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| Japanese Gardens |
The Portland area is known for it's natural beauty and outdoorsy activities. Last summer, our family took a trip to one of the most beautiful and unique places that Portland has to offer. The Japanese Gardens are nestled in Washington Park, near the Oregon Zoo.
When we first considered going to the Gardens, Joe and I were not so sure it was the best place to take a busy toddler. We thought that he may be bored, loud, or just plain nuts. Boy were we wrong! Liam loved the walking the paths, seeing the fish in the ponds and the waterfalls, and running on the beautiful decks that surround the gift shop and visitor's center.
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| View of the Portland skyline from the Gardens |
When searching for pictures to put in this post, I had a very difficult time choosing, there are so many amazing sites to see. The manicured gardens, the stone pathways, waterfalls, fish ponds, Portland views, and authentically built structures, offer so many things to see. The gardens are quite large and took us a little over an hour to walk through.
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| Washington Park Playground |
After leaving the Japanese Gardens, we drove about 1/2 a mile down the hill to Washington Park Playground (you could easily walk). This is one of the best playgrounds that we have found in the Portland area. It is huge! There are structures for babies all the way up to older kids.
We had a picnic lunch and explored the park. There are swings, a sandbox to dig in, ramps to climb, slides, poles to slide down, bridges to cross, and several wonderful places to sit and relax.
At one point, Liam needed to use the restroom. We walked down a small hill to the building that houses the bathrooms. It was then that we realized that the structure we were standing in used to be the elephant house at the original Oregon Zoo. It was so cool to think that years ago, elephants roamed the area of the park and slept where the picnic tables stand. Across the street from the elephant house is a train station that connects to the zoo, and travels through the forested area.
Both of these destinations are worth a visit. We plan to take several trips back to the Washington Park Playground this summer, and will possibly add a train ride to the day. We had a great time!
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| Elephant House (old Oregon Zoo) |
When we first considered going to the Gardens, Joe and I were not so sure it was the best place to take a busy toddler. We thought that he may be bored, loud, or just plain nuts. Boy were we wrong! Liam loved the walking the paths, seeing the fish in the ponds and the waterfalls, and running on the beautiful decks that surround the gift shop and visitor's center.
After leaving the Japanese Gardens, we drove about 1/2 a mile down the hill to Washington Park Playground (you could easily walk). This is one of the best playgrounds that we have found in the Portland area. It is huge! There are structures for babies all the way up to older kids.
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