Kimamom, I thought DH was Dear Husband??? Now who is off with his fiance? This is getting very interesting!

LOL, it's been a loooong day! DS is off with his fiance. ***kim***

Kim, I thought you didn't like Cannon Beach!
To those who actually live in Portland
How far is Seaside from Cannon beach? We went straight to Cannon, then South a little, I found it very beautiful and it reminded me of the coastline in parts of California ( from a looong time ago when I lived there)..
Aside from Cannon/Seaside/Astoria, what are the beaches where people live all year round?

Scarlett,
Seaside is less than 10 miles from Cannon Beach, but worlds apart in many ways. Not sure what you're asking in your last question. There are many, many beach communities with year-round residents. The first of any size south of Cannon Beach is Manzanita, which IMO has much of the same character.

CMarion: In addition to the Zoo and OMSI there is a great Children's Museum in Portland. Your kids are the perfect age to spend some time there

Hi again, cmarion. Also in Seaside that your kids would love ( I do, too!) is the Carousel in the enclosed mall there. www.seasideor.com is a website for you.

Your kids might also enjoy the Maritime Museum and Fort Clatsop in Astoria. www.oldoregon.com There is also a riverfront trolley that runs along the riverfront that is very scenic and informative.

If you go over the Astoria-Megler bridge (it's a gorgeous ride) and drive up the WA coast a bit, Long Beach is also lots of fun. Stop for a bite to eat at the 42nd Street Cafe, wonderful food. Long Beach also has rides for the kids and there is the Marsh's Free Museum that has tons of shells and fun beachy things for tourists. ***kim***

Hi beachbum!
That was exactly the answer to my not clear question lol. I was wondering about year round beach towns, as opposed to the cute towns full of motels and gift shops and rides. In NYC we had the Hamptons where people lived all year round, of course, in mansions ~sigh~ but I was so charmed by Cannon Beach and the sight of that rock!! I considered living in that sort of area..
The Yankee still prefers the city, and I will not say no to the NorthWest Hill
CMarion, sorry for the deviation from your topic, as you can see, we went to visit in Sept and fell in love with Portland ~

cmaron, if you decide to go south of Cannon Beach, the Tillamook Cheese factory is great fun for the kids and the Brown Cow ice cream is heavenly!

www.tillamookcheese.com is the website. My kids grew up touring this place every summer. It's gorgeous scenery, with the green, green grass and all of the cows grazing in the pastures.

DS is taking his fiance here on their trip in a few days. I've advised them to stop at the Manzanita Fireside Cafe for some yummy marionberry french toast and fresh squeezed OJ for breakfast in the quaint, colorful restaurant.

We're looking forward to trying the Nahalem River Inn for dinner when we visit in March which has received rave reviews on the PNW Chowhound board. ***kim***

I think we may have scared CMarion off! Seems to happen quite often in Portland related threads these days. Claire, do you have any more specific questions to help get us back on track?

Scarlett, did you look SW? Dunthorpe? Council Crest?

Hi beachbum..
We went to Lake Oswego, is that SW? Not sure about Council Crest. It was a whirwind day of neighborhood/house hunting. I have promised to look in the Sellwood/Hawthorne areas next time.
Claire, come back!!

I forgot to comment in detail about Cannon Beach, claire. It's really very pretty. You must see Ecola State Park with your kids. When mine were young, they loved to hike around the paths there and we would picnic on the lawn while we watched all the sea gulls scatter around.

Another point of interest is Indian Beach. It's gorgeous, a short hike down the trails will take you down to the water. Lots of surfers here, we'll be taking all of our boards here on spring break to try out the waves.

The most family-oriented restaurant in CB would be Mo's. It is right on the beach and was always our first stop with our family on our way to our home in Astoria. The clam chowder is served family-style and I really enjoy the peppered salmon here. It is very much conducive to small children such as yours.

There's Bruce's Candy Kitchen in town where you can buy fudge and goodies and the Cannon Beach bakery makes delicious sugar cookes shaped like starfish. Sounds like there's plenty for you to do in the area. Enjoy!

We subscribe to the Daily Astorian, CB Gazette and the Seaside Local papers. We recently have been receiving the Daily Journal of Commerce a small Portland newspaper to help us with some upcoming real estate decisions. So ask away with any specific questions you might have concerning the coast or surrounding areas. ***kim**

Yes, the Daily Journal of Commerce is loaded with advice on where to take kids. Too much...

Here is an old post with some good comments on beaches etc.
Hope this helps~

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...1&tid=34509620

claire, the Rose Gardens are also very nice. I haven't seen them in the Spring, tho. This trip we hope to see the Chinese Classical Gardens, also.

Will you have much time in Seattle? It would be great to spend some time in this great city, also. I would recommend the Space Needle, Pike Place Market, the ferry ride to Bainbridge Island for fun things to do with kids there.

Seattle also has a small, but very fun aquarium that your kids would enjoy. ***kim***

The rose gardens up near the zoo are not a place I would take small children. There are signs there that speak about fines if people damage/tear off parts of the roses, and that could be a stressful trip with small children. Not necessarily, but I wanted Claire to know just in case.

I heard the fine was something like $500.
I bet it is really beautiful though. I cannot wait to go back again. So much more to see and do.
Claire, where are you?

I'm sure claire's children wouldn't tear the place up too badly! ***kim***

By all means, Claire, take your kids to the rose gardens. They're lovely in April shortly after the stems have been cut close to the ground.

Good grief, Portland which is such a laid back city would cringe about all the post regarding where to stay, where to eat, where to go etc. Too funny.

IMHO the Rose Garden is NOT the place to at least take a 2 year old or even a 5 year old. An 8 year old if they are well mannered and follow the rules then alright. About the children not tearing the Rose Garden up too much, Hello??? I can't believe I read that!

The Chinese Garden is wonderful, but again not a place for the two younger ones. And probably the 8 year old would be bored.

The zoo is great for children.

LoveItaly--I agree with you on the Chinese Gardens. Very beautiful, but not geared toward small children. I went with my nephews class last year, and even quite a few of those 7th graders were bored. All the parents/adults loved it though!