Molalla Train Park (Molalla) If you have a train enthusiast under your roof, you know there are lots of fun (and sometimes pricey) train outings both in and outside of Portland. We found the Molalla Train Park to be a hidden gem among those options and is FREE (donations are welcome and encouraged). It is volunteer run and only open Sunday afternoons from noon to 5 PM, May through October (starting May 6th for the 2018 year), but well worth the 50+ minute drive for an enjoyable afternoon with your family. The trains are 7.5 inch gauge (for those of us not steeped in train trivia, this refers to the space between the rails) so it is more Keep Reading

Portland Parks & Rec's $5 5K Runs (Portland Metro) I'm not a runner but I have caved to peer pressure and will be running a 5K this year. Running is not cheap. Some events are $30-40 for adults and $15-25 for kids. That's why I was super pumped to have just found Portland Parks & Rec's $5 5K Runs! Yes, five dollars for adults and kids under 17 are FREE! There is also a 1K for younger kids. Jogging strollers are allowed. This is a great family event held several Sundays from April to October at local Portland Parks. Each park is family friendly and other family activities are included. Plus, Gabriel Park even has a skatepark! Here Keep Reading

Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden (SE Portland) Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden, located in the Eastmoreland neighborhood of SE Portland, is one of the many ways Portlanders can find paradise in the heart of the city. Nestled in the southeast, a stone’s throw from Reed College, this 9.5-acre haven for multiple varieties of waterfowl attracts families with kids of all ages. Bring your camera to capture your children’s wide eyes when the geese step right up, hoping you’ll ignore the garden’s request that you not feed them. There are signs to help you identify the fowl swimming on Crystal Springs Lake. According to one of the brochures Keep Reading

Springwater Corridor: Sellwood to OMSI (SE Portland) My kids don’t seem to grasp the notion that they are only allowed to get cabin fever in the summer, when there’s no end of opportunities to work out the wiggles on playgrounds, in parks and at the pool. Fortunately, they love to ride bikes, but our neighborhood street isn’t the sort of place I really want them to go for a spin, so I’m glad we’ve discovered a protected bike path that makes an easy half-day adventure for our little family on any decent day, even in mid-winter. The Springwater Corridor is part of a massive loop of bike paths circumnavigating the eastern half of the Portland Keep Reading