Unique & Hidden Gem Activities for Families

Explore the best unique & hidden gem activities for families options for kids and families in Oregon City

Mount Talbert Nature Park

Mount Talbert Nature Park

Forest oasis with paved & rustic trails. Tree-covered 4-mile trail network ranging from paved, ADA-accessible routes to steep footpaths.

Visit
Scouters Mountain Nature Park

Scouters Mountain Nature Park

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Visit
Oaks Amusement Park

Oaks Amusement Park

Nostalgic spot with skating rink & rides. Family-oriented, circa-1905 amusement park offering wooden skating rink, mini-golf & picnic grounds.

Visit
Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden

Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden

Blooming plants, trails & water features. Park with 2,500+ plants that bloom in spring & summer, plus year-round water features & trails.

Visit
Leach Botanical Garden

Leach Botanical Garden

Tranquil estate & 2,000+ plant species. Estate featuring a manor house, 2,000+ plant species, classes & trails for nature walks.

Visit
Oregon Rail Heritage Center

Oregon Rail Heritage Center

History museum with working trains. Indoor museum housing historic exhibits & multiple restored trains, some of which are operational.

Visit
Powell Butte Nature Park

Powell Butte Nature Park

Hiking & biking among scenic vistas. Family-friendly natural area with plenty of hiking, biking & equestrian trails among scenic vistas.

Visit
The Zymoglyphic Museum

The Zymoglyphic Museum

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Visit
Experiment PDX

Experiment PDX

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Visit
Elephant Indoor Habitat

Elephant Indoor Habitat

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Visit
The Skeleton Key Odditorium

The Skeleton Key Odditorium

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Visit
World Forestry Center

World Forestry Center

Interactive exhibits on forests & trees. Hands-on exhibits are designed to teach visitors about the sustainability of forests & trees.

Visit
Hoyt Arboretum

Hoyt Arboretum

Tree garden with extensive hiking paths. 190-acre park with thousands of native, global & endangered trees, plus 12 miles of hiking trails.

Visit
Hour to Midnight - Escape Rooms Portland

Hour to Midnight - Escape Rooms Portland

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Visit
Gresham Japanese Garden - Tsuru Island

Gresham Japanese Garden - Tsuru Island

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Visit
The Freakybuttrue Peculiarium and Museum

The Freakybuttrue Peculiarium and Museum

Odd collection of exhibits, art & gifts. Museum featuring strange & creepy exhibits, artwork & merchandise (not recommended for children).

Visit
Witch's Castle

Witch's Castle

Abandoned stone house in the forest. On the Lower Macleay Trail, this old stone building with no roof is surrounded by dense woodland.

Visit
The Wishing Tree

The Wishing Tree

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Visit
Escape Games PDX

Escape Games PDX

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Visit
The Grotto

The Grotto

Peaceful Catholic shrine & garden. Cliffside Catholic sanctuary known for its Pieta sculpture in a grotto & serene botanical gardens.

Visit
Whitaker Ponds Nature Park

Whitaker Ponds Nature Park

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Visit
Columbia Children's Arboretum

Columbia Children's Arboretum

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Visit
Jonsrud Viewpoint

Jonsrud Viewpoint

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Visit
The Belmont Goats

The Belmont Goats

Small local goat herd & a hen in a park. Nonprofit funded herd of goats living in a fenced-off park area open for public & school visits.

Visit
City Play for Kids

City Play for Kids

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Visit
Grant Street Pier

Grant Street Pier

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Visit
Captain George Vancouver Monument

Captain George Vancouver Monument

Plaza honoring the city's namesake. Plaza telling the story of the city's namesake through an interpretive plaque & modern scuplture.

Visit
Esther Short Park and Playground

Esther Short Park and Playground

Public square with art & activities. Historic square with playgrounds & public art featuring activities for all ages, including concerts.

Visit
Devil-ish Little Things Museum

Devil-ish Little Things Museum

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Visit
Dizzy Castle

Dizzy Castle

Children's indoor playground & cafe. Kids' indoor play space with a castle & pirate-ship structures, slides, 3 party rooms & a cafe.

Visit
NatureScaping of SW Washington's Wildlife Botanical Gardens

NatureScaping of SW Washington's Wildlife Botanical Gardens

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Visit
The Oregon Garden

The Oregon Garden

Tranquil lodging in a botanical garden. Cozy rooms with fireplaces in a Frank Lloyd Wright-designed hotel set in a botanical garden.

Visit
Powerland Heritage Park

Powerland Heritage Park

62-acre, open-air farm machinery museum. Open-air exhibits featuring old farm machinery, a mini-train & the Pacific Northwest Truck Museum.

Visit
Willamette Mission State Park

Willamette Mission State Park

Park with a lake in a historic setting. A nature preserve with a lake, camping, hiking & picnicking, on the site of a former settlement.

Visit
Hoodview Park

Hoodview Park

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Visit
Spongs Landing County Park

Spongs Landing County Park

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Visit
Willamette Manor Park

Willamette Manor Park

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Visit
Weathers Park

Weathers Park

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Visit
OSH Museum of Mental Health

OSH Museum of Mental Health

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Visit
Gilbert House Children's Museum

Gilbert House Children's Museum

Children's museum in 3 historic houses. Children's science & art museum spanning 3 Victorian houses plus an outdoor play area.

Visit
The Hallie Ford Museum of Art

The Hallie Ford Museum of Art

Modern art, regional artifacts & more. Museum displaying historic, regional & modern art, plus collections of Native American baskets.

Visit
Willamette Heritage Center

Willamette Heritage Center

Wool-making exhibits, a cafe & shops. Victorian-era, water-powered mill turned wool-making museum, with exhibits, a cafe & shops.

Visit
Riverfront City Park

Riverfront City Park

Waterfront park with a carousel. Riverside green area with a playground, an amphitheater, a carousel & the Eco Earth Globe sculpture.

Visit
Salem's Riverfront Carousel

Salem's Riverfront Carousel

Indoor carousel carved by local artists. Local volunteers carved more than 40 horses by hand for this indoor carousel, which opened in 2001.

Visit
Deepwood Museum & Gardens

Deepwood Museum & Gardens

Victorian house museum & formal gardens. Formal gardens, nature trails & a Queen Anne Victorian home with history exhibits & guided tours.

Visit
Bush House Museum

Bush House Museum

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Visit
Bush’s Pasture Park Rose Garden

Bush’s Pasture Park Rose Garden

Small botanical park & greenhouse. Compact botanical park with diverse flower & plant species, plus a gazebo & a greenhouse.

Visit
Salem Art Association - Bush Barn Art Center

Salem Art Association - Bush Barn Art Center

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Visit
Minto-Brown Island Park

Minto-Brown Island Park

Vast riverside park with miles of trails. 898-acre site with paved trails in open & wooded areas, picnic & play areas & an off-leash dog park.

Visit
Baskett Slough National Wildlife Refuge

Baskett Slough National Wildlife Refuge

Hiking area & migratory bird habitat. Tranquil nature reserve featuring a hiking trail & birdwatching opportunities.

Visit

Explore More Activities

Discover more events and activities happening in the city.