Family-Friendly New Year's Eve Events in Portland Oregon

Portland is a pretty terrific place for families. I've never had any trouble finding something fun to do here. New Year's Eve is no exception. Check out these four fun events for families.

The Oregon Zoo hosts a New Year's Eve Sleepover for children ages 6-13, accompanied by an adult. This includes a pizza dinner, behind the scenes tours, live animal presentations, midnight festivities and late night movies, crafts and games. In morning, the Zoo provides a continental breakfast and a birds of prey show. Sleeping is indoors, but on the floor. I've been on a Zoo overnight in the spring, and the behind the scenes tours are terrific. Besides seeing the employee-only areas, you also get to see animals in a more up close and personal way, and find out more about them than you might otherwise.

The New Year's Eve Sleepover begins at 5:00 p.m. on December 31, and officially ends at 9:30 a.m. on January 1. The cost is $48 per person. For more information and a registration form, visit the Oregon Zoo website.

ComedySportz Portland performs two shows on New Year's Eve, at 7:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. ComedySportz performs improv comedy (think Whose Line Is It Anyway?) in a competition format. All shows feature clean humor and are suitable for people of all ages. Tickets to ComedySportz are $12 per person, and can be purchased by calling (503) 236-8888 or by visiting http://www.portlandcomedy.com/reservations/index.html. The ComedySportz Arena is located at 1963 NW Kearney Street in Portland.

The Portland Country Dance Community is holding a New Year's Eve Contra Dance/Sock Hop. Contra dancing is a form of folk dance that involves couples lining up in two lines facing each other and executing dance moves called out by a caller. The steps are similar to those used in square dancing. If you have no idea what that means, it's OK! The PCDC provides a half hour lesson for beginners before the real dancing starts. Be sure to bring a dish for the dessert potluck. The New Year's Eve Contra Dance/Sock Hop will be held at the Multnomah Arts Center, 7688 SW Capitol Highway in Portland. The lesson begins at 7:30 p.m., and dancing will extend from 8:00 p.m. to after midnight. Admission is $12 general and $8 for students and seniors. For more information, visit portlandcountrydance.org.

The Portland Children's Museum hosts a New Year's Eve at Noon party for children and their parents. The museum is actually open all day (9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.), but the countdown happens at noon. Children can enjoy cider and cookies, music, and noisemakers. They can also make a crazy hat ($2 extra charge). Meanwhile, kids can enjoy all of the regular exhibits in the museum. If you haven't been there, it's great fun for small children (maybe ages 7 and under), but not so exciting for older kids. They have all kinds of pretend play exhibits, like a pretend grocery store, restaurant, and doctor's office, plus a water play area, a musical instrument area, and more.

The Portland Children's Museum is located at 4015 SW Canyon Road, across from the Oregon Zoo and the World Forestry Center. Admission is $7.00 for ages 1-54 and $6 for those 55 and older or those with Military ID. For more information, visit their website at http://www.portlandcm.org.