Lifestyle, Uncategorized

Oregon Family Getaways!!

 

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Hello my friends,

How was your summer? Mine was great and I am still trying to get back on my normal schedule. This post will be different from what I’ve been posting. I will talk about some of the places that we visited, not too far from Portland, that are interesting for kids and family trips. Shall we start?

01 – Wildlife Safari

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We started off our summer trips back in May, when we drove to the Wildlife Safari in Winston (OR). We loved the experience. You can drive by the animals, but the dangerous ones are behind fences. You can feed some of the animals through your window.  It is really beautiful to see the animals up close. I didn’t see any mistreatment. Everything very well organized and the workers very helpful. If you decide to go there, be sure to check out the @groupon app or website for deals. I got 2 adult tickets + one feed me cup for US$19.00 and 2 kids + one feed me cup for US$14.00.  But I had to do it in 2 separates transactions to be able to get the discounts.

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We spent the night at a nearby hotel and drove next day to Florence OR. Florence is known for its Dunes (Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area is located south of Florence). My kids loved to go up and down the dunes. LOL. The beach is beautiful, but that particular day was too windy and cold. Since the hotel has an indoor pool area we spent more time at the pool, unfortunately. We stayed at the Driftwood Shores Hotel and Conference Center and I had a little problem with it. The hotel is ocean front with many amenities. I do have allergies and I can smell things that bothers me from far away. So, when I got into my room, I noticed a strong smell of humidity (not mold), like if the room was closed for a long time with no air circulation. I asked them to change my room, which  they did, but all the rooms on that building had that smell. I asked to change to the other building (one of the buildings has been renovated) but they didn’t have any availability. If you are just like me and planning to book with them, just make sure to ask to be placed on the renovated area. Why do I know that the renovated area had no strong smell? Because we were traveling with another family that were on that part of the hotel:)

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02 – Sunriver, Central OR

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The drive to Sunriver was amazing, the scenario is beautiful. Sunriver is a planned community in Central Oregon (Bend Area) including a resort, a village, a water park and houses (mostly vacation homes). There is something for everyone over there. Lot of walking and biking paths, kids playing everywhere and adults in the coffee shops and restaurants. We rented a house really close to the SHARC (Sunriver Homeowner’s Aquatic and Recreation Center). Not all the houses have passes to the SHARC (ours did), so if you are going to rent one pay attention to the details of the house (they also come with bicycles and hot tub). The SHARC tickets you get depends on how many bedrooms are in the house and they give 2 extras (My house had 2 bedrooms, so I got 2 per bedroom + 2 extras, total of 6 passes). My kids loved it, especially biking and the SHARC. My little one didn’t want to go back home. We spent 6 days (5 nights) and we explored the volcanos and caves in the area. The Newberry National Volcanic Monument has many nearby places to visit. We started in the visitor center, where a ranger explained the history of the area and talked about volcanos and different types of volcanic rocks. We got to visit the “lava tube” or as they call it “the lava cave”. I do have OCD and with it anxiety and claustrophobia. So, sure enough I had a minor attack of anxiety and claustrophobia when we entered the cave, which is around 1 miles deep but I think that I only went 1/2 mile. Really beautiful down there, cold and dark. They rent lanterns and I am so glad we rented one because our lantern’s battery died on our way down. We also went to Paulina Lake and The Big Obsidian Flow. If your kids are into Minecraft like mine are, you have to take them there. Obsidian is a (black) volcanic glass. The scenario is really breathtaking and I wish we stayed a little longer to visit more places. My kids loved so much this trip, mainly because they were feeling free riding their bikes, going to the pool and seeing nature everywhere.

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03 – Great Wolfe Lodge

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I always saw adds about it but never got too excited. After talking to a friend, we decided to go together with our families. The one near us is mid way to Seattle, around 100 miles North of Portland. The Great Wolfe Lodge has an indoor water park, restaurants, many kids activities,  and souvenir stores. It is also a good option for a short winter trip. We spent 3 days and 2 nights, and once again, my kids didn’t want to go back home. I got a good deal on my booking, they were running a promo code of 30% off. I booked for a normal suite, with 2 days breakfast pass (US$40.00 per day for 4 people) and the Paw Pass, all for US$850.00.  I reserved a standard suite, but we got upgraded for one of the kid’s cabins. The bedroom had a small sleeping area for the kids with a single bed, a bunk bed and tv. All decorated with animals and looking like a cabin. Really nice. Thanks Great Wolf Lodge. I have to say that all my reservation was made under my personal e-mail and they had no clue that I have a blog. I guess I was the lucky one. Haha. The Paw Pass is a little bit expensive. I paid US$79.99 per kid but each one got a wand for a magic game around the hotel, a stuffed animal (it can also unlock a game), a swim goggles, a Gemstone Mining Experience (my kids loved it), a leather bracelet, a cup of Mike&Ike (the kids loved, but not mommy, lol). The wand is what the kids liked the most. It interacts with objects around the hotel (by waving it closely) in a game involving solving enigmas and riddles that makes the kids walk up and down the stairs to complete a quest. It is definitely a workout if you have young kids that cannot walk around by themselves. Both of us were dead tired by the end of the trip, but the kids loved it. The aquatic park is OK, but the highlight is the magic game. It is interesting and the kids and parents really get into it. Luckily, they turn off the game at 10 pm, otherwise you would hear kids running around the whole night.

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Hope that you had a wonderful summer and that now you have all the energy for the rest of the school year. You know when your kids had a good summer when they are already planning the next one.

See you next time!!

Love,

Andrea