Rainy Day Fun for Kids in Portland
Spend a day at one of these five indoor children's attractions
Oct 18, 2007
When Portland’s winter rains set in, locals and tourists alike look for indoor activities to please the kids. Below are five Portland sites that can turn any child’s day into a special occasion full of fun, learning and discovery. And parents might find they enjoy the outing just as much as the kids.
Roller Skating at Oaks Park
Located in the Oaks Amusement Park, the roller rink offers afternoon and evening skates Tuesday through Sunday. On Sundays and Thursdays live music comes from the rink’s Wurlitzer pipe organ. There’s plenty of skate room on the large, well-maintained wood floor. Wednesday nights feature free lessons with admission. The park is located on the east side of the Willamette River under the Sellwood Bridge. While the skating rink is open year-round, the adjacent amusement park is closed in the winter.
Ice Skating at Lloyd Center
Take the kids ice skating any time of the year at the Lloyd Center Ice Rink. Built inside the all-indoor Lloyd Center Mall, the rink is open daily. Can’t skate? Classes and private lessons are available for tots through adults. The rink is on the first level of Lloyd Center, located close to downtown between NE 9th and NE 15th avenues and NE Halsey and NE Multnomah streets. Click on the link above to access ice rink schedules, admission, skate rental fees and driving directions. If you go by MAX Lightrail, take the red or blue line to the Lloyd Center/NE 11th Ave. station.
Oregon Museum of Science and Industry
Both educational resource and tourist attraction, this huge museum boasts exhibit halls, a theater with IMAX projection system, a planetarium and a decommissioned submarine to explore. Hands-on, interactive displays and labs are aimed at making science fun for kids. Parents will have just as much fun as the kids exploring everything from fossils to virtual reality. The OMNIMAX Dome Theater features a five-story screen, steep tiered seating and surround sound that puts you right there with explorers of the far corners of the globe. The Planetarium takes you into space with several different shows to choose from. Admission to the theater, planetarium and submarine are separate from the museum entry fee and can be purchased without museum admission. The museum is located on the Willamette River at 1945 SE Water Ave. Special offers, movie schedules, fees, and directions to the museum can be viewed at the above link.
Kids can spend all day in this museum where creativity and discovery abound. Kids can create sculptures in the art studio, put on a play, join a construction crew, shop for groceries, or explore the wealth of other hands-on activities along with the new friends they’ll meet. It’s located off Highway 26 at 4015 SW Canyon Rd., across from the Oregon Zoo. It’s easy to reach by riding the MAX Lightrail red or blue line to the Washington Park station. Admission is $7.
Multnomah County Central Library
The children’s room here is more than shelves of books. For starters there’s the artwork. When the historic 1913 building was restored recently to its original elegance, the children’s room got an added 14-foot bronze tree by artists Dana Lynn Lewis and Barbara Eiswerth. Oregon native vines entwine the tree’s thick trunk and weave together an assortment of animals, toys, sea creatures, storybook characters, musical instruments and more. Kids can touch while they look. Stories are read almost every day in the cozy Story Theater. On a tight schedule? Try the 15-minute “Story Stop” daily at 2:00 pm for kids from babies to six years old. Central Library is downtown at 801 SW 10th Ave.
Also see related article Portland's Washington Park
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