Tina Lassen

You’re sure to get an enthusiastic welcome at the Seaside Aquarium. A gregarious family of harbor seals greets you at the front entrance, diving and gliding across their tank, then popping up to gaze at you sweetly with big Labrador-like eyes. They’re ideal ambassadors for the aquarium, a mainstay of Seaside’s beachfront Promenade since 1937. Nearly a century later, the Seaside Aquarium continues to enchant visitors with an intimate look at the marine animals that live nearby.

The Columbia River has been a vital source of food, fresh water, transportation and trade for thousands of years. Its stories come to life at the Columbia River Maritime Museum in Astoria, not far from where the river meets the Pacific and completes its 1,243-mile journey through the Northwest. First opened in 1963, the museum moved to its current location along Astoria’s riverfront in 1982, and it’s been growing and improving ever since.

As the growing season gets into full swing in the Hood River Valley, so does the fun at Packer Orchards. The fourth-generation family orchard knows how to entertain the whole family at its Farm Place about 7 miles south of Hood River, where an ever-changing roster of activities and seasonal foods celebrates life on the farm. From the first blush of spring blossoms through the pumpkin-picking days of autumn, there’s plenty of fruit — and fun — for the whole family to enjoy.