PDX is consistently voted the country’s best airport, and it’s not just because of the carpet. The Portland airport is great for adults (breweries! whiskey flights! wine bars! mimosas at the Country Cat!), but it’s also wonderful for kids. Between the kid-friendly restaurants, family entertainment and smart design, PDX is my favorite kid-friendly airport. If you’re flying through the Portland airport with kids, take advantage of the airport’s kid-friendly features.

Getting to your destination can make anyone cranky—and little kids have even less patience than us wise, calm, serene adults. (HA!) So a kid-friendly airport like PDX makes life a little easier on us parents. In fact, my kids now actually like hanging out at the airport!

Next time you’re flying through the Portland airport with kids, then, seek out these family-friendly perks.

Why flying through the Portland airport with kids WON’T make you swear off family travel

1. Log on to free wifi

If your kids are approaching a post-TSA meltdown (and I can’t say I blame them), save your data and log on to the PDX free wifi. The wifi in the Portland airport is famously fast—and good enough to stream Puffin Rock, Paw Patrol or whatever uber annoying show your kid is obsessed with this week. 

2. See part of a movie at the Hollywood Theater

A free movie theater is just one more reason why flying through the Portland airport with kids is the best. Not all films there are family-friendly, but check the current showing schedule for kid-friendly flicks. On a recent day, short films included overhead drone footage of Oregon, a stop-motion animation about a frog and a documentary about crows.

3. Wear your Timbers jersey

If you fly Alaska, wear your Portland Timbers jersey and you get to pre-board with all the fancy first class folks!

4. Buy kid-friendly (and healthy!) snacks

Skip the sugar crash and pick healthy, kid-friendly snacks for your pre-boarding wait—and the flight ahead. Fruit bars, squeezie pouches, popcorn, cheese and protein plates and more are great options. Stock up because flying through the Portland airport with kids who are hangry is never fun!

5. Look out the window

There’s something magical about seeing gigantic planes close up. Kids also love to watch aircraft taking off and landing.

Level 10 travel tip: An enormous window at the end of terminal C gives an unobstructed view of the runways. If you are flying out of terminal C or have extra time, walk down this way for primo views. Bonus: The window is right next to a playground!

6. Take a foot selfie

PDX tore up a bunch of its legendary carpet, which oddly enough developed a cult following, but you can still take a foot selfie along with thousands of other travelers! #pdxcarpet

7. Pick a kid-friendly restaurant at PDX

If you’re looking for something fast, Cafe Yumm is my go-to. It serves kid-friendly (and customizable) bowls with a base of beans and rice. If you have more time, Portland favorite Country Cat is a fairly recent addition to PDX, and their homemade biscuits with jam are a huge hit with little ones.

Level 10 travel tip: Country Cat also serves cocktails. The 5 o’clock rule guidelines totally don’t apply when you’re flying with kids. Mimosas away!

8. Stop by an airport play place

My kids find airport moving walkways more fun than just about anything else, but when I get tired of apologizing to passengers for my girls, I steer them to an airport play place at PDX.

PDX has several play places, including one on each side of the airport. TK SPECIFICS

Level 10 travel tip: Make sure your kids wash their hands right after using the airport play places. You don’t want to start a family vacation by catching a bug!

9. Listen (or dance!) to live music

Unless you’re flying super-early or super-late, musicians perform across the airport throughout the day. I’ve seen not only people playing the piano and saxophone but also the marimba and even the African kora. A little live music is a great inspiration for your kids to dance out their energy when flying through PDX.

10. Look up at the Clock Tower

The beautiful, weathervane-like art at the Clock Tower in terminal C is a great place for kiddos to explore for a few minutes. Invite them to find the different animals and scenes atop the towers.

This light-filled atrium is also the best place to eat a meal in the Portland airport, IMHO. Kid-friendly restaurants here include Cafe Yumm, MOD Pizza (which also serves a gluten-free crust) and Mo’s Chowder (get the kid-friendly fish and chips, yum!). There are plenty of tables in this atrium to sit and have a pre-flight meal.

11. Run sprints on an out-of-the-way moving walkway

If your kids are anything like mine, they love getting on and off the moving walkway. Unfortunately, other travelers are trying to use it for its actual purpose: getting to where they’re going faster. Great news for your kiddos: The long hallway that connects the two ends of the airport has several extra-long stretches of moving walkways, perfect for letting kids sprint to their heart’s content.

12. Take a break at a nursing room

There are roughly a dozen nursing rooms throughout the Portland airport, great for breastfeeding moms or moms who exclusively pump. They’re first-come, first-served, so if the one you go to is locked, ask a PDX staff for help. They should be able to help you find someplace private and close to breastfeed or pump, like the conference center.

If you’re pumping at the airport, take a look at my post on my other blog, Ten Thousand Hour Mama, for tons of tips on pumping at the airport.

13. Watch the dogs

Also in the connector highway between the two ends of PDX, an animal relief center offers an unexpected way to entertain kids. Your littles can watch through the room’s window as dogs dart around the room. The combination of finally getting to run off-leash and all the intense smells makes dogs particularly hilarious!

Flying through the Portland airport with kids definitely isn’t at the top of my favorite family activities, but it’s not on the worst-ever list, either. So when you’re flying in or out of Portland, take advantage of PDX’s family-friendly airport perks. You, your kids, and the rest of the travelers on your plane will be glad you did!

If you’re planning a family trip, you’ll definitely want to check out my $3 hack to make packing all your kids’ stuff totally simple. After all, I swear by this trick and it has helped so much by eliminating the hassle of packing suitcases.

Do you have any tips for flying with kids through the Portland airport or anywhere else? Please share in the comments!

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