From experimenting with soap bubbles at a science museum to rafting along the Rogue River’s rapids, southern Oregon’s Rogue River region offers travel writers and travel writer bloggers lots of great family-friendly and outdoor adventure story ideas. Not too long ago, my family and I enjoyed several days exploring the kid-friendly side of this diverse area.
Like another lucky writer at the Travel and Words ’13 conference, I was fortunate enough to win a drawing for a research trip hosted by regional marketing tourism groups Travel Medford and Grants Pass Tourism. These friendly folks are great contacts for travel writers looking for new stories ideas as well as writers on assignment that need help crafting an itinerary.
Famed home of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Ashland also has a lot to offer families. On the outskirts of the city is the innovative ScienceWorks Hands-On Museum, which offers 26,000 sq. ft. of interactive exhibits and science shows for all ages. Just east of Ashland, farm tours and farm stays are available at Willow-Witt Farm. Or find outdoor thrills at Rogue Valley Zipline Adventures. Activities in Ashland proper include Lithia Park, North Mountain Park Nature Center and the Schneider Museum of Art.
The newly relocated Kid-Time Discovery Center in Medford, located next door to the Southern Oregon Historical Society Center, offers children two stories of creative and interactive exhibits. My three-year-old son Finn loved playing in the construction exhibit. Bumper boats, miniature golf, go karts, batting cages, and arcade games are all found at the Rogue Valley Family Fun Center. Other great kid-friendly activities include train rides at the historic Railroad Park and exploring the Bear Creek Nature and Bicycling National Recreational Trail.
In Grants Pass, find green space and construction-themed play equipment at Riverside Park, 60,000 cubic feet of tube slides and ball pits at Club Northwest “KidZone”, build Lego creations at Rebel Bricks, or cruise along the scenic Rogue River with Hellgate Jetboat Excursions. You can also experience the art of glass-blowing up and personal at The Glass Forge.
Less then ten miles north of Grants Pass in the small town of Merlin, Rogue Wilderness Adventures offers travel writers a treasure trove of outdoor stories. For over 40 years, this local company has offered world-class rafting, hiking and fishing getaways along the Rogue River. My husband, our son Finn and I had a wonderful time viewing Oregon wildlife at the Wildlife Images Rehabilitation Center, an impressive clinic, interpretive center and animal-holding facility that tends injured and orphaned animals.
In Oregon’s scenic Rogue River Country, family adventures and stories abound for travel writers, travel writer bloggers and travel photographers.