Round 5 days trip from Vancouver, BC for Rose Festival

I plan a round trip from Vancouver, BC in the beginning of June for the Rose Festival. It will be: my husband, myself and our 3 years old boy.

We thought about 5 nights altogether, and using the time to travel a bit around Portland.

This is what I have in mind until now:

* 2 days in Portland, including: waterfront park, japanese gardens, Rose Festival (and especially the Grand Floral Parade - how is it?), if we have time (and depends on the weather): zoo or childrens museum. other ideas?

* 1 day columbia george, with some nice dinning along the way, stops for vista points and easy hikes

* 1 day for the coast between Cannon Beach to Cape Mears

other suggestions?

The ideal would be to sleep the all time in one place, and go from there to day trips, but on the other hand, we don%26#39;t want to drive all day, since we are with a young child.

Can someone suggest to us how to arrange this trip? what to see and do in each day? where to sleep?

I thought about leaving Vancouver in the evening, and driving towards portland, with stop for dinner somewhere, and continuing the drive while our son sleeps in the car.

Round 5 days trip from Vancouver, BC for Rose Festival

It is very easy to take day trips from Portland, so you might consider staying put for all the nights. Or stay put for all but one, and stay over on the coast. Cannon Beach is just 90 minutes from Portland and is a great little town. We always stay at the Surfsand Resort there, which is great for families. Check out the tidepools at Haystack Rock during low tide. Cannon Beach has a nice downtown area with loads of shops and restaurants, and is an easy walk from the Surfsand.

The gorge from Portland is a very easy day trip. Be sure to get off I-84 onto the old scenic highway for the best views. You could do the gorge and then head straight back to Portland, or you could do a loop and incorporate Mt. Hood and Timberline Lodge into it before arriving back into town.

Our zoo is very nice. If it is cold and rainy, you might opt for the childrens museum instead. Just depends on your preferences.

Round 5 days trip from Vancouver, BC for Rose Festival

Your 3 year old would love the Oregon Zoo, I hope you are able to visit there. Cannon Beach is very nice, you may also want to consider going to Seaside, about 10 minutes away from Cannon Beach. There is a small aquarium there, a nice prom for walking and an enclosed mall with a carousel your child would enjoy. There are also some fun shops and restaurants in Seaside. Sam%26#39;s is a great place to stop for seafood in a casual, fun atmosphere.

If you are considering a stay in Seaside, we enjoyed a 3 night stay last summer at the Tides by the Sea. We had an upstairs, corner unit with two bedrooms for $90/night. Gorgeous views from the living area and a fully stocked small kitchen. Your itinerary sounds fun, have a good trip! :)

Hi

Mtngrl and I think alike, I would stay in Portland the whole time, making these day trips..

Waterfront Park is just a nice green space along the river, OMSI is across the river on the Eastside and I think the children would love that if the weather were not great.

As Mtngrl said, the zoo is great and the childrens zoo is close..if the weather is fine, you can take the LightRail to the zoo, then when you are ready to go to the Japanese Gardens you can get the free shuttle bus from the station where you got off the train (right at the zoo) and they take you back and forth to the Japanese Gardens. They will be wonderful in June ( they are wonderful all the time :)

The Floral Parade is great, loved it!

Horses and all sorts of great floats and Marching bands.

Cannon Beach is 90 ,minutes from town..

The Gorge is about 40 min from town.

Anywhere you go IN town can be done on LightRail or Streetcar.

I would fly in, take a cab to the 5th Avenue Suites in downtown..or you might like the Inn@Northrup Station, they have kitchens..

Rent a car for 2 days, one can be a day trip to the Coast..you can leave in the morning and be back before dinner.

Second day do the Gorge/Waterfalls, you will also be back by late afternoon.

Next 3 days, just wander all over town..more than enough to do in that amount of time.

Hope this helps :)

How could I forget OMSI??? Thanks Scarlett:)

There are a lot of differing opinions here when it comes to Cannon Beach vs Seaside. You might want to read some past threads and see which fits you better. Seaside is like a carnival...corn dogs and all. Cannon Beach...well, let%26#39;s just say that our family much prefers it.

We Definitely prefer Cannon Beach! , and in June it will most likely be chilly and the children will not be able to go into the brrrr cold water ..

So the shops , galleries and restaurants in CB will be perfect for you, much nicer and less carnival-ish. And closer in driving time, you take Highway 26 straight to 101, turn left on 101 and there you are, in Cannon Beach ( right Mtngrl? lol)

The Grand Floral Parade is really fun- there are alot of people who line up to see it...so depending on where you want to view the parade depends on how early you need to get a spot on the street.

By %26#39;where to view%26#39; I mean on the parade route and if you want to be right on the curb or a few rows back.

One good tip is to wait around where the road intersection is so when they close the roads- you can jump right in and get a good seat- if regular curbside has already been taken.

Plan on having activities for the kids while you wait for the parade(I%26#39;m sure you already do...) and having breakfast out on the parade route.

You might also be interested in The Junior Rose Festival Parade- it is the parade specifically for kids and all the participants are kids as well.

Yes! intersections are good :)

We just walked up from our apt to the corner of NW 10th %26amp; Stark..great viewing and shady spots too. It was hot and sunny that day :)