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101 Summer Day Trips

Explore Oregon this summer!

By Annie Willems July 25, 2019
Below is a list of 101 day trips and ideas to keep you and your MacKid busy all Summer long! 

From the coast, to the forests, we have options for everyone. Most are within an hour of Salem! A couple will require you to make a 2.5 hour trip, so make sure to plan for fun.

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Make your summer bucket list and Happy Summer!!

Explore the Coast

1. Pacific City 
2. Lincoln City  
3. Depoe Bay 
4. Newport 
5. Seaside
6. Florence

Favorite Cities to Explore

7. Portland 
8. Eugene
9. Corvallis
10. Woodburn

Day at the Museum

11. Haille Ford Museum of Art (Salem)
12. Gilbert House Children's Museum! (Salem)
13. Portland Art Museum
14. Portland Children's Museum 
15. Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (Portland)
16. Museum of Contemporary Art (Portland)
17. The Science Factory (Eugene)
18. Evergreen Aviation and Science Museum (McMinnville) 
19. Wonderworks Children's Museum (Dalles)

Take a Trip Back in Time

20. Willamette Heritage Center (Salem) 
21. Elsinore Theater (Salem)
22. End of the Oregon Trail (Oregon City)

Visit the Sea Animals

23. Seaside Aquarium (Seaside)
24. Sea Lion Caves (Florence)
25. Oregon Coast Aquarium (Newport)
26. Hatfield Marine Science Center (Newport)

Visit a Farm

Looking for UPick options in Salem? Click Here
27. Molalla Farms (Wilsonville)
28. Green Acres Farm Sanctuary (Silverton) 
29. Bauman Farms (Gervais)
30. Lake Oswego Lusher Farms
31. Old McDonald Farm (Corbett)

Jump in the Water

32. Three Pools (Near Gates, Oregon)
33. Salmon Creek Falls (Oakridge)
34. Santiam River (Stayton)
35. Lewisville Regional Park (Lewisville, WA)
36. Lewis and Clark State Recreation Site (Troutdale)
37. Dabney State Recreation Area (Corbett)
38. Silver Falls (Silverton)
39. Detroit Lake (Detroit)

Marvel in Oregon's lush Forests

40. OSU's McDonald-Dunn Forest
41. Forest Park (Portland)
42. Gilchrist State Forest
43. Santiam State Forest
44. Tillamook State Forest

Stop and Smell the Flowers

45. Japanese Gardens (Portland)
46. Lan Su Chinese Gardens (Portland)
47. Hoyt Arboretum (Portland)
48. Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden (Portland)
49. Oregon Garden (Silverton)

Theme Parks and Water Parks

50. Enchanted Forest (Salem)
51. Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum Waterpark (Mcminnville)
52. Oaks Park (Portland)
53. Family Fun Center (Wilsonville)
54. North Clackamas (Milwaukie)
55. Tree to Tree Adventure Park (Gaston)

Take a Factory Tour

56. Goody's (Bend)
57. Yamasa Soy Sauce (Salem)
58. Pacific Hazelnut Farms (Aurora)
59. Tillamook Cheese Factory  
60. Harry and David (Medford)

Go Climb a Mountain

61. Cooper Mountain Nature Park (Beaverton)
62. Mt. Tabor Park (Portland)
63. Opal Creek Wilderness

Boats and Maritime

64. Oregon Maritime Museum (Portland)
65. Columbia River Maritime (Cascade Lakes)

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

66. Willow Creek Railroad (Salem)
67. Fire Museum (Salem)
68. Antique Powerland Museum (Brooks)
69. Pacific Northwest Truck Museum (Salem)
70. Pearson Air Museum (Vancouver) 
71. Oregon Rail Heritage (Portland)

Take in some of Oregon's History

72. Fort Steven's State Park (Hammond)
73. Fort Hoskins Historical Park (Philomath)
74. Fort Yamhill (Grand Ronde)
75. Fort Clatsop (Astoria)
76. Fort Vancouver

Waterfalls

Check out the this helpful guide on kid friendly waterfall hikes.
77. Henline Falls (Lyons)
78. McDowell Creek Falls (Lebanon) 
79. Butte Creek Falls (Marquam)
80. Shellburg Falls (Santiam)
81. Silver Creek Falls (Silverton)

Give Back

82. Hands On (Portland) 
 
Dams

83. Bonneville Lock and Dam (Bonneville)

Natural Playgrounds

84. Spring Garden Park (Portland) 
85. Blue Lake Park (Fairview) 
86. Camille Park (Tualatin) 
87. Westmoreland Park (Portland)

Fountains

Check out a list of all our local Salem splash pads here.

88. Keller Fountain (Portland)
89. Riverfront Park (Salem)
90. Waterfront Park (Portland)
91. Oregon State Capital Park (Salem) 
92. Town Center Park (Wilsonville)
93. Murase Park (Wilsonville)
94. Skinner Butte Playground (Eugene) "Spray Play"
95. Tualatin Commons (Tualatin)
96. Tanner Creek Park (West Linn)
97. City Park (Beaverton)

Light the way

98. Yaquina Bay Lighthouse (Newport) is Oregon's tallest lighthouse north of Newport beach.
99. Cape Meares Lighthouse (Netarts) is close enough to view the famous Octopus Tree.

Famous Statues

100. Paul Bunyan (Portland)

Lions, and Tigers, and Bears, oh my!

101. Wildlife Safari (Winston)