A MAX ride, a fountain splash and a strawberry slushie turn a hunt for three Wildwood crows into a fun, family afternoon.
One of my favorite things about working at PDX Parent is all the fun outings my family embarks on in the name of research. But at 35 weeks pregnant, I wanted (needed, to be honest) a weekend activity that was easy for me while still entertaining for my 3-year-old. So when my co-worker Meg suggested checking out the crow sculptures downtown, I knew I had a winner. Locally created art for the public that’s both accessible and free to view? Check and check.
Wildwood: Follow the Crows is a free, family-friendly public art trail winding through downtown Portland (with additional locations in St. Johns, Pittock Mansion and the International Test Rose Garden) running now through October 31. The trail features 30 large-scale crow sculptures and each one is uniquely painted by different local artists. The art installation celebrates LAIKA’s upcoming animated film Wildwood, which is inspired by and set in Portland. Pro tip: Wildwood opens in theaters on October 23! The crows will be auctioned off in November, with all proceeds going to OHSU Doernbecher Children’s Hospital.
Since the majority (the murder?) of crows are downtown, that’s where my husband, son and I went on a sunny Sunday afternoon. We plotted our stops using the online interactive map (ohsufoundation.org/wildwood-follow-the-crows), but you can also download the Wildwood: Follow the Crows app. Pro tip: With the app, you can track the crows you visit, vote for your favorites and upload photos of your experience; I can see it being a fun extra for older kids.
Our goal was to see three of the crows, plus enjoy toddler-friendly stops in between. Our first stop was Director Park, home to Crow No. 5, “Flying Fields Forever” by artist Sue-Del McCulloch. This vibrantly painted bird features an Oregon summer landscape with green fields, blue skies and white clouds. My son immediately noticed that an actual crow feather was placed near the sculpture’s tail. The crow is perched adjacent to the park’s fountain, and of course, he ended up playing and splashing at the water’s edge. Before we left, we ducked into Kinokuniya, the Japanese bookstore and gift shop tucked into the park’s corner. Our son was captivated by the shelves of plush stuffies and wanted to buy one “for Baby Brother.” The park is also home to Marsh & Mallow, our favorite Portland s’mores place.
From there, we walked a few blocks to Pioneer Courthouse Square, to find Crow No. 6, “Overgrowth,” created by Rae Sheridan. Inspired by our forests, this crow is painted in shades of green, its “feathers” made to look like leaves. While the square’s food carts are more active during the week, I spotted the Square Bar off in the corner. It’s cute, with a patio-like seating area. We wandered over and my husband had a beer and my toddler and I split a strawberry lemonade slushie. It was the sweet treat we both needed. Pro tip: The Square Bar doesn’t have food, but there are several non-alcoholic options, plus beer, cider and wine.
The highlight for our little transportation enthusiast was watching the buses and MAX trains from our chairs at the Square Bar. He’s been on the MAX before and he really wanted to go again. So we hopped aboard for a few stops to our last destination: Central Library. Crow No. 8, “As the Crow Flies” by Jordan Mason, stood sentinel outside the entrance. This one was my favorite of the three we saw; the crow was meticulously painted to look like a topographical map.
We didn’t come close to finding all 30 crows, and that’s fine. It was the perfect excuse to explore downtown, and the remaining 27 crows give us another reason to come back. I also loved watching my curious son take in the sights and sounds of the city. But if you ask him what we did downtown, he’ll skip the crows entirely and tell you about the train.
If You Go
Visit ohsufoundation.org/wildwood-follow-the-crows for a map of all 30 crows.
