Kid-friendly and low cost things to do on the Oregon Coast

Blink and the school year will be here, so let’s squeeze in a last-minute trip to the Oregon coast. Wait, you didn’t book a cottage by the sea a year in advance? And you didn’t sell off a kidney to pay for it?Same. My secret for a low-cost beach getaway is booking a room in a suburb of Portland, where hotels are cheap and plentiful. Hillsboro and Beaverton, both west of Portland off US-26, work well for this hack. It’s just a place to sleep, so I don’t worry too much about the charm. (Industrial office park aesthetic, woot woot!)Visitors play in the creek behind the Tillamook Forest Center. There are also trails to explore.We make fun family memories together, enjoy the last bit of summer, and, most importantly, stay under budget. Portland is just far enough to feel like you got away without the hassle and expense of flights or a rental car. Keep in mind that it’s generally a good 10 degrees hotter than Seattle: a warm day in Seattle is a scorching day in PDX. I plan for the heat by sp...