Just 33 miles away from Portland, Columbia Meadows is a popular concert venue. Crowds flock to the Summer Concerts at this event space, created and managed by the Lowell MacGregor Group. Spread over 100 beautiful acres dotted with blackberry bushes, you can enjoy the music as well as the venue's rural charm. Drinking water is provided free of cost and there are vendors to cater to your hunger pangs. Find out about the latest events happening there, grab your jackets and head on over.

Les Schwab Amphitheater is unique. Built in the Old Mill District in 2001, this venue has a riverfront view and can seat around 9000 people. Pretty impressive isn't it? Wait till you hear the list of performers that have rocked this joint. Bob Dylan, Coldplay, Jack Johnson, Willie Nelson, Doobie Brothers, the list just goes on and on and on. So, bring along your picnic basket, as this place doubles up as a meeting ground. And if you are not a skinflint, then call and demand to know when the next concert is? You never know, you could just catch the Beach Boys in motion.

This fun farm is only 25 minutes out of town and covers 75 acres. Kids of all ages can get a close view of chickens, rabbits, turkeys and goats. You can also pick flowers and vegetables when they are in season. An added bonus: Tillamook Ice Cream serves up frozen scoops. The Halloween Pumpkin Fest happens every weekend in October. Bring your flashlight for the nighttime hay and corn mazes or the haunted trail.

Planetarium director Douglas McCarty has taught astronomy for more than 25 years. One Saturday a month, October through May, he teaches kids of all ages about Portland's current night sky. McCarty discusses astronomical and space science revelations and their application to Portland's sky. The celestial subject matter and the 30-foot dome, audio and special effects systems provide educational entertainment that will stay with you for a lifetime.

On a cloudless night, check out the Northwestern sky. Located in the John Inskeep Environmental Learning Center at Clackamas Community College, this observatory is open year-round, weather permitting. The 26-inch refractor telescope sits inside a 40-foot tower. Volunteer astronomers guide visitors on a tour of the stars. The park can easily make a full-day excursion and provides a wonderful outing for children.

Located on the campus of Clackamas Community College, this facility includes a native wetlands nursery, birds of prey display, hall of exhibitions, observatory and paths that wind along Newell Creek. This used to be a wasteland consisting of an abandoned industrial site and parking lots. Now, you can examine wildlife and consider solutions to environmental issues. The earth-friendly buildings are constructed mostly of recycled products. Bring the kids for an entertaining, educational day out.

Come see the 60-year-old, nine-foot long, 400-pound star of the viewing pond, Herman the sturgeon. The sturgeon center, which just recently opened, is a completely free affair and gives visitors an up-close and personal look at Herman and his many friends in their new pond. Other exhibits can also be found at the center, including trout feeding ponds and information on the Oregon Fish and Wildlife division's efforts to protect sturgeon, trout, salmon and other wildlife.

It is amazing what these guys can do in kilts. This July event, a favorite among locals, invites festival-goers to sip Scottish beer, sample foods, and watch the red-faced games. Traditional competitions include the hammer toss and the pole climb. Visitors enjoy the sounds of bagpipes in the foothills of Mount Hood, about 45 minutes from Portland. There are also craft and art booths in addition to the music, munchies and games.

Located in Astoria on the mouth of the Columbia River, this museum holds one of the largest collections of maritime artifacts in the West. Astoria is the gateway to the trade and travel of the Pacific, and many a ship saw her demise in the often-rough waters of America's longest east-west river. This is the only accredited museum of its type in the western states and is Oregon's official maritime museum. From canoes to submarines, there is plenty of interesting water-vessel history to be explored.

This museum has antique planes, a theater, restoration center, children's room and computer learning center. View the Curtiss Jenny or watch short films on aviation history. In the country's oldest wooden hangar, volunteers work on restoration projects. The airfield is the oldest continuously operating airfield in the West. The museum is in the process of restoring the field to its pre-World War II condition.