Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
it to the next—they can dig holes, buy groceries, fingerpaint, and so on.
Kids can also attend vacation camps and group classes (in science,
painting, yoga, and one that's all about making messes). The museum
does get crammed on the weekends, and if you don't relish the idea of
being in a room full of giggling, screaming, scampering tots, you might
want to skip this one, but parents seem to love it.
Continuing around the parking lot to your left, you'll come to the
World Forestry Center, another kid-friendly museum, this one dedic-
ated to understanding the value of forests in everyday life. Its exhibits
cover forest use and preservation in various parts of the world, at levels
that will interest kids but won't bore their parents. Outside stands a
massive petrified stump from a giant Sequoia tree that's 5 million years
old.
Turn left on exiting the World Forestry Center, and follow the trail to
the entrance of the Vietnam Veterans of Oregon Memorial. Dedicated in
1987, it lists the names of Oregon veterans who served in the war, as
well as random events from around the state that were occurring at the
same time. The memorial is situated in a shallow, grass-covered hollow;
sections of the wall are distributed along a paved spiral sidewalk, which
leads you gently up to the edge of the bowl and connects with the Wild-
wood Trail.
Follow the spiral pathway from the memorial until it joins the Wild-
wood Trail. From here, you'll stay on the Wildwood to reach Hoyt Ar-
boretum; the trail is well signposted, so it shouldn't be difficult to fol-
low. Veer left at the spur trail to the arboretum (also clearly marked).
Hoyt Arboretum is what it sounds like: a tree museum, spread out
across 187 acres, showcasing 1,100 species of trees from around the
world. The most casual appraisal makes it clear that this area is prime
real estate, and it was originally intended for residential development.
But before that could happen, civic leaders lobbied to preserve the land
as a public space on which to conserve unusual or endangered tree spe-
cies. In 1922, Multnomah County gave the land to the city of Portland
for the park that became the arboretum. It's named after Ralph War-
ren Hoyt, one of the county commissioners who pushed to have it estab-
lished. If time and energy allow, the trails winding through the arbor-
etum are worth exploring on your own—the trees make especially vivid
scenery in fall and spring.
