Fall is one of my favorite times of the year. As a person, anyway. But as a parent of young kids, it’s a weird time of year.

The near-constant sniffles, checking for fevers every time one of them coughs (please, need a drink of water for once), and knowing they need fresh air but limited time in cold and wet weather. And you don’t want to be splashed by a maniacal toddler in rain boots, insisting on making a beeline for every puddle on the planet.  

Every kid needs outside time regularly, and in this part of the world, that means rain clothes for kids who listen (ours don’t). For those who will wear a hooded jacket but never the hood, it makes things a bit tougher.

So where do you go when the rain sets in? When staying outside for more than a few minutes, it significantly reduces your chances of winning Parent of the Year and increases the likelihood that one or more of your kids will stay home sick at some point this week.

There are indoor play centers, but let’s face facts – those places tend to be just as much of a germ metropolis as any day care center, so heading there can be just as dangerous to your hard-earned sick days and vacation days. You might be better off just letting random kids cough on your kid (I’m not a doctor, but don’t do that). Play places at restaurants are hard to find these days, and are kept even cleaner. I’ve had to break out the baby wipes and clean up some spots at the places I have been brave enough to bring our kids to, and that won’t spread any actual germs; it just means fewer stains on their clothes. Or less likely to get stained. 

So where do you head when the rain falls and you want to get your kids some fresh air? 

Frog Pond Farm

This family-owned operation has been a staple of our fall and winter weekends in recent years, but last year, they officially earned their super hero merit badge. They converted one of their covered barns into a bounce barn – a utopia for any child under the age of 12. Several bounce houses line a large covered barn, and there is a standard door at the front left open that keeps fresh air flowing and keeps it from getting too toasty in there on warmer days, but it can get chilly on the colder days, so make sure your kiddos dress in layers – if you can convince them. Tickets to the farm aren’t cheap, but they have a day’s worth of activities to keep you busy once you are in, along with food carts and their own zoo. Whether you are looking for just some fun, or a few pumpkins, or a tree when the time comes, this place has you covered – literally. 

Westlake Park

If you need a few minutes at an actual park but don’t want to pay $30 a head to watch your kids play on a dirty indoor playground in a converted store or restaurant (maybe it was a Mervyn’s or a Chili’s in a previous life, who knows), then go to Lake Oswego’s covered play area. It’s not a fancy playground with award-winning structures or a synthetic surface for you to walk on, but they have a cover over the play area, and that’s more than enough on the days the rain is really coming down and you have to get out of the house. Sure, your older kids will be bored in what feels like two minutes, but those are minutes they didn’t spend indoors. And it’s free, so you don’t even need to worry about those two dollars you are still trying to collect from your days as a paper boy or girl. 

Ice skating

If you live near the Sherwood or Lloyd Center areas, you are in luck and have access to a skating rink. It might sound goofy, but putting on your winter coat and a pair of skates can be really fun for the whole family. Skating with your kids while using it as an excuse to hold their hands for a minute or two, since you never know when their little minds will decide that’s not cool anymore, what’s not to like? Then hot cocoa and driving home to watch the Mighty Ducks, since you spent the whole hour on the ice talking about how good you would have been in your Pee Wee hockey days if you lived near ice? I can think of worse ways to spend a Saturday evening. 

Sky Zone Trampoline Park

I know, I just told you indoor parks are messy, germ-infested disasters. But this is different. One, they keep it well-staffed and clean. Two, it’s hard to make a mess when you are constantly airborne. And three, it’s even harder to come into contact with a mess when you are also constantly airborne. They require socks, and most people don’t do much jumping with their hands, you can do a lot worse but it would be tough to do much better. They have made their home in large, open facilities with a lot of space between the floor and ceiling, limiting the amount of stale air that can accumulate in their building. This also leaves a lot of room for you to jump around with your kids indoors without the risk of getting sick. They do insist on all participants signing a waiver, but what’s life without a bit of risk? You could buy a cheap trampoline, and your kid could injure themselves or the walls nearby in a matter of seconds. Good luck damaging anything at this place. And when the little ones get hungry, they have a decent menu that can satisfy all appetites between the ages of 3 and 5 and 35. 

Oaks Park Roller Rink

If you like the idea of ice skating but can’t convince your kids or significant other, then maybe the roller rink is for you instead. You might feel like you’re 12, or you might feel like you’re 50, depending on what age you were last there and how many years it feels like, but it could be a fun way to show your kids how school-age kids partied on weekends when you were bringing a trapper keeper to the play yard. The oversized eraser doubling as a brake on the old wobbly skates never seems to work, but good luck getting your kids to wear knee pads. If they are real pros, they can use the inline skates, but braking on those never seemed to work much better. It’s best to slow down but they won’t. Perhaps when you are giving them an ice pack to soothe their bruised shins at home, you can work into a conversation why ice skating was a better idea, and that’s where you can go next time.