3 totally doable WEEKEND GETAWAYS

3 totally doable weekend getaways

Destinations your family can rock in 150 miles or less

by JOANNA NESBIT

Hopping a plane doesn’t compute for many family budgets, but within a few hours’ drive your family can enjoy awesome getaways around the Northwest. Here are three to get you started.

Portland

Oregon’s Rose City is known for its strong public transportation, excellent food and ample family-oriented experiences, whether for a weekend or several days.

Consider staying in Northwest Portland to experience one of the city’s hottest neighborhoods: NW 23rd Avenue. Northwest Portland offers shops, boutiques, galleries, theaters and restaurants galore with appeal for families, as well as Powell’s Books, the largest new/used bookstore in the world. From the Northwest district, it’s an easy streetcar ride to downtown. In fact, you may want to ditch the car and travel light rail (TriMet’s MAX) or streetcar much of the time. Hit places like Portland Art Museum and nearby Lan Su Chinese Garden. From there, visit Portland’s Saturday Market at Waterfront Park which runs March 4-December 23 this year. Dont' miss Portland's famous food carts or iconic Voodoo donuts.

Kids will have the most fun, however, at Portland's family attractions: the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI) and Washington Park. A world-class museum for all ages, OMSI features five exhibit halls with interactive permanent and temporary exhibits. Be aware that the museum can take the better part of a day.

Washington Park, one of Portland’s best-loved parks, features 400 acres of trees, gardens, playgrounds and attractions. From downtown, take the MAX to the Washington Park train stop, the deepest station in the U.S. You can easily spend a day here visiting the Oregon Zoo, International Rose Test Garden with the adjacent Children’s Park, or Japanese Garden.

STAY: Inn @ Northrup Station. Suites in Alice-in-Wonderland colors come with kitchenettes. You’ll have on-foot access to Forest Park for walking and biking trails. Rooms start at $180 with discount rates.

International Rose Test Garden, Portland

Victoria

A waterfront British Columbia capital, Victoria offers a Commonwealth experience you just don’t get in the U.S., with English-style shops, double-decker buses, Parliament buildings and lots of tea.

Victoria’s compact size makes for easy sightseeing and shopping on foot. When little legs grow tired, hop a city bus – many are double-decker and extra fun for Yankee kids.

Centrally located Inner Harbour holds the Parliament Buildings and historic Empress Hotel, Victoria’s focal point. Here also, the Royal BC Museum offers families a great introduction to B.C. history. Kids will love wandering through models of turn-of-the-century streets, a Chinese shop, and Chief Kwakwabalasami’s house. Other area faves for kids include Miniature World, Victoria Bug Zoo, and Victoria Butterfly Gardens. Try Government Street for souvenirs and Chinatown’s Fan Tan Alley to experience the narrowest street in Canada.

If the weather holds, Victoria’s outdoor gardens are not to be missed. Butchart Gardens, 14 miles north of Victoria, offers premier display gardens. Beacon Hill Park is beautiful and free and a short walk from downtown, offering bridges, ponds, gardens and wildlife. The very young won’t want to miss the Beacon Hill Children’s Farm.

STAY: Royal Scot, 425 Quebec St., 800-663-7515. Also check ferry-hotel packages on the Victoria Clipper website for some great deals.

TREAT: Try the White Heather Tea Room for afternoon tea with older children, from $42-60. Reservations are recommended. Or, grab a cup of the freshest coffee in town at Bows & Arrows.

The Empress Hotel, Victoria

Hoh Rain Forest

For wilderness, head to the world-famous Hoh Rain Forest. Truly, it’s the peninsula’s best-kept secret.

Home to one of the largest old-growth stands in the northern hemisphere, the Hoh receives 140-170 inches of rain annually, but chances are good you’ll see it between showers. Walk the .8-mile interpretive Hall of Mosses trail for draping club moss, lichen, and Sitka spruce, as well as the adjacent 1.2-mile Spruce Nature Trail for views of the Hoh River. Watch for local Roosevelt elk around the Visitor Center. Try beautiful Second Beach near La Push for sand, sea stacks, and tide pools. The .75-mile access trail is perfect for all ages. Further south, Ruby Beach and a series of beaches (Beach 1, 2, 3 and so on) along the southern end of the coastal park strip also make for family-friendly beach combing, especially if you opt for Kalaloch Lodge. More at nps.gov/olym/.

Tiny Forks provides an inexpensive base from which to explore the “West End.” Catch up on the Twilight action here, the tourist wave that erupted a few years ago after Stephenie Meyer’s vampire series. Older kids may want to check out the self-guided tour of Twilight sites.

STAY: Olympic Suites Inn, 1-800-262-3433. Kalaloch Lodge offers rooms, suites and cabins, 1-866-662-9928.