Another great local brew fest held in Esther Short Park, right in downtown Vancouver, WA. We went…read morefor the beer/cider, but in addition to the 60+ craft brews/ciders they had 100 local wines from around WA/OR and then some whiskey/spirits/cocktails. According to their website this most recent one held in early June (Friday, Saturday & Sunday) was their 7th annual Craft Beer & Wine Fest and I believe it is held in early June each year (not sure if they host it at other times, check their website if it is a different time of year). Tickets were reasonable at $25 per adult for the most basic package which included entry, 10 sample tickets & an event glass (you got to choose between a small beer sampler glass or a wine glass, depending on what you planned on drinking). There was a bit of confusion about what glass to choose as when we came in we were told, "They want you to pick the beer sampler glass if you plan on drinking beer." which is fine. BUT apparently if you chose the wine glass they couldn't legally pour a beer sample into the wine glass because it had no markings on it to indicate how much they are to pour. We overheard folks taking issue with this as it was not explained properly, and it is billed like you can use your tickets to sample whatever they have and not be limited to just beer/cider or just the wine (if you had a beer glass, though, they could pour wine into it...???). I think they should just have a marking on a plastic cup for the beer & then pour into that & transfer to your wine glass if you want to sample the beer. I also heard a volunteer explain if you wanted to pay the extra tickets they could pour a full beer into a plastic cup & give that to you. Just something to note if you go in the future if they haven't worked out that particular kink yet. They had other packages available for more money, including some with a "Pit Pass" for seating/tables close to the stage for the live music (you can hear the music throughout the park perfectly fine, so unless you really want a folding chair & tables to sit at, I don't think I'd bother with a Pit Pass). Oh, and if you keep your wristband you can get back in the other days of the fest and just purchase sample tickets separately (without the entrance fee or the free glass...so remember to bring your glass back, too). This was our second brewfest since moving to the area and from an amount of alcohol consumption standpoint, they are far more responsible about it out here (at least in Vancouver) compared to those we attended back in Chicagoland. They have a safer & more realistic sample tickets option of 10 tickets which gets you 10 beer/cider samples (or you can use more tickets for a 5 oz. sample or even more for a for a full-size drink). You could also purchase individual additional tickets. The 10 ticket sample package was plenty for each of us. There were 4 different food trucks/stands (a German one, BBQ, Fish & Chips & a Mediterranean/Gyro one) which was really good if you planned on hanging out there for a couple hours or more to get some grub in your belly. They also had some other retail vendors with jewelry, gourmet caramel sauces, candies, popcorn, etc. There were plenty of police & security around as well, both checking IDs at the entrance and walking around. They also had several port-a-pottys at one end if you needed to use the facilities. As with the other local brewfest we attended (not run by the same folks, though) the samples were served by volunteers and I noticed consistently they would pour my husband 25% - 50% more above the "sample" line on the glass and for me it was always right on the line or actually just under. Not a complaint...just an observation.

I returned to the fair again this year (2026) and must say if the food, rides, and games prices was…read moreas cheap as the admission tickets to get in to the fair, more people would come and/ or return. The price gouging once inside is what keeps people from returning. Let me start off with the pros about the fair. I enjoyed all of the farm animals. Curly the Camel was awesome, Dogstown, The Pirate Parrot Show, Evergreen Dance Academy, Magician Adam the Great, and Tyzen the Comedy Hipnotist was all great shows. Now for the Grandstand I enjoyed seeing Collective Soul, Extreme Bull Riding, Mutton Bustin', and of corse the Monster Trucks never a disappoint. One thing I missed from last year was not at the fair this year is the Budeweiser horses and wagon. I felt the I love the 90's Tour Concert featuring Tone Loc, Young MC, & Vanilla Ice could have been better. They played a couple of there own songs and a whole lot of other singers songs from the 90's. To be honest I have been to lots of concerts in my life and I think this one was the worst one I have ever seen. Looking for a deal on food, I found the Greek Cuisine. For 22.00 tax included you get a Gyro with choice of Lamb or chicken with Garlic Fries and a drink. I wish more restaurants would have a meal deal. The cons about the fair was the prices. I expected prices to be more expensive than outside of the fair but all of the food was outrageously expensive. Large Corndogs for 15.00, corn on the cob for 10.00, Turkey legs for 20.00, Popcorn was 9.00, most burgers started at around 10.00 with no side or drink included. 10.00 don't sound expensive but by the time you add fries and a drink its between 25.00-30.00 What a scam! Even the lemonade was expensive 8.00 for the first one and 5.00 for refills. I wasn't aware lemons, sugar, and water was so expensive. Crazy! Another expensive thing was the rides. 1.00 a ticket and most rides was 7 tickets. And the games was around 4 to 6 tickets. They did sell ride bracelets for 35.00 but if you have little ones that can't ride many rides due to height requirements and are limited. Ride bracelets are not worth it. There was no special discounts or bracelets for the games. Another thing that was new this year i did not like was having to wait till Approximately around 6pm till we could get into the Grandstands to reserve a seat. Security would not let anyone up to sit in the bleachers. All of these prices may not seem expensive to some people, but with a family of 4 or 5 that all adds up quickly. I ate at Philly Diner and had a Philly Cheesesteak and got the worst sandwich I have ever had. It cost 11.00 which wasn't badly priced for Cheesesteak but when I recived it the bun was cut in half and the meat, onion and peppers was very greasy and made the bread soggy and the sandwich was overfilled. I went to take 1 bite and all the cheesesteak fillings emptied out the bottom and was no longer a sandwich anymore. In a Philly cheesesteak the bread isn't supposed to be cut all the way threw so you don't loose all the cheesesteak fillings. I ended up throwing that hot mess away and was very disappointed. Will definitely not be eating there again. Definitely no one working here was from Philadelphia that was for sure! The only things I didn't do at the Clark County Fair was the Midland Country Music Concert, Rough Stock Rodeo, SxS Racing, Tuff Trucks, professor Smart Sience Show, Break-A-Boyz, and Mars Encounter Live Show. Next year I will Probably not doing any rides or games and will bring my own cooler with cold drinks and food in the fair with me. What an expensive scam they are running here. If prices go up again next year it just might be a 1 star rating. I defiantly think it's time for whoever is in charge of the fair to get some new food options and a new ride vendor to come in to the fair and kick the expensive scammers to the curb. And invite local business that won't run off there customers with expensive prices. I actually think that instead of vendors from out of state they should invite local food truck vendors from threw out Clark County and the State of Washington and Oregon to support local business instead of vendors that more than likely came up from California. Butler Amusement is located in Fairfield California. A Local Amusement Vendor is Funtastic Traveling Amusment located in Portland. Very local. I will Yelp and Google Review an update again next year. Hopefully the Clark County Fair improves and stops the expensive scams in there Fairgrounds.

I will start off saying that Midland was terrific last Friday evening at the fair. We had second…read morerow seats and enjoyed the show tremendously. But...telling us to sit down at a concert was just silly. There were four younger ladies in front of us and they being up did not bother me. I understand that some of the people in the front were not thrilled when concert goers would stand in front of them. But it is a frickin concert, have fun. I have read many comments that the pricing for food was high as well. I just don't agree. The prices are lower than the Washington County Fair, and there are so many choices. Plus...this concert was only $48 to attend...and it got us in the Fair. I hate giving the Fair only one star, but the attitude and the actions of the security staff was appaling.

The beer and beer snobs are out in full swing. Great event :) The selection of porters and stouts…read moreis delightful. dress warm as the heaters were intermittent most of Saturday.

Fantastic local brewfest! This is our first brewfest around Vancouver, having recently moved to…read morethe area, but we had gone to several back in Chicagoland so had an idea of how it would work. I must say, this is the most responsible brewfest, from an amount of alcohol consumption standpoint, we've ever been to - at least compared to how they are in Chicagoland. What I mean is they have a safer & more realistic token/samples package option of 8 tokens which gets you 8 beer/cider samples (or you can use more tokens for a full-size pint) & a brewfest pint glass for $25 cash at the entrance (it is slightly less to buy ahead online). They had another package with more tokens and another for designated drivers that would not be consuming alcohol. You could also purchase individual additional tokens. The 8 token/sample package was plenty for each of us. There were around 100 different types of beers, ciders and meads to choose from. The event was well organized with all the breweries in alphabetical order so it made it easier to find a specific one and the cider/mead brewers had their own area. There was quite a bit of room under the tents if it started to drizzle or rain and plenty of outdoor space to have more room when the weather was decent, which was nice because there were a lot of people there. It was nice to have the tents & the trees in the park around if you did need a bit of cover from rain or sun...we've gone to other brewfests (back in Chicagoland) with no cover/tent/shade so if the weather was crummy or if it was blazing hot/sunny out, it sucked. There were 2 different food trucks (a German one & a BBQ one) which was really good if you planned on hanging out there for a couple hours or more to get some grub in your belly. They also had some other retail vendors with jewelry, brewery related goodies, home brewing/wine making info, etc. There were plenty of police & security around as well, both checking IDs at the entrance and walking around. They also had several port-a-pottys at one end if you needed to use the facilities. They have a well organized website, too, which listed the various breweries and what beers they would be serving and a great FAQs section. For some reason the printed version of this list at the event only listed the breweries & not the types of beers, but I'm guessing that's because they just didn't have those specifics in time before needing to get the fliers printed. If my memory serves me correctly I believe the website said the wooden beer tokens are valid at the other Vanvouver brewfest in the Summer (there might be a Fall one, too? I'm not sure on that.) so if you don't use all your tokens you can hang on to them for the next one. Most of the samples were served by volunteers and I noticed consistently they would pour my husband 25% - 50% more above the "sample" star-line on the pint glass and for me it was always right on the line or just under. Not really, complaining...just an observation.

Walton's was perfect for us: a pleasant explore through the corn maze where our family could…read moremeander, chat, hear the breeze in the corn stalks, and make a few funny videos. We also scratched behind the ears of a few goats and selected the just-what-we-wanted pumpkins. We will be back for a lovely time again next year. Thank you!

Very family friendly Pumpkin Patch and Farm. Come pet the goats and see the horses only minutes…read morefrom Portland and nowhere near the mad frenzy called Sauvie's Island. Service was top notch and extremely friendly. Corn Maze was definitely fun, we took tons of great pictures and came back with some pumpkins. Though we did not partake in the rides, they also offer tractor train and hayrides.

For this 3 day event in early June, The Old Historic Highway in the center of Troutdale is closed…read moreto cars and the street is lined with vendors creating an open air art festival. Galleries that pepper the street open their doors and spill out in to the street, and there is live music at the Mayor's Corner. It's a combination of local art, culture, and community for all to enjoy! It was a beautiful blue sky day and I enjoyed a leisurely stroll up one side of the street, then down the other, making sure to check out all the booths. Unfortunately, I left my camera in the car, so there no pics, just words for this review. Lots of handmade jewelry - at least 8 booths - showcasing sterling silver and other metals, turquoise, gem stones, and wire work. I'm a sucker for long dangly earrings and anything with a blue stone, especially Larimer, so of course I had to buy a pair that hit all the marks. Several photographers, water color, acrylic, and oil artists with pieces reflecting the magnificent Columbia Gorge region were displaying their work. One photographer, Patrick Campbell, had greeting cards and puzzles, in addition to his photography on metal. As soon as I saw the puzzle with a Rowena Crest sunset during wild flower bloom, I bought it before anyone else saw it! That's how art works, it speaks to you and immediately makes a connection. Other artists and crafters included felted images that were incredibly detailed, unique and beautiful. Crocheted clothing, handbags, hats and scarves. Beautiful hand carved wooden bowls, boards and platters that showed off the grain in the wood. Lovely earthenware and ceramic mugs and vessels. Goat milk soaps and lotions. And more! There are several restaurants on both sides of the street plus home decor stores, antique shops and other stores. It's a fun way to spend a few hours. Parking was easy - park either behind the stores in the large parking lot or take the free Sasquatch Shuttle. The shuttle runs a continuous loop with several pick up stops, the Columbia Gorge Outlet one block away is the easiest.

The Christmas ships are such a unique tradition for Portland! Apparently this tradition started in…read more1954 where one sailboat tied some ribbon to their bow. It has since grown and averages about 60 boats. Each boat owner designs and builds their own display, and they pay all their own operating costs to drive up and down the city rivers to bring joy to everyone. How awesome is that! Check their website for times and locations of their parades. This year I watched from George Rogers Park on December 16, and it was a great vantage point. Tons of people came out, so there was hardly any parking, but we got to see both fleets and all of the many decorations. My favorite boat this year was the jellyfish, runner up probably the shark in a Santa hat. In years past, I have seen them from bridges and the Waterfront Park. Any waterfront hotel or restaurant would be great. Or book a spot on the Portland Spirit or rent a Yacht Tub and get on the river to see them up close! If you know someone with the houseboat, make them your best friend and you'll have a great view. Happy holidays!

It was super cool! What a fun experience; this is great and…read moreexciting for all ages. I want to go back again next year to see the different light patterns they choose! The honking of the ships was so cool and really excited the kids who attended! Plan ahead for some traffic on the way in and out, a lot of people show up to watch them! Understandably so, it's a free Christmas event that's fun for the whole family! Highly recommend!

Beautiful botanical garden! Came with a friend for the Art in the Garden exhibit…read more Plenty of flower, shrub and tree varieties. Very calming atmosphere. Plenty of trails to explore and lovely birds singing throughout. There are benches scattered throughout in case you just want to sit and take it all in. There is a parking lot by the entrance and a donation was requested to enter (not sure if this is everyday, or just for the Art in the Garden exhibit). If you're in the area, I would highly recommend!

I visited with my two grandchildren on a hot day in August and we had a great time. There are many…read moredifferent gardens (butterfly, bird watching, and more). They are interconnected by trails and very shaded. There are many benches to sit on and cool off and enjoy the wildlife. There's a separate hiking trail to a forest and pond. The kids loved the pond and we saw lots of big frogs. I highly recommend spending a couple hours here.