Portland Staycation: 39 ways to enjoy Portland, Oregon on a budget

Portland Staycation Ideas

Updated for 2018

Looking for ways to enjoy Portland without breaking the bank? The following is a list of fun and frugal activities, events, and attractions to get your imagination started! This list can be enjoyed by vacationers, newly transplanted Portlanders, and those who have lived in Portlandia for decades. Each listing includes a general pricing guide:

• FREE — won’t cost you penny!
• $ — Under $5 per person
• $$ — Under $10 per person
• $$$ — Over $10 per person

SWIM

• Portland Parks & Rec Swimming Pools (Portland, $): Enjoy a dip in a public indoor or outdoor pool! Be sure to also check out the summer movie events — enjoy a family movie from your floatie!

• Kennedy School Soaking Pool (NE Portland, $): Enjoy a refreshing soak in the non-chlorinated saltwater pool. A local favorite.

PLAY

• OMSI (SE Portland, $$): Special dedicated area for preschool kids plus exhibits that will interest the entire family! $2 admission on the first Sunday of every month (confirmed for 2018!).

• Portland Children’s Museum (SW Portland, $$): Check out their 1.3 acre ADA-accessible outdoor exhibit: Outdoor Adventure, along with all other types of educational fun for little ones. Get FREE passes through your public library and on the first Friday evening of the month.

• Jamison Square (Downtown Portland, FREE): Cool off at the huge outdoor fountains and enjoy walking along the Willamette River.

• Washington Park (SW Portland, FREE-$$): Includes Portland’s Children’s Museum, The Oregon Zoo, Japanese Garden, World Forestry Center, International Rose Test Garden, Hoyt Arboretum, and one killer playground. Easily accessible by the MAX train.

• Portland Timbers (Downtown Portland, $$$): Catch one of Portland’s two professional sports teams. Not a soccer fan? Don’t worry. Watching the Timbers Army is worth the price of admission so try to grab a seat at the north end of the park.

• Oaks Park Amusement Park Preschool Rides (SE Portland, $$): Kids ages six and under get the run of Oaks Park every Tuesday and Wednesday morning from 9:30 AM – 12 PM throughout the summer. Admission includes unlimited preschool rides, milk, and cookies plus story time with an Oregon Dairy Princess.  One adult FREE with paid child’s admission. Begins Tuesday June 19, 2018.

• Fort Vancouver National Historic Site (Vancouver, WA, $, FREE for kids 15 and under): Explore the lands and structures at the center of fur trade and military history in the Pacific Northwest. Great fun for kids.

• Free Lunch + Play 2018 (Portland Metro area parks, FREE): Organized sports, games, and crafts + a free healthy lunch for kids.

• Kids Bowl FREE (FREE): Registered Kids Receive 2 FREE games of bowling daily all summer long! Find a bowling center near you.

CHILL

• Powell’s City of Books (Downtown Portland, FREE): Peruse the largest used and new bookstore in the world.

• Portland Saturday Market (Downtown Portland, FREE): Open every Saturday and Sunday through Christmas.

• Portland Rose Festival (Portland, FREE – $$$): Memorial Day weekend – mid-June — Celebrate all things Portland during this three-week city-wide festival. Includes parades, a 5K run, amusement rides, and so much more!

• Portland Festival Symphony (Portland, FREE): August — Experience the music at four events at area parks.

• Movies in the Park (Portland, FREE): Beginning of July – early September — Catch a summer flick at Portland area parks. Movies start at dusk; pre-movie entertainment begins at 6:30 pm.

• Concerts in the Park (Portland, FREE): July – August — Enjoy a free concert at Portland area parks. Starts at 6:00 or 6:30 pm.

• OPS Fest (Portland, FREE): End of May – August — Experience a new style of Shakespearean performance! Actors perform the way Shakespeare’s own actors did: in the open air, in natural light, with minimal sets, and with great, fast-paced, energetic acting and lots of audience interaction!

• Regal Cinemas Summer Movie Express (Portland Metro, $): Family friendly movies for $1 per person at participating Regal Cinemas on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings.

• Flicks on the Bricks (Downtown Portland, FREE): End of July – August — Free movies each Friday at Pioneer Courthouse Square (not currently updated for 2018).

• Portland Actors Ensemble (Portland Metro area parks, FREE): Early July – September — Experience Romeo & Juliet and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) in area parks.

EAT

• Portland’s Food Carts (Portland, $$): Explore an incredible array of cheap and unique eats with carts located around Portland. You can even take a guided tour!

• Portland’s Farmers Markets (Portland Metro, FREE): Hit a market every day and enjoy local food and wares.

• McMenamins (Portland Metro, $$$): Unique pubs, restaurants, breweries, winery and hotels. The food is good, but go to experience the renovated historical locations. Well, and the food.

• Burgerville (Portland Metro, $-$$): The very best in fast-food. High quality ingredients, great prices, and crazy about local sustainability. Conveniently located throughout the Portland Metro area.

PEDAL + RUN

• Marine Drive Bike Path (N Portland, FREE): Easy, 12+ miles of paved trail along the Columbia River.

• Powell Butte Nature Park (SE Portland, FREE): Mountain bike and hiking trails in the middle of suburbia.

• The Springwater Corridor (East Portland, FREE): A scenic, widely paved trail, encompassing wetlands, buttes, agricultural fields and pastures, residential and industrial neighborhoods. Bike and pedestrian friendly. Runs from Boring to the Willamette River.

• Eastbank Esplanade (SE Portland, FREE): 1.5 mile trail that travels the Willamette River to Waterfront Park or wind your way back to the Springwater Corridor.

• Sunday Parkways (Portland, FREE): Walk, bike, roll, and discover active transportation while enjoying various Portland neighborhoods. Five Sundays throughout the summer, sponsored by the Portland Bureau of Transportation (starts May 20th, 2018).

• Providence Bridge Pedal (Downtown Portland, $$$ for adults, kids are FREE ): Sunday, August 12, 2018 — The only way to truly enjoy the Willamette River bridges – including the top decks of the Fremont and Marquam bridges. Bike and walk options available.

• Pedalpalooza 2017 (Portland, FREE – $): Enjoy 3+ weeks of bike fun with over 230 different events June 1-30. There are family-friendly events in addition to adult-only rides.

• Portland 5K Family Fun Runs (Portland, FREE – $5): Held Sundays from May to October at local Portland parks.  Adults are $5, kids 17 and under are FREE!

EXPLORE

• 4T Trail (Portland, $$): Explore the city with this four-mile hiking trail and the combined rides on the OHSU tram, Portland trolley, and MAX train. Takes about 4 hours to complete.

• Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden (SE Portland, $): Enjoy over 2,500 rhododendrons, azaleas, and companion plants.

• Forest Park (Portland, FREE): Eighty+ miles of jogging, hiking, and biking trails with 19 trail heads for easy access (maps are available at REI, New Seasons, Powell’s and other PDX locations).

• Japanese Gardens (SW Portland, $$): Proclaimed the most authentic Japanese garden outside of Japan. Free guided tours with admission.

• Multhomah Falls (Columbia Gorge, FREE): Discover Oregon’s tallest waterfall from both the bottom and the top. Depending on your energy level, you can take the moderate 2.2 mile hike to the top, a difficult 5.4 mile look that includes Wahkeena Falls, or just enjoy the view from the bottom at Multnomah Falls Lodge.

• Pittock Mansion (NW Portland, $$): Take a self-guided tour of the home of Henry & Georgiana Pittock, Portland pioneers.

Looking for more Portland-area fun? Check out these resources:

The Ultimate Guide to Portland Family Fun — A gigantic list of affordable, family-friendly activities, events, and attractions in Portland

Pacific Northwest Summer Fairs and Festivals — Huge updated list of fairs and festivals in and around the PNW

Travel {Oregon & SW Washington} on Pinterest

For even more Portland-area fun with kids: