Posts Tagged ‘kayaking’
August 31st, 2011 by Sylke Neal-Finnegan
Tree to Tree Adventure Park is one of several attractions in Oregon's Washington County that your teen will enjoy.
Traveling with teens can be a frustrating experience. Attractions that adults may find inviting, such as museums and art galleries, may be boring to the average American teenager. And kid-friendly spots can be too “babyish” for the finicky teen. As a parent to a teen, here is a handy guide of places that are fun for adults and are teen-friendly, too. (Although they will never acknowledge that they’re having fun, you know they are and will.)
For the Teen with a Sense of Adventure
Hands-down, Tree to Tree Adventure Park remains on the top of the list for teens when it comes to outdoor adventure. The thrill and excitement of playing in the trees while navigating a course of obstacles can bring out childlike enthusiasm in even the most jaded teenager.
Kayaking and canoeing is also a good pastime for teenagers, whether it’s a leisurely ride along the slow-moving Tualatin River, or a family race to an imaginary finish line. Boat rentals are available from the Tualatin Riverkeepers or Alder Creek Kayak and Canoe.
Bonding Time
Hagg Lake, located at Scoggins Valley Park, is one of several fishing spots perfect for a day of parent and teen bonding. Horning’s Fishing and Picnic Hideout also is another popular fishing hole, stocked with rainbow trout. As an added bonus, after a day of angling, try a game of disc golf at each of these locations.
For many, myself included, a great deal of bonding happens while shopping; however, we parents of teens know that this often creates some short-lived drama, so shop ’til you drop at your own risk.
Friendly Family Games
Washington County is chock-full of teen- and family-friendly hands-on activities: laser tag at Laserport, bowling at Big Al’s, outdoor go-kart racing at Malibu Raceway or indoor go-karting at Sykart Indoor Racing Center. For less competitive sports, try trampolining at Sky High Sports or rock climbing at Stoneworks Climbing Gym. (Some attractions are open during evening hours, which will keep your teen happy after the sun goes down.)
Teen-Friendly Dining
So you’ve hiked, biked and climbed your way to an appetite, and you ask, “Where can we go for dinner that has food my teenager will like?” Here are some local places that teens will enjoy, for the food, and the ambiance:
For the complete list of restaurants in Oregon’s Washington County, visit our dining page.
So, there you have it, a quick quide to exploring Oregon’s Washington County with teenagers. My own teenager helped me compile this list, so it has an unofficial stamp of approval. There are hundreds of other things to do and see while here, more than what’s on this list. Whatever you choose to do while visiting, we’re sure you (and your teen) will have a blast.
Tags: Adventure park, Alder Creek, beaverton, Big Al's, canoe, Canoeing, climbing gym, Cruise In, dining, Gaston, go-kart, Hagg Lake, Hillsboro, Hornings Hideout, kayak, kayaking, Laserport, Malibu Raceway, Nacho Mama's, North Plains, Oregon, Pastini Pastaria, rental, restuarants, Riverkeepers, rock climbing, Shopping, Sky High, Skyart, Stoneworks, teenager, teens, Thirsty Lion, tigard, travel, tree to tree, Tualatin, Tualative River, washington county
Posted in Family Fun, Outdoor Recreation, Recreation, Water Fun | No Comments »
August 29th, 2011 by Angie Marsh
The third annual Tualatin Riverfront Music Festival is Saturday, Sept. 10–and is sure to rock. Legendary soul diva Linda Hornbuckle is the headliner, and is a performer with a strong set of lungs and a fierce and friendly stage presence, as I’ve observed in person. Here’s a sample:
The Festival also features performances by jazz piano trio The Originals and singer-songwriter Tyler Stenson. To accompany the music, there will be food, beer from Max’s Fanno Creek Brew Pub, as well as a selection of wines available for purchase.
And it wouldn’t be a riverfront festival without the option to enjoy the river; kayaks will be available for rent for $5. Families can also enjoy an assortment of nature activities. All this fun takes place from 3 to 8 p.m. at Tualatin Community Park, and admission is $5 with ages 15 and younger free. Proceeds from the event benefit the Tualatin Riverkeepers in their effort to protect and restore the Tualatin River.
More information or reply to the event invite on Facebook titled “Tualatin Riverfront Music Festival with Linda Hornbuckle.”
Tags: Events, Family Fun, kayaking, Linda Hornbuckle, Tualatin Community Park, Tualatin Riverfront Music Festival, Tualatin Riverkeepers, washington county oregon
Posted in Events, Family Fun, Outdoor Recreation | No Comments »
August 12th, 2011 by WCVA
Oregon’s Washington County Recreation Map Now Available
The Washington County Visitors Association just published its new Recreation Map, a sister publication to the overwhelmingly popular Bike Map.
With highlights of the area’s outdoor recreational areas, the Recreation Map provides a wealth of information about various outdoor activities, including hiking, nature walks, bird watching locations and paddling sites, including GPS coordinates, difficulty levels and contact information. Trailheads, parks, campgrounds, horse camping sites and other pertinent information are also pinpointed on the map.
In addition to recreational sites, the map includes the Vineyard and Valley Scenic Tour Route, wineries throughout Washington County, golf courses, farms and farm stores, and other attractions in the area.
Recreation Map Highlights
- Bird watching sites
- Vineyard and Valley Scenic Tour Route
- Parks and natural areas
- Golf courses
- Wetlands and open spaces
- Community and recreation centers
- Vineyards and wineries
- Day-use parks
- Camping sites
- Paved and unpaved recreational trails
- Historic sites
- Paddling sites
- Mountains/buttes
Request a FREE copy of the Recreation Map online, call 800-537-3149, or send us an e-mail at info@wcva.org.
Tags: Biking, bird watching, Golf, kayaking, lakes, map, Nature, Oregon, Oregon's Washington County, outdoor, outdoor recreation, paddling, parks, parks and recreation, recreation map, rivers, Vineyard and Valley Scenic Tour Route, washington county, Wineries
Posted in Nature, Outdoor Recreation | No Comments »
August 10th, 2010 by Sylke Neal-Finnegan
We were riding in style in the colorful kayaks provided by the Tualatin Riverkeepers (which were funded, in part, by a WCVA tourism grant).
Over the weekend, the Washington County Visitors Association (WCVA) threw a summer social at Tualatin Community Park, located in the heart of downtown Tualatin (and one of the locations of this week’s Crawfish Festival). It was an ideal summer day in Oregon, and a perfect Saturday to take a leisurely trip down the serene Tualatin River.
With some quick instruction and guidance from the fine volunteers of the Tualatin Riverkeepers, and after being suited up with life jackets, my daughter and I –and the rest of the guests at the summer social– set out in the kayaks for an hour-long paddle trip down the Tualatin River.
The quiet calm of the river was amazing. Trees flanked both sides of the river, and the only clues that we were in a suburban area were the occasional overpasses we floated under, which also served as makeshift habitats for nesting birds who make the river their home.
Along our slow journey, we passed a young man and his brother fishing, presumably for the largemouth bass that thrive in the Tualatin. Other folks enjoying the river passed us slow-poke kayakers on their kayaks and canoes, each sharing a smile and saying a pleasant “hello” as they paddled past us.
It wasn’t just river dwellers of the human variety that were enjoying the Tualatin River that day. Plenty of birds were enjoying the sunny, cool afternoon. Wood ducks, green heron and other birds indigenous to the area were swimming and flying alongside the kayaks, with some stopping for a quick bite to eat. Although we didn’t see any river otters or beavers during our excursion, we did see evidence that at least one beaver makes the river its home. Sue, one of the fabulous guides from the Riverkeepers, found a recently gnawed piece of bark floating downstream, an artifact left behind by a busy beaver.
Why I waited three years to try kayaking down the Tualatin River, I don’t know. What I do know, however, is that I can’t wait to get back out on the river and spend another lazy Saturday with the birds and beavers.
Read more about the Tualatin Riverkeepers and their mission to protect Oregon’s Tualatin River system.
Tags: Canoeing, fishing, kayaking, paddle trip, Tualatin Oregon, Tualatin River, Tualatin Riverkeepers
Posted in Nature, Water Fun | 2 Comments »
March 23rd, 2010 by Sylke Neal-Finnegan
Video Series is First of its Kind to be Used to Promote Tourism
With an innovative, bold new Web video campaign, Washington County, Oregon, is now allowing visitors to create their own vacation adventures with an unprecedented series of videos on the popular video sharing website YouTube.
These “Create Your Adventure” videos allow viewers to discover the many gems of Washington County. Adventurers are given the choice of three tracks, which viewers can tailor to their own interests. Each series ends with a scenic drive along the Vineyard & Valley Scenic Tour Route, which highlights Washington County’s rolling backcountry roads, farm stands and wineries.
Golf is one of several relaxing pursuits on the Create Your Adventure journey.
Each track offers nine adventures, with a total of 27 possible vacation itineraries:
- Relax: highlighting attractions such as shopping, golf, hiking, a day at the spa, and a night out on the town, among other activities
- Escape: highlighting pursuits such as disc golf, hot air balloon rides, a visit to a farmers’ market and saké tasting, among other activities
- Explore: highlighting outdoorsy attractions, such as bird watching, hiking, biking and kayaking, among other activities
“Washington County truly is a hidden gem,” said Ruthie Reinert, president and CEO of the Washington County Visitors Association (WCVA). “As a destination marketing organization, we saw a need to create a tool that provided a sample of all the ways a visitor can have an authentic travel experience in Washington County.”
Birding is one of the adventures explorers can choose
The videos were modeled after the popular “Choose Your Own Adventure” books, which were popular among school-aged children in the 1980s and ‘90s, and allowed readers to choose what happened next in the story.
“Destinations typically tell you what to do and where to go,” said Martin Stoll, CEO of Portland-based GoSeeTell Network, the production company behind the interactive “Create Your Adventure” videos. “Washington County is letting its visitors choose their own destiny. Visitors drive the story and decide where they’ll go and what they’ll do. It’s an exciting breakthrough in the often pre-packaged tourism marketing industry.”
The interactive video project, which was a joint partnership between the WCVA and the GoSeeTell Network, is the first of its kind in the tourism industry. It uses a YouTube technology, which links multiple video clips with an interactivity button that causes the next video to play. This is the first time this Web video technology is being used for tourism.
Tags: Biking, birding, Create your own Adventure, cycling, escape, explore, Golf, hiking, Interactive videos, kayaking, Nature, Oregon, outdoor, relax, sake, sport, videos, vineyard and valley, washington county, washington county oregon, wine tasting, YouTube
Posted in WCVA News | No Comments »
