Well, the school year has started back up in fits and starts. It’s still online school in most places, which means your home will continue to be home, office, school, playground, and daycare, as well as the place for book club, dance class, music lessons, and all those other things you try to keep going for your family. And when all the craziness and stress slowly creep in on you and your family, and it almost certainly will think about getting your family away from it all. Take a vacation to the Pacific Northwest, to wide open plains and snow-capped mountains!
Book our Vacation Rentals in Central Oregon Below
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Guests Set Up the Classroom
You can bring all their gear or rent what you’ll need here locally. Either way, it’s easy to get your kids settled in. Some of our larger rentals have dedicated office spaces too. If you don’t want to use it for your office, you can set the kids up in there. Try setting them up on the dining room table, so they’ll be doing their schoolwork with an amazing view of the Cascade Mountains for inspiration. They can take quick breaks out on the deck, breathing in that crisp mountain air, and watching bald eagles soar through the clouds. Set up is easy, and most of our vacation rentals in Central Oregon have Wi-Fi. It’s just like setting things up in your own home, only with amazing mountains and prairies right outside.
Expanding the Classroom
Take the classroom outside and explore nature up close and personal. You can take your kids on hikes or bike rides through alpine woods to brilliant waterfalls, or along dusty mountain trails in the high desert.
It’s a biology lesson with a little geology thrown in too! Have the kids collect different leaves for identification later, keep them on the lookout for new birds and animals they haven’t seen before, and they can watch for animal tracks along the trail or river edge. Are those otter tracks or raccoon tracks?
There are plenty of trails for all ages too. The Trail to Benham Falls is an easy hike along the river to the falls or make the drive to Smith Rock State Park with its towering rocky peaks. You can do everything at the Park – hike, bike, trek along its trails – all while learning about the early settlers and Native Americans who lived (and fought) in the area. Mule deer and cottontails, lizards and snakes, bald eagles and osprey, and of course otters are just a few of the park’s inhabitants you’ll encounter on your journey.
History lessons are fun at the High Desert Museum, where there are exhibits on the Native Americans, fur trappers, loggers, and miners who lived in the area. See native birds and other wildlife at the Birds of Prey Center and the Desertarium where bald eagles, Gila monsters, and tarantulas are sure to get their attention. You can take advantage of the Museum’s special group activities for preschoolers and kids camps for elementary-aged students or attend one of their daily programs. And take a step back in time and get a glimpse of the daily lives of early homesteaders at the Miller Family Ranch.
Get geology and geography lessons at the Newberry National Volcanic Monument where lava flows and volcanic terrain are frozen in time. Hike to the top of Paulina Peak for a panoramic view of the area. Add a little history and drama class too – your kids can pretend to be the astronauts practicing their moonwalk here in the 1950s.
After Class
After class, head for the mountains or calm area lakes! Enjoy fishing, swimming, hiking, mountain biking, skiing, or even dog sledding. Your kids (and you) can learn a new skill like kayaking, rock climbing, or fly fishing. Head to Mount Bachelor for snow sports, the calm Cascade Lakes for swimming and paddleboarding, or the roaring Deschutes River for water sports like white water rafting and kayaking.
And when everyone’s tired of hiking, biking, and outdoor fun, head to Sun Mountain Fun Center for bowling, arcade games, mini-golf, go-karts, and bumper cars, and more. Sign the kids up for art classes at The Art Station. Learning to paint and sculpt or making jewelry and pottery really isn’t really learning, it’s fun.
Luckily, our Central Oregon rentals are located throughout the area, so you’ll be close to the activities your family enjoys whether it’s skiing, hiking, or white water rafting. Be minutes from the ski lifts or riverbank! Your choice!
End the day back in your vacation rental in Central Oregon, sitting in front of the fireplace, eating gooey s’mores and being a family. Or have your family chef whip up a delicious meal in your gourmet kitchen, and eat outside on the deck, under the stars. And if you don’t have a resident chef, (or maybe your chef’s on vacation too), don’t worry, there are plenty of take-out and dine-in options in the area. There are diners and five-star restaurants, pizza and pokes, Lebanese to Creole, and everything in between!
We’d love to help alleviate some of your stress with a perfect vacation in Central Oregon (including the classroom). Let us help with family-friendly safe dining suggestions or educational activities for the kids. Give us a call today!