Unique & Hidden Gem Activities for Families

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

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.

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.

Grant Street Pier

Grant Street Pier

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Devil-ish Little Things Museum

Devil-ish Little Things Museum

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Columbia Children's Arboretum

Columbia Children's Arboretum

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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.

Whitaker Ponds Nature Park

Whitaker Ponds Nature Park

Visit this great place for kids and families!

The Wishing Tree

The Wishing Tree

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Escape Games PDX

Escape Games PDX

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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.

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).

The Grotto

The Grotto

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

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.

Experiment PDX

Experiment PDX

Visit this great place for kids and families!

The Skeleton Key Odditorium

The Skeleton Key Odditorium

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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.

City Play for Kids

City Play for Kids

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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.

The Zymoglyphic Museum

The Zymoglyphic Museum

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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.

Elephant Indoor Habitat

Elephant Indoor Habitat

Visit this great place for kids and families!

NatureScaping of SW Washington's Wildlife Botanical Gardens

NatureScaping of SW Washington's Wildlife Botanical Gardens

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Hour to Midnight - Escape Rooms Portland

Hour to Midnight - Escape Rooms Portland

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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.

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.

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.

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.

Gresham Japanese Garden - Tsuru Island

Gresham Japanese Garden - Tsuru Island

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Scouters Mountain Nature Park

Scouters Mountain Nature Park

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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.

Jonsrud Viewpoint

Jonsrud Viewpoint

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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.

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.

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.

Hoodview Park

Hoodview Park

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Spongs Landing County Park

Spongs Landing County Park

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Willamette Manor Park

Willamette Manor Park

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Weathers Park

Weathers Park

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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