Things to Do in Troutdale

Jump for Joy's 27-acre grounds enchant urban farmers, equestrians, and nature lovers alike with a recreational organic farm, stables, and other natural-educational amenities. The full-service equestrian center, in addition to boarding horses, offers riding lessons and horse camps in which riders of all ages can master horse-powered transit and learn the slight dialect differences between speaking Horse and Donkey. Throughout the grounds, visitors can wander through a natural wetlands system, wild-bird habitat, and blueberry orchard in addition to other sustainable-homesteading amenities. Kids delve into the natural world at birthday parties on the farm and themed weeklong summer camps that impart skills on horse riding, organic farming, or ecology.

For more than 35 years, the paint-your-own-ceramics studio has encouraged brush wielders of all skill levels to let their artistic instincts take over as they personalize premade bisqueware. A red façade and teal awning beckon passersby into the shop, where more than 1,000 ceramic figurines, ornaments, magnets, and vases wait to be brought to life with colorful brushstrokes, glitter, chalk, and jumpstarts from a car battery. Bricker Brac Ceramics’ expert instructors host classes, parties, and group events that guide unsure brush brandishers and foster creativity.

The team behind Kidz-Playz enhances children's gatherings with inflatable play structures whose springy, cushiony surfaces encourage hours of bounding and tumbling. By toting these portable playhouses to clients' homes, Kidz-Playz's staff continues a profession that predates agriculture—renting children's party supplies.

In ancient Greece, for example, mask makers visited parties to give kids their own drama masks, which displayed one of the two known human emotions at that time—happiness and defeat. Come the Middle Ages, parents hired clowns, court jesters, and recently usurped monarchs to entertain their offspring. But it wasn't until the late 20th century that party technology really evolved, giving children access to supplies such as hot-dog-flavored birthday cakes and the pinnacle of entertainment: the inflatable bounce house.