesy Tina Veets

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

Sweet Treats

WINNER: Salt & Straw

Image courtesy 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

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

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

Image courtesy Erica Vo

This family-owned business has been serving up imaginative theme-park fun since 1971!

TOP 5

Indoor Playspace

WINNER: Playdate PDX

Courtesy 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

Courtesy Oaks 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

PDX Parent Staff
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