A reader recently asked me for some of my favorite kid-friendly activities to do in Portland, and I realized I hadn’t yet written about visiting the Portland Japanese Garden with kids. It’s one of the most peaceful (and beautiful!) places in the Rose City—perfect for when you need a little break.

The Portland Japanese Garden’s terrain is carefully maintained, finding a gorgeous balance between nature and design. You won’t find an abundance of flowers—the garden relies more on greenery, rocks and water features. The Garden, which includes sections modeled on various Japanese gardening philosophies, was created to inspire serenity and an appreciation of beauty.

That goal certainly succeeded with my family when I visited the Portland Japanese Garden with my kids.

Skeptical that a quiet retreat like the Japanese Garden can actually be family-friendly? Read on to find out why visiting the Portland Japanese Garden with kids is at the top of my recommendations to out-of-town visitors—and to learn how to make the most of your trip.

The benefits of visiting the Portland Japanese Garden with kids

I know, I know, the idea of bringing your kids to as serene a destination as the Portland Japanese Garden probably freaks you out—it did for me, too. After all, bringing children (who have two volumes—loud and louder) to a relaxing retreat can be stressful.

But the challenge of being respectful in a place like the Portland Japanese Garden is good for parents—and children.

Firstly, it gives kids an opportunity to practice respect and empathy. When you explain to them that the Japanese Garden is meant for quiet walking and peaceful visits, it encourages them to think of others’ needs. When I visited the Portland Japanese Garden with my kids, I said, “We need to use our quiet voices here. This is a special garden where people come to be in nature quietly.”

Secondly, it gives kids an opportunity to impress you and show you how they can rise to meet new challenges. I was beyond impressed with how my kids, ages 3 and 5, respected the Japanese Garden. Sure, they ran around a bit and I had to remind them to use quiet voices, but overall they did great.

If even my 3-year-old, whom I sometimes lovingly call The Destroyer, can visit the Portland Japanese Garden, your kids can too!

Finally, being in the Japanese Garden in Portland helps your child grow self-awareness. Kids are learning so much, including how they fit into the world around them. When you give them limits—like not shouting or staying on the path—they see how their voices and actions relate to other people and the environment around them. This awareness eventually translates into self-regulation, the skill that helps your child sit during story time or eat at a restaurant without making a scene.

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Kid-first features of the Portland Japanese Garden

Now that I’ve convinced you it’s totally worth visiting the Portland Japanese Garden with kids, here’s what you need to know to visit this family-friendly destination in Oregon.

Tips for visiting the Portland Japanese Garden with kids

Here’s everything you need to know to make your visit to the Portland Japanese Garden with kids a smooth one.

1. Limited stroller access

The first time I went to the Portland Japanese Garden, my oldest daughter was just 1. I brought a stroller—and ended up sweating and swearing trying to get it up to the Garden’s entrance and rolling it over the gravel paths.

Don’t be like me, and know this: The Portland Japanese Garden isn’t terribly great for strollers.

You can fold up a stroller and bring it on the shuttle (more on that in a second). There is designated stroller parking space near the entrance to the park. But many paths in the Japanese Garden aren’t accessible to strollers (or wheelchairs), so it’s best to leave the stroller in the car.

Level 10 travel tip: If you’re visiting the Portland Japanese Garden with a baby, babywear your little one. You won’t have to deal with parking a stroller, and you’ll have full access to all the park’s paths.

2. Take the shuttle

Again on my first trip to the Portland Japanese Garden, I thought I’d skip the shuttle. After all, there’s a nice little walk/hike up a stone path from the parking area to the Garden’s entrance up the hill.

Mistake.

With kids, you don’t want to wear them out before you even get inside the Japanese Garden. Shuttles come every 15 minutes, and they’ll take you from the base of the hill straight to the entrance. You’ll buy your ticket at the bottom, hop on the shuttle and be inside the gate within minutes.

3. Plan for parking

Parking is tight in Washington Park (home to the Portland Japanese Garden), especially on sunny days and the weekend. Arrive early in the day for the best chance of getting a good spot, and know you might have to drive around a bit for a parking place. Parking is not free.

If there’s no parking, drive to the Sunset Transit Center, the park’s overflow parking spot. You can ride a shuttle back to Washington Park and the Portland Japanese Garden.

Level 10 travel tip: Download the Parking Kitty app to pay quickly right from your phone. (Washington Park is Zone 400 on the app.) Parking Kitty will literally meow when your time is about to expire, and you can add time from your phone if you need more.

4. Skip parking; ride public transportation

Parking in busy locations gives me a headache. Luckily, the red and blue Portland MAX trains stop at the Oregon Zoo nearby, and then you can ride the free shuttle to the Portland Japanese Garden.

The TriMet bus #63 also runs to the Portland Japanese Garden.

Level 10 travel tip: If you do ride the MAX or bus and go to the Oregon Zoo before or after the Portland Japanese Garden, show your ticket stub when you buy tickets: You’ll get a $1.50 discount off admission!

5. Feed your kids beforehand

The Portland Japanese Garden doesn’t allow food within the park. Make sure your kids have eaten their fill of snacks on the way there, or plan on expanding their palate with food at the garden’s Umami Cafe. It serves fried rice, sweets and, of course, tea.

6. Plan for an hour

Adults can sit and meditate in the Portland Japanese Garden—there are many places designed for just this purpose—but families will probably keep moving throughout the park. Going at my kids’ pace, it took us about an hour to walk throughout the entire Portland Japanese Garden.

7. Young kids get in free

Children 5 and under can visit the Japanese Garden for free—see, this is a family-friendly destination in Portland! The kids’ free admission definitely made visiting more budget-friendly.

If cost is an issue and you have SNAP (food stamps) benefits, simply show your card at the ticket office and you’ll get two adult tickets for $5 each, plus up to four children for free.

8. Dress in layers

Much of the Japanese Garden is shaded, and it’s generally cooler here than in other parts of Portland. Wear layers so your kids don’t get cold.

Views of the Portland Skyline

The Portland Japanese Garden is also famous for its incredible views of the Downtown Portland skyline.

The best vantage point: The overlook just outside the Pavilion. (This is where art exhibits and bonsai are displayed.)

Portland is notorious for cloudy and drizzly weather. But if you manage to visit the Portland Japanese Garden on a clear day, you can see all the way to Mt. Hood.

Other kid-friendly destinations near the Portland Japanese Garden

Located in Northwest Portland, the Japanese Garden is near a whole bunch of other kid-friendly destinations. If you want more after visiting the Portland Japanese Garden with kids, make a day of it! Here are ideas for nearby activities.

Hoyt Arboretum

Within the Hoyt Arboretum’s 190 acres, 2,300 species of trees and other plants (including 63 endangered species) grow. If your kids want some unstructured time to hike their wiggles out, the Hoyt Arboretum is a beautiful place to wander. Some of its 12 miles of trails are accessible, which means they’re also stroller-friendly. Click on over to read my full post about visiting Hoyt Arboretum with kids!

Level 10 travel tip: During May through September, plus weekends in April and October, a free shuttle runs ever 15 minutes and connects the Portland Japanese Garden with other nearby destinations, including the Hoyt Arboretum. Don’t mess with parking again—hop on the shuttle.

International Rose Test Garden

As Portland is the City of Roses, it makes sense to visit the Rose Test Garden—one of 11 sites nationwide that cultivate and test a wide variety of roses for the American Rose Society.

Level 10 travel tip: On a clear day, look for Mt. Hood in the distance from Portland’s Rose Test Garden. It makes for a stunning photo!

Children’s Playground in Washington Park

Portland’s Washington Park has acres of green space, but my kids were most thrilled about the Children’s Playground just down the hill from the Portland Japanese Garden. It’s an enormous playground with a structure criss-crossed with bridges, ramps and things to climb on. It also has a swing set (including accessible swings for children with disabilities); my kids favorite part was the giant sand box.

Children’s Playground in Washington Park time lapse from Catherine Ryan Gregory on Vimeo.

Oregon Zoo

We are Oregon Zoo members because my kids and I love seeing the animals in this award-winning zoo. It’s just a quick shuttle ride away from the Portland Japanese Garden.

At the Oregon Zoo, make sure to see the recently renovated Elephant Lands habitat. (My kids say hi to Lily, the baby elephant there, whenever we visit!) You’ll also want to sit for as long as your kids will let you and watch the harbor seals in the underwater viewing area. I still maintain it’s one of the most relaxing places to visit in Portland.

Hike to the Witch’s Castle

In nearby Forest Park, you and your kids can hike to a stone ruins lovingly named the Witch’s Castle. You can park at the Portland Audubon Society and hike down to the spooky ruins; see my full post on hiking to the Witch’s Castle with kids on my other blog, Ten Thousand Hour Mama, to get all the details.

I’m pretty sure you’re ready to head to the Portland Japanese Garden with kids like, now. Or if you don’t live in Portland (but want to visit because it’s one of my favorite family-friendly cities!), make sure to pin this post for later.

If you’re looking for more relaxing yet family-friendly activities in Portland, click over to my full post on visiting Portland’s Lan Su Chinese Garden with kids. It’s a gorgeous hidden gem within downtown Portland you don’t want to miss!