Washington/Oregon Coast...

[ditzyscrap]

My sister (not Jae) and I are thinking that this summer we'd like to take our families and travel down the Washington and Oregon coasts...take like a week and just see the sites, do whatever. Travel a few hours every couple days, set up our campsite again (they'll be bringing a travel trailer, we'll have a tent, lol).

ANYWAY...if anyone lives around there or has done this trip before...I could use some recommendations of things to see and nice campgrounds. Our kids are 6, 5, 5 and 3...if that helps rule out some activities.

I was thinking that we might do a day at Great Wolf Lodge (http://www.greatwolf.com/grandmound/lodge) in Grand Mound, WA...I saw a commercial for it on TV one day just after it opened and REALLY wanted to go there, lol...

[scrapperjade]

Yeah... she didn't invite ME... how nice is that??? I think I'm gonna disown her as my sister... hmph!

[ditzyscrap]

LOL...you're the one that said over winter break that you weren't sure you wanted to DO the family thing this year... ;) And with the guys being busy with work, while we aren't...you know how it goes...

[robinforman]

We did the great wolf lodge right after it opened, and it was very cool. My daughter (3.5) was actually not a big fan of the water park, which really surprised me, but they have a ton of other cool stuff to do (arcade, craft, bedtime stories, etc) so it turned out okay. One thing that might be cool for you guys to do is take a ferry somewhere (there are several day trips you could take, departing from places all around Puget Sound).

[Julie Billingsley]

Well, you'll have to wave at me! Not to discourage you, but the Oregon/Washington coast isn't very warm and the water temp is pretty cold year around. Don't be picturing warm beaches like California! It isn't that way here. Great Wolf lodge is not on the coast, it's a couple hours inland, right on I-5. One of my good friends stayed there and said it was good for an overnight trip but they got bored after their 2nd day. There is also WildWaves near Tacoma and it has a theme park with it, so you get both the waterpark and the theme park. I think the owner is Six Flags, so you might check the Six Flags site. The Great Wolf Lodge tickets are sold at my local Costco, so if you are a member you might check your local Costco. They typcially are with the movie tickets and Disney tickets. Maybe it's just because I live in this area, but I can't see someone wanting to spend their vacation here. LOL

[Kim]

hmmmm. You planning on going during the summer?

The Oregon Coast Aquarium is nice. Thats in Newport
I dont love any beaches because they are all too cold to actually go into.
There are a ton of neat places to see like Lighthouses and things like "The devil's punchbowl"
Florence has a lot of dunes that are fun, you just need to stay away from the areas that have ATVs.
Depot Bay is a quick blink and you miss it area, but they have HUGE waves that crash up onto the cliffs and if you come at the right time you can get splashed by them.
Tillamook has a cheese factory you can tour... sounds funny but its actually kinda neat.
We go to Seaside every so often, they have some nice beaches and boardwalks.

Thats about it.. we dont travel much beyond any of those places along the coast

[ditzyscrap]

It doesn't matter about the beaches (man, when we went to the beach in Cali, it was SO cold that day, we didn't get to go in, lol)...it's more for the scenery and just to do something different. We usually camp in the mountains in BC...one year we did Drumheller in Alberta (big dinosaur museum). But yeah, we want to do something different.

Has anyone been to the Hands On Children's Museum? I just remembered that Mount St. Helen's is in WA too. Since we're coming from inland BC, we won't be hitting the coast right away...since we just want to drive a few hours and then stop, etc.

[WalkersMommy]

I am from Washington and my family goes to Seaside, OR EVERY year! :) We love it. I know they have a camp ground there close to the beach. I recommend going there for sure!!
I haven't been to the wolf lodge yet, but all my family and friends who have gone there really loved it!

[pewtertm]

Oh man, my favorite vacation spots!

In Washington, I'd definitely say take the ferry to Friday Harbor and visit Lime Kiln State Park. It's the only whale-watching park in the states...we saw several pods of orca while we were there.
Mt. St. Helens is a neat trip, but I preferred Olympic National Park. We stayed at the Port Angeles Inn in Port Angeles (duh LOL)...great rooms at good prices. I enjoyed the town itself, and it's close to the park's mountain range access. The Hoh rainforest near Forks was incredible, and there are some nice secluded beaches in Olympic.
Astoria, OR seemed like a fun little place to explore...shame that we were there on a Sunday afternoon with someone who only 'needed' to have her hair done.
We stayed in Seaside...VERY touristy, but the beaches are beautiful. Sea Lion Caves (http://sealioncaves.com/) is further south on the coast...we didn't get to go, but it sounds really neat.
What else...oh! The Columbia River Gorge Highway east of Portland is GORGEOUS!!!! Lots of waterfalls.

Now I REALLY REALLY want a vacation!

[dmogs]

Now Bree... you know you have to come see Meeeee right??? LOL

[ditzyscrap]

Well of COURSE, Dani! :D If we go, I'll definitely have to fit in a "meet the girls" night and see you, Shawna and Julie... ;) And anyone else that's down there! :D

[juliemarie]

Thanks for the tips, we are planning a vacation to the Oregon coast this summer too.

And Bree, you will have to stop a few times along the way... I think Sonja, Kristin & I are all along your way :)

[scarletsierra]

I used to live in the Seattle area and have done a few camping trips in the region. My favorite areas are Olympic National Park in WA, a visit to Mt. Ranier, Snoqualamie Falls, and the San Juan islands (orcas, orcas, orcas!).

Have fun planning and then enjoy soaking up some of the most beautiful landscape ever!!! I really miss the Pacific Northwest.

[Laura_A]

I love Seaside, OR... and let's see, the Seattle Aquarium is very cool. I haven't done much on the coast cuz it's always pretty chilly & wet, but it's absolutely GORGEOUS!!!

I'm hoping to be home for the summer so if you do get to go... maybe we can hook up! :thumbup: