Any west coasters help me out. I am thinking of hitting Seattle, Portland & Vancouver in August for a vacation. I will have an 8 year old with me. Any anyone recommend a few things to do, places to eat & fun attractions that are kid friendly. I plan on renting a car. My email is Onecelt70@yahoo.com if that makes it easier

So many things depending on interests..
Off the top of my head..

Portland- Saturday Market (great shopping, music, and eats)
A great Waterfront Blues Festival in August.. kid friendly.
Oregon Zoo is good, that also has summer concerts,which includes zoo admission.

Seattle
Pike Place Market.. again, lots of great shopping, music, eats.
Woodland Park Zoo.. again, summer concerts and family friendly.
Seattle Center.. Science Center, amusement rides, etc.
Ferry to one of the nearby San Juan Islands.. beautiful scenic excursion.
Mount Saint Helens.. A great stop between Portland and Seattle..

Vancouver
Stanley Park.. lots of activities including outdoor swimming, aquarium, concerts
Granville Island.. Cool artsy community with great food,shopping, entertainment,kids theatre etc.
Planetarium.. great place for kids and adults.

Take a ferry ride in Seattle. Or better yet to one of the San Juan Islands. Mariners game isn't bad. I would skip Vancouver and go up to Whistler lots of outdoor stuff in the summer. Note when Seafair is in Seattle, you probably want to avoid.

Thanks. This gives me a few ideas

Ground Kontrol is in Portland. I’ve never been but apparently it’s an amazing arcade that kids love.

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Donnebr
Any west coasters help me out. I am thinking of hitting Seattle, Portland & Vancouver in August for a vacation. I will have an 8 year old with me. Any anyone recommend a few things to do, places to eat & fun attractions that are kid friendly. I plan on renting a car. My email is Onecelt70@yahoo.com if that makes it easier

Where are you from.

Places around Vancouver:

Grouse Mountain gondola in North Vancouver is scenic.

Lighthouse Park in West Vancouver is short easy hiking with old growth and ocean views.

Outdoor pool at Kits Beach is nice (you could also swim in the ocean there, but I don't recommend it).

Science World is popular with kids.

VanDusen Botanical Garden is pretty.

some kid friendly stuff in seattle for you. i'll post some more stuff after i think of it.
1. MoPOP - used to be Experience Music Project, they changed it to include all pop culture. lots of interactive stuff
2. pacific science center - again, lots of cool interactive stuff for kids
3. seattle aquarium is good
4. lincoln park in west seattle. great, large park. i live right by it. inside the park on the beach is colman pool. its an olympic size outdoor pool right on the beach. heated & treated salt water. built in the 1940s, recently refurbished. 1 of those local secrets. its awesome.

you might consider taking ferry to vancouver island/victoria. nice up there. you can catch the boat at sidney bc



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2019-01-22 13:06 by crholmstrom.

La Casa Gelato in Vancouver is awesome. [www.lacasagelato.com]

they recently reopened the space needle in seattle. i wouldn't eat there but going up to check it out is good. they put in a glass floor. pretty cool unless you have a fear of heights, haha. woodland park zoo is pretty good & they have concerts there in the summer that are usually family friendly. also, they start & end early as it is in a neighborhood. they haven't announced this years shows yet but check out the web site. i saw a phenomenal show by jeff beck there a few years ago. jeff hadn't been doing "little wing" that tour but he got moved by the spirit of hendrix & did it. there's a memorial to jimi in the park.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2019-01-22 13:11 by crholmstrom.

whale watching (Vancouver)

The sea wall at Stanley Park.

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slewan
whale watching (Vancouver)

I currently live in Bellingham (30 miles south of the border)..
Have taken visitors on whale watching excursions out of here a couple times.. Great activity for kids and adults. Same waters.. same whales, less money than Vancouver with the exchange rate and a guarantee to see whales, great experience! (watch groupon for specials )

*Also- Be sure to fuel your car in the US (Bellingham is a good spot) before crossing the border.. US gallon price today $2.49(US) vs $4.42 (Canadian)
(Many come down from BC to shop and fill fuel tanks here)



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2019-01-22 21:51 by MisterDDDD.

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MisterDDDD

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slewan
whale watching (Vancouver)

I currently live in Bellingham (30 miles south of the border)..
Have taken visitors on whale watching excursions out of here a couple times.. Great activity for kids and adults. Same waters.. same whales, less money than Vancouver with the exchange rate and a guarantee to see whales, great experience! (watch groupon for specials )

*Also- Be sure to fuel your car in the US (Bellingham is a good spot) before crossing the border.. US gallon price today $2.49(US) vs $4.42 (Canadian)
(Many come down from BC to shop and fill fuel tanks here)

Hey MrDDDD, at times there are probably just as many BC license plates as Washington plates! I think Bellis Fair was built just for people coming down from BC. Used to listen to KISM but now I listen to traffic stations driving in the Fraser Valley!
As far as more things to do in Van, the Capilano Suspension bridge and Grouse Grind are big attractions in North Van. If you're here in the second weekend, the Abbotsford Air Show is on and then the latter part of August, the Pacific National Exhibition is on.

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DGA35

Hey MrDDDD, at times there are probably just as many BC license plates as Washington plates! I think Bellis Fair was built just for people coming down from BC. Used to listen to KISM but now I listen to traffic stations driving in the Fraser Valley!
As far as more things to do in Van, the Capilano Suspension bridge and Grouse Grind are big attractions in North Van. If you're here in the second weekend, the Abbotsford Air Show is on and then the latter part of August, the Pacific National Exhibition is on.

Yup
Bellis Fair and Costco are popular stops here..
Lived for years in the Fraser Valley.. (Langley, Surrey etc)

The PNE in late August is a great suggestion.. Big time family fun!
(and a very cool old wooden roller coaster if it's still standing )

I am originally from Belfast, Ireland but have lived in Delaware for 20 years.

Thanks for all the recommendations. I appreciate it

Mister DDDD would a day & night in Billingham be needed for the whale watching

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Donnebr
Mister DDDD would a day & night in Billingham be needed for the whale watching

Several different options, but a regular whale watching cruise is about 5 hours.. could do it on the way from Seattle to Vancouver if you wanted..
(Bellingham is about 1 1/2 hours north of Seattle, then about 1 more hour or so depending on border to Vancouver.)
Couple different companies offer the tours, I can recommend this one..
[whales.com]
As I mentioned, specials and groupons offered routinely, so worth checking.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2019-01-23 03:33 by MisterDDDD.

Cheers. Need to do a bit of planning now

Portland:
VooDoo Donuts
Bike trail on Columbia River
McMennamins Edgefield cool place with mini golf course and outdoor summer concerts

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MizzAmandaJonez
Portland:
VooDoo Donuts
Bike trail on Columbia River
McMennamins Edgefield cool place with mini golf course and outdoor summer concerts

Powell's City of Books in Portland is fabulous

in seattle there is an excursion to blake island in puget sound. its not far. you get a harbour tour then when you get to the island a traditional native american salmon feed along with a native american show. might be fun & educational for your youngster & the food is really good. several years since i've done it but was fun when i was a kid.

[www.argosycruises.com]



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2019-01-23 12:14 by crholmstrom.

To the folks that sent me suggestions & recommendations thank you.

This was the route I was planning on taking. Do you think this is doable for 14 nights

SEATTLE to VAN COVER (BC) 143 miles 2 nights

VAN COVER (BC) BILLINGHAM (WC) 57 miles 1 night

BILLINGHAM OLYMPIC NAT. 119 miles 2 nights

OLYMPIC NAT ASTORIA 211 miles 1 night

ASTORIA CANNON BEACH 26 miles 0 night

CANNON BEACH TILLAMOOK 40 miles 1 night

TILLAMOOK PORTLAND 75 miles 3 nights

PORTLAND ST. HELENS 31 miles Day trip
PORTLAND COUGAR 57 miles Day trip
PORTLAND MT. RAINER 138 miles 1 night
MT. RAINER SEATTLE 63 miles 1 night

Thanks

Pretty ambitious. You'll be spending a lot of time driving. Keep in mind, the distances out west are more than back east. by that I mean things are more spread out. I'd suggest you do a little editing to leave yourself a bit more time to relax & enjoy.

Thanks, that’s what I needed to hear. Appreciate it

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Donnebr
To the folks that sent me suggestions & recommendations thank you.

This was the route I was planning on taking. Do you think this is doable for 14 nights

SEATTLE to VAN COVER (BC) 143 miles 2 nights

VAN COVER (BC) BILLINGHAM (WC) 57 miles 1 night

BILLINGHAM OLYMPIC NAT. 119 miles 2 nights

OLYMPIC NAT ASTORIA 211 miles 1 night

ASTORIA CANNON BEACH 26 miles 0 night

CANNON BEACH TILLAMOOK 40 miles 1 night

TILLAMOOK PORTLAND 75 miles 3 nights

PORTLAND ST. HELENS 31 miles Day trip
PORTLAND COUGAR 57 miles Day trip
PORTLAND MT. RAINER 138 miles 1 night
MT. RAINER SEATTLE 63 miles 1 night

Thanks

The Bellingham to Olympic National Park segment will necessitate taking a ferry or 2. If you are going to go to Whidbey Island from Bellingham, then on to Port Townsend, be aware that that run often requires reservations or else you can be waiting for a very long time, especially in the summer. Also, Olympic National Park to Astoria is a very curvy route and can take much longer that expected. I say all these things from personal experience!

Speaking of fishing in Seattle, don't forget The Edgewater Inn. You can fish out your window. Fun for the whole family.

Portland had some awesome buffets.