When I was at the Lloyd center, I watched children taking skating lessons. They looked like 4-5 year olds, like penguins, learning simple moves, falling often. This was so much fun!

LOL, Faina, good description.

but beachbun, I was there yesterday! :D ***kim***

"Message: but beachbun, I was there yesterday! ***kim***"

beachbum, you should have known..... she is a godDESS you know... omnipresent and all that..

The Pacific NW is sure getting looong threads, lately....Lots of ideas!

Here's an idea for Portland, if you luck out with the weather. Near the Rose Gardens is an outdoor park with a lot of good play equipment and a sand box area.
The Newport Bay Restaurant, which sits in the water, is a good place for kids. You can get little crackers to throw to the sea gulls that hang around just outside of the restaurant. There's a nice little outdoor shopping area near the restaurant with an ice cream store. Also, it's near the waterfront park, which is nice if the kids need to run around.
In April, it will be probably be too cold for the kids to dash into the "Salmon Street Spring," which is a wonderful fountain generated by computer so the water varies in location and height. (Will the spring be open then?) It's in the waterfront park, too.
The kids will love the zoo. Be sure to see the polar bears and go to Africa.
I agree with beachbum. The kids would be bored with the arboretum.
Seattle. Our kids were older when we got here, so my knowledge is limited. I think they'd enjoy Pike Place. I know you will, so it's worth taking them, anyway. Try to go during the week and not on the wkened, as it gets real crowded. Seattle has a zoo, too. I don't know how good it is. We used to take our kids to zoos everywhere.
There's a little amusement park at the foot of the space needle. Your kids might enjoy this.
You might enjoy taking the kids on the ferry to Bainbridge Island, 35 minutes away. You could walk around the town of Winslow, which is a very cute town, maybe eat there, then take the ferry back. The ferry is very relaxed, and your kids would probably enjoy the ride. You could go without a car if you just stay in Winslow.
Have a great time and report back.

uuhh ;;)

claire: Newport Bay is down a bit from the Riverplace Hotel. It is very family oriented and your kids would enjoy being right on the water. I actually had a pretty decent seafood ravioli dish there that wasn't too bad. It's a chain place, tho. :D

Another suggestion is Burgerville! They are all over the PNW. I love the Tillamook cheeseburgers and the Walla Walla onion rings there. Also, very good marionberry milkshakes. ***kim*** ((l))

Orcas--The zoo up your direction is good. Thank goodness we went fairly often, because the first time was on a field trip with 5 yr olds and I had the worst headache and was in a fog after that, lol!

Everyone is SO helpful and I'm writing down all your suggestions. But, no one has answered the question...How long does it take to get from Cannon Beach to Seattle? (If I go the recommended way across to the 5 and up).

Also, if we only do one, omsi or the portland zoo, which would you recommend? Remember, we have access to the San Diego Zoo here all the time.
Thanks!
Claire

Cannon Beach to Seattle is a little over 200miles, so figure around 4 hours, give or take a few minutes depending on how fast you drive. :D

Of course, you probably know you can go to mapquest for specific driving directions. We now have a Navigation System, which has proven to be invaluable in new places. :)

As far as the Zoo goes, if you go to the SD Zoo a lot, then you might want to find other things to do. The Zoo is time-consuming but we love it. Even with virtually no crowds in Nov., we spent three hours there and that was with a quick lunch at the Cascade Grill. Ask your kids what they would prefer, they love to be involved in trip planning! ***kim*** ((*))

I'm not surprised you missed it amongst all the garbage going on here (and I apologize as one of the offenders), but in an earlier post, I guessed at 3.5 - 4 hours of speed limit driving from Cannon Beach to Seattle (US 101 to Oregon 30, crossing to I-5 over the bridge near Rainier). Probably closer to 4.

Claire--Beachbum is right on the time. When we lived in the Seattle area and would drive to CB is was around 4 1/2 for us, but we were lived was N of Seattle in the suburbs, so that took a bit longer. I would opt for OMSI since you have the SD zoo. All 3 of your children are at the perfect age for OMSI.

claire, www.mapquest.com is great. Then you can type in exactly where you will be departing from and where you want to arrive in Seattle, not guessing at other's departures and arrival places. :D ***kim*** ((*))

With apologies to the rest, but, kim, can't you just plug Cannon Beach and Seattle into your new MDX's nav system and tell Claire exactly how long it will take her? It works on mine!

BB: [-X **kim*** ((#))

LOL, are someones lips zipped?? =D>

It's not "LOL" it's "hooray!!!!"

OK! Now I have a new question. We have committed to driving only 2 hours MAX per day (due to kids), so we will want to break up the drive from Cannon Beach to Seattle. Any suggestions on a fun place to stay half way between the two places?? Thanks! C

By the most direct route, no; it passes through some pretty dire country by and large, unless your idea of fun is an outlet mall and/or big piles of semi-bare volcanic mud left over from the MSH floods of 1980. Or else, log towns in which the action is at the unemployment office. Best to push the right pedal and cruise...

Poor cmarion- you're having to dig through a lot of our sore points here. Don't worry though, you're heading to a wonderful area, and there is lots of good advice mixed in here!

Since you are flying into Portland, will you go to Cannon beach after staying in Portland? If so, you won't need to come back to portland..You can go through Astoria and Longview WA before heading north. somewhere around Longview would split the trip time wise. Total miles this way: 206.

One thing about doing it this route in April...you'll be in the area where Lewis and Clark hung out over the winter. You get a newfound appreciation for how tough they were!

Another thought... leave the coast in the morning, then drive to Mt St Helens and sleep near there. Even if you can't get all the way in, it is a nice drive and even the lower visitor centers are quite interesting, even for kids.

Cannon beach to poertland took us about an hour and 45 mins last time I drove, but that was in the evening on a weeknight. Portland to Seattle is about 175 miles. I-5 is a beautiful, fast road (as freeways go. Average speed is about 82 mph. Took us about 3 hours to south Seattle, then 45 minutes to travel the 15 miles to the north side! Rush hour is brutal in Seattle.

OMSI is definitely a must see with kids in Portland. A fun short hike is through Mt Tabor park in Portland. It is, if I remember correctly, the only dormant volcano inside city limits. Not sure, but a good line even if false. My best friend used to live next to the park and it was fun to scare the kids by feeling the "rumblings".

You might find Kennedy school a fun hotel in Portland. it is an old (1903?) school that had been converted with a funky theatre, dipping pool, pub, wine bar, and restaurant. Nice big rooms in the old classrooms- with chalk boards still on the walls- but no TVS! Bring your laptop with DVDs (theres a video place nearby if you have a TV addict in your family like I do. It is in a mostly residential neighborhood about a 10 minutes east of the downtown core.

So thats my advice! I hope you will come back and post a trip report afterwards. New advice and observations are truly appreciated by most of us.