Cantrall Road Ruch, Oregon If you're exploring the pioneer town of Jacksonville (10 minutes off I-5) and have more time to spend, drive out into the Applegate Valley and visit Cantrall Buckley County Park. Set on the shores of the Applegate River, Cantrall Buckley has a long, sloping lawn and picnic areas. The river is slow-moving in this area and great for wading, minnow-fishing (bring nets!) … [Read more...]
Del Mar Motel on the Beach
February 18, 2010 By
1702 Coast Bvld. Del Mar, CA The San Diego area is a family vacation wonderland (Legoland and SeaWorld, anyone?) and Del Mar Motel on the Beach is a wonderful option for your accommotions, often overlooked in travel magazines and guidebooks. There are countless luxury hotels scattered throughout Del Mar, and in comparision, Del Mar Motel on the Beach is a no-frills operation (although it's … [Read more...]
ScienceWorks Hands On Museum
January 22, 2010 By
1500 East Main Street Ashland, OR Sometimes, I'm guilty of forgetting to feature all the excellent pit stops in my own backyard! ScienceWorks Hands-On Museum sits just west of I-5 in beautiful Ashland, Oregon. With both permanent and limited-time (featured) exhibits, there's always something new (and something for every age, from preschool to adult). Explore the Bubble-ology Room, the … [Read more...]
Splash! Lively Park Swim Center
January 11, 2010 By
6100 Thurston Road Springfield, OR We've driven up and down I-5 through the state of Oregon dozens of times, but until a neighborhood family told us about it, we had no idea Splash! Lively Park Swim Center existed! A wonderful pitstop when you have two or more hours to spend, Splash is much more than a community pool; it's an indoor waterpark complete with a 144 foot slide, wave pool, water … [Read more...]
Six Flags Discovery Kingdom tips
September 13, 2009 By
1001 Fairgrounds Dr. Vallejo, CA Six Flags Discovery Kingdom may seem more like a destination than a pitstop, but given its location off I-80 and near the I-5 corridor between LA and Sacramento, it serves as a great overnight break from long-distance driving. We stopped on our way home to Oregon from Laguna Beach this past summer, staying one night at the Courtyard by Marriott Napa Valley … [Read more...]
La Tarasca Restaurant
July 5, 2009 By
1001 W. Main Centralia, WA All the other reviews out there are right: La Tarasca has excellent Mexican food¦perhaps the best, and certainly the most authentic, I've ever tasted. Due to its close proximity to The Great Wolf Lodge Grand Mound, this restaurant has been heavily reviewed (just do a Google search), but all those words really do bear repeating. From the street, the place is nothing … [Read more...]
Extensive Great Wolf Lodge review: Grand Mound Washington
July 1, 2009 By
This past week, my family and I spent two nights and two days at The Great Wolf Lodge in Grand Mound, WA. We arrived at the resort at approximately 9 pm on a Sunday night. The lobby was still filled with children watching the evening animatronics show by the Grand Hall's main focal point, the clock tower (more on that later), but there was no wait to check in. Get our top Great Wolf Lodge tips … [Read more...]
Lithia Park
June 18, 2009 By
Lithia Park Ashland, Oregon is a stunningly beautiful 93-acre park in a garden setting situated within easy distance of 1-5 for either a quick pitstop or an afternoon detour. Located on the north end of Ashland, Oregon in their pedestrian-friendly downtown, there are several entrances to this sprawling park, but the easiest to access from the city center is on Winburn Way. Park either in the city … [Read more...]
Bear Creek Park
May 1, 2009 By
1520 Siskiyou Blvd Medford, OR Bear Creek Park is an excellent pitstop that quite frankly, I forgot to review earlier because it's right in my hometown. It's also, however, right off of I-5 but tucked out of sight, making it a perfect candidate for Pitstops for Kids. Bear Creek Park is huge, and has something for everybody. On the east end of the park are a dirt BMX track (try it out if you … [Read more...]
KidZone in Club Northwest
April 7, 2009 By
2160 N.W. Vine Street Grants Pass, Oregon You can't miss KidZone from I-5 (see photo of the outside of the building), but you will be left wondering what it is you're looking at, it's so poorly marked from the outside. Put simply, it's kid-heaven: 60,000 cubic feet of tubes, slides, and ball pits, housed within Club Northwest, a fitness and health club. It's open to the public, and while it … [Read more...]
