Spring Break in the Pacific Northwest might not always have sun, but that doesn’t mean you can’t still have fun. Check out these great ideas for short Spring Break getaways.

Astoria

Goonies fans, hit up the Oregon Film Museum, housed in the old Clatsop County Jail to see Goonies costumes and props and learn about the film industry in Oregon. The Columbia River Maritime Museum will keep curious kids busy for hours learning all about the shipping, fishing and rescue efforts in the Columbia River. At the Astoria Column, visit gift shop and buy the $1 gliders to launch from the top of the Column. Pro tip: watch where they land and go to that spot to retrieve your plane, (or one of many others you’re sure to find), and fly it again. Bring cash to eat fish and chips at the Bowpicker, or sit down for a more upscale meal at T. Pauls. Check out the Arc Arcade for vintage quarter video games like centipede, Donkey Kong, and Pac Man and a huge selection of comic books.

John Day Fossil Beds

In John Day, visit the Kam Wah Chung State Heritage Site to see a well-preserved Chinese pharmacy and general store built in the 1870s. Get reservations at the Snaffle Bit Dinner House for a hearty steak dinner. Check out the Thomas Condon Paleontology Visitor Center at the Sheep Rock unit of the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument. Get a tour of the James Cant Ranch and learn about early wool production. Drive about 45 minutes west to the Painted Hills near the town of Mitchell for breathtaking vistas and millions-of-years-old lava flows. On your way home, stop in Fossil, Oregon to dig for real fossils behind Wheeler High School. A small donation will cover your entrance and some fossil digging tools.

Oregon Caves

Get a room in the historic Oregon Caves Chateau then check out the Oregon Caves Visitor’s Center just steps away. Sign kids up for the Junior Ranger program and learn about the area. Take the ranger-led cave tour, which lasts about 45 minutes. Have lunch at the 1930s era lunch counter downstairs at the Caves Cafe. Don’t miss the milkshakes; they’re big enough to share. Hike the short No Name Trail or the 3-mile Big Tree Trail to the world’s biggest Douglas fir. Warm yourself by the fire in the chateau. Read a book, play a game of chess or see if any of the employees will tell you a ghost story.

Great Wolf Lodge

In between sliding down the slides, hanging out in the wave pool, and getting buckets of water dumped on your head, your kids might enjoy playing MagiQuest, which will have them running all over the Great Wolf Lodge property. Pro tip: borrow a wand from a friend before you go so you don’t have to buy one. To save a little more money, eat outside of the Lodge at one of the local restaurants and bring snacks to keep in your room. Sign up for text alerts for savings throughout your stay. Consider getting a room on the first floor for easy loading and unloading of your stuff. Elevators can be slow and at checkout time everyone is trying to haul their luggage downstairs at once. Your access to the water park will continue even after you’ve checked out of your room.

Stay tuned for 3 more awesome destinations and recommendations; Part 2 coming tomorrow!