Eugene, Oregon is known as “The Emerald City,” the hometown of the University of Oregon Ducks (Pac-12 fan here—Go Bears!), and the home of great beer along the Ale Trail. Does “college town” equal “family-friendly”? In Eugene’s case, yes! Read below to find out how we found some fun family-friendly adventures for our two kids under-five and my beer loving partner in this mid-sized West Coast college town. Plus, enjoy all the tax-free purchases your budget can handle.
Before you go
- Choose your route: Southwest Airlines flies direct from Oakland International Airport to Eugene Airport. Or, take your time on an awesome road trip to Oregon along the Pacific coast, or through central California
- Check the schedule of events at the 5th Street Public Market to find activities to do
- Like sports? Check the University of Oregon’s sports schedule and try to catch a game
- Bring snacks and activities to keep your kiddos entertained while you travel. Click here for our guide for airplane travel with kids
- Check the weather. Eugene weather ranges from mid 30’s in the winter and 80’s in the summer
What we packed
- Standard diaper bag essentials
- Hiking clothes, shoes, and a change of clothes
- Swimwear for the hotel pool
- Baby carrier or hiking backpack
- Clothes to match the season
What to do in Eugene with your Kids
On the corner of 5th and High Streets in downtown Eugene is a fun shopping area full of restaurants, shops, and breweries.
Grab a bite to eat (check out our review below of Alesong, Steelhead Brewery, and Handel’s Ice Cream) and make time to shop (I highly recommend some unpaper towels from Marley’s Monsters).
The market spans multiple buildings, so keep walking east–it is so big you could spend hours here. Depending on the time of the year, you might catch a winter market or evening salsa dancing, too.
Our preschooler loved watching the salsa dancers and shaking her hips with me in the middle of the marketplace during the Bailamos Salsa Fridays.
Check out the market’s website for daily events.
Take a Hike - Skinner's Butte
Downtown Eugene is bordered to the North by the Willamette River and a prominent hill called Skinner’s Butte, about a 10 minute drive from downtown. There are a few trails frequented by locals that wind their way up the butte.
We took the Skinner’s Butte Trail from the north parking lot to the top of the butte along a slow sloping trail through beautiful, moss-covered trees and found ourselves at the top of the butte in about 0.6 miles.
Our preschooler loved finding walking sticks and mushrooms, and I loved watching the sun peak through the fog on our cold and early morning hike.
The Columns at Skinner's Butte
Follow the map on All Trails back down the butte and along the river for a 1.4-mile round-trip hike, or follow the trail downhill to the west to check out the basalt columns frequented by local rock climbers. The columns reminded me of my travels in Mammoth Lakes and Iceland pre-kids.
We spent a while enjoying our post-hike snack while chatting and watching the climbers make their way up the long, octagonal-shaped columns and my girls asked a ton of questions.
If you decide to end your hike here rather than retracing your steps, you must make your way back a short walk (~5-10 minutes) to the car along the road which has no sidewalk. It was a little scary, but we didn’t see any cars along our path.
The RiverPlay Discovery Village Playground is located across the street from the trailhead to Skinner’s Butte. The playground is Oregon Trail-themed, with a play river crossing, covered wagon, kid-sized pioneer town, and even faux basalt columns for little aspiring rock climbers. We stopped here for a post-hike picnic and playtime before nap at 1 p.m. It was a perfect way to spend our morning!
Where to Eat
Start your day right with Belgian-style liege waffles at this family-owned Eugene breakfast staple. Try “The Wiffle” ($7.50) topped with Nutella and banana, or the savory “Self-Fulfilling Prophecy” ($10.00) topped with a sunny-side up egg and bacon.
Our kids both loved this place – waffles and fruit dipped in fresh whipped cream and Nutella was a dream breakfast for them! It is also very family-friendly, offering each kid a container of playdough (their choice of color) or a coloring book. *Pro-tip – don’t let your mouthy 18 month old choose the playdough as they may decide to munch on it instead of their waffle
Our friends highly recommended these freshly made sushi burritos–the Japanese-fusion dish of sushi fixings wrapped in a giant nori! We ordered the “2 for $22” deal and got a sushi burrito (classic #3 with salmon) and sushi bowl (classic #2 with tempura shrimp) and a miso soup ($3).
Although the ingredients were fresh and tasty, the purple rice confused my preschooler who suddenly decided she didn’t eat sushi (what?!?). I enjoyed the sushi bowl but wish it came with more meat and less rice.
Located in the unique Whitaker neighborhood, the cool Ninkasi Brewery’s Better Living Room has everything you need for a successful dining experience with kids under-five: a huge dining space with spread-out tables, sippy cups, a kids’ zone with tiny tables, books, chalk, and a dinosaur-shaped chair, and to top it off there are dinosaurs everywhere!
Not only were our kids happy, but so were the grown-ups because the menu was amazing. Try the smoked mushroom melt ($14), the mussels and fries ($25, a hit with the kids too who enjoyed getting the little buggers out of their shells), and the kids burger ($7).
Our favorite beer at this microbrewery was the Tricerahops Double IPA. There were a ton of other families dining at the same time, so we felt right at home.
Right in the middle of the 5th Street Market area is the classic and award-winning Steelhead Brewery. The place, food, and beers were so-so. We tried the hummus plate ($12.95), the kid’s pasta ($6.00), the fish and chips ($17.95), and the salmon salad ($13.95) with the latter being probably the best and freshest option.
The food tasted a bit pre-frozen and the beers were acceptable but nothing to write home about (we had the Hazy Hef and Hopasaurus Rex Imperial IPA). It was conveniently located in the 5th street market though, and the staff were friendly to our messy party of four.
Although the only food they serve are charcuterie boards that looked yummy for an adult-only kind of trip, the beer and ambiance of Alesong on 5th were spot-on. Enjoy delicious small-batch bourbon-aged beers on the bistro patio with heat lamps while your kiddos color or play with the small toys you packed.
We ordered a beer flight and tried to bring a bottle home but were sad to find the beer we wanted was sold out! Which for this small-batch brewery meant there actually was no more of that beer in existence…bummer!
Looking for something sweet?
My sweet tooth has passed down to my daughters. We can't travel without a stop for a sweet treat.
There is a line of eager ice cream-goers outside of Handel’s Ice Cream no matter the weather, and it’s no wonder since the company has been around since 1945! Our daughter was happy to find that the single cone is actually 2.5 scoops – and no, they don’t make exceptions.
Their daily-made ice cream is creamy and delicious, and we loved the strawberry ice cream on a sprinkle cone. If you’ve got a baby around, ask for a baby cone on the side ($1) and scoop some of your ice cream onto the baby cone for your little one. Our toddler loved having her own-sized cone but ate it quickly and came back for more!
Handel’s has a number of locations in other parts of the U.S., including near Sacramento and Los Angeles.
Located less than a mile from downtown Eugene is an adorable neighborhood bakery that offers the “sweet life” to its customers – fancy cakes, pies, cookies, and gluten-free options too! Our preschooler could not resist the cat-themed petits critters ($3.25) which were as beautiful as they were yummy.
If you have time, take a stroll from downtown Eugene to pick up your pastries to check out the squirrel picnic tables and chairs hanging in the trees along the way.
The contents of that iconic pink box take some twists and turns at Voodoo Doughnut, which originated in Oregon but now has locations across several states. Get their namesake voodoo doll-shaped doughnut, or any of their other wildly shaped and flavored varieties like the Bacon Maple Bar (our preschooler’s favorite!). One of Jelly’s favorite-ever souvenirs was Voodoo’s pink coffee mug with a hole in it.
Reader beware, some of the donut flavors might make you laugh; our preschooler was very excited to try the “ice cream” donut (aka the “maple blazer blunt”). Sure, that’s an ice cream, baby.
Although there is no seating inside, our girls enjoyed dancing to electronica music, playing pinball for the first time, and asking to hold the gigantic voodoo doll.
Where to Stay
The city girl in me loves to be within walking distance of most activities if possible, so we decided to find a hotel centrally located to majority of our daily activities. The Graduate Hotel is located in the heart of downtown Eugene and sticks to its college-theme with ducks everywhere (lining the walls of the pool, for example), a library-like lobby with long wooden tables, and ping pong.
The rooms are big and comfy, the view was amazing (we had a northern-facing room and could watch the trains passing by), and the location was perfect.
Wishlist for next time
Often when I travel I discover more to do while we’re there! There is never enough time to do it all. Here is our wish list for next time:
- Check out the north side of the river and walk or bike the Ruth Bascom Riverbank Path
- Visit the Adventure Children's Museum
- Explore the Cascades Raptor Center
- Add a side-trip to Portland or Newport (both 2 hours by car)
Eugene proved to be a fun weekend getaway for our family with all of our favorite things—playgrounds, yummy food, hiking, nature, and kid-friendly breweries. I enjoyed the city’s walking-friendly streets and colorful street art. I noticed immediately though that there were no people of color anywhere except for one family we met at the playground. Knowing the tribal history of this community and the fact that my tribal ancestral lands are just west of here, I was surprised not to see more Indigenous folks around. We didn’t feel unsafe or unwelcome but did notice that we (or maybe just I) stood out.
Being used to the crowds of the East Bay Area, I was also surprised to find that most places were relatively empty. Maybe it was the time of year we were here (February) and the weather, but we were often one of the few families in most restaurants, hiking trails, or breweries. Or maybe I’m just the one ambitious person that thinks it is ok to bring her 4-year-old and 18-month-old out on a hike at 9 a.m. in sub-40-degree weather…at least I packed puffy coats!
Have you ever been to a place where you wondered where all the people were? Share in the comments below.
Puerto Rican & Indigenous mama of two. Bay Area native. Salsa dancer. Backpacker. Doula. Angel (she/her/hers) is a co-founding member of the Beautiful Brown Adventures team. She has traveled to over 30 countries and loves to explore the world with her two daughters & partner - one ice cream shop at a time.
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