Portland Parks & Recreation — Attraction in Portland

Born and raised in Portland, and PP&R has never been so amazing, in my memory. The variety of classes, lessons, activities and camps that they offer are amazing! For kids and adults there are so many opportunities. Community centers are safe and supportive places for kids and families, especially those of us who cannot afford private lessons and camps. The summer programs have truly made my son’s summers exciting, giving him the opportunity to play with kids and learn in a safe place with trusted childcare providers and keeping a sense of routine while on break from school. Full day camp this summer is only about $100 per week, and if you qualify for an income based discount it’s less. Compared to every other program in Portland which charges $300-$600 per week and has limited hours. In this era of inflation, I cannot praise Portland Parks and Rec enough for the resources they provide to my family. That being said, it is true that it can be difficult to get into programs, but I find it gets easier...

I was devastated to see that the meadow at the coupons was now a parking lot. This was completely unnecessary as I have never in the past 15 years ago and there had an issue with parking on the gravel strip out front. Also PP &R has a nasty habit of cutting down way too many trees including many large Doug firs. Whitaker ponds “nature park “is decimated, Alberta Park had many large trees cut down to have bushes in place. Completely unnecessary to cut down the trees... these plants and bushes could’ve been included around the perimeter or in between trees. Trees also don’t need to be cut for bike pathways! This agency complains that it doesn’t have enough money but it appears they have plenty of money if unnecessary parking lots are a priority. I could go on and on about unnecessary projects that do nothing to cool the city or mitigate...

Great parks, unless you happen to live in NW Portland and have children. The Couch Park playground was torn down without plans or discussion about a new one and a lame all metal structure (it rains in Portland) left instead. Great community centers if you're a stay-at-home parent and don't live in NW. Hillside, our only community center, is only open from M - F from 8 - 5. They have a great playground, but don't open it while they're closed on the weekends. In other words, completely unusable. I think Portland, a creative town,...