Ive only been to Seattle in Sept but as Oly noted, there's much to do that isnt dependent on the weather! The one place I'd encourage you to check out is the one place I haven't been-- The Herbfarm restaurant. I think the 24 hr experience sounds interesting and might be a fun family affair. I don't believe it is as difficult to get a reservation as it used to be.. it used to be that you'd need to make reservations 8-10 months in advance.

The other thing I wish I'd done was to kayak the san juan islands. I'd think it would be too cold in March-- but after your winter vacation, I'd say you and your crew should be up to it!

Well. if you've been to Seattle you know there's lots to do that is not weather dependent. - Bill Spiedels Underground walking Tour, the EMP Interactive Music Museum, the Boeing Factory and Aviation Flight Museum. Just bring your gortex and you'll have a great time.

How about checking out Mt. Hood in Oregon?

- Timberline Lodge Ski Area is the only area in North America that is open for skiing year-round. The scenery is fabulous. The Lodge is a National Historic Landmark. For ski-in-ski-out experience you'll have to stay at Timberline Lodge. The building is fascinating, although the guest rooms can be quite cramped. But tons of character! Timberline Lodge Ski Resort

- Mt. Hood Skibowl is the largest night ski area in the U.S. I think it has 4 nighttime chairlifts. Also, it has Snow Tube & Adventure Park which is geared to family entertainment. I'm not familiar with the lodging right in the ski area, though. Like many Portlanders, I went there for day trips exclusively. Mt. Hood Skibowl

Many skiers opt for less expensive lodging in Government Camp, a small town at the foot of Mount Hood. However, it's not the best option if you want to enjoy Mt. Hood to the fullest. Timberline Lodge is probably less crowded than Skibowl.

Mt. Hood is about 2-3 hours drive from Portland. You could also explore the scenic Columbia River Gorge and see Multnomah Falls. Seattle is about 4 hrs drive from Portland. The Internet says it's about 3 hrs, but in my experience it's more like 4 - 4.5 hrs.

Lana_Roma, I'd not thought about skiiing Mt Hood. Intriguing that we could go in summer: i thought we had to go to SA for that! Is Timberline Lodge (charming, btw!) ski in ski out? It does not say. We have gotten horribly spoiled by that, and it does save so much time and make it so much more pleasant to have dry, warm ski gear right at the lift essentially.

BLFenton, yes, a lot of those are on our list. I was also thinking of Skagit for the flowers? Seems like it is possible we could see some the last week of March.

Funkyart, I personally have been to the San Juan islands, and when I repeat places I have been I try not to repeat too much of what i have done, especially if it is time consuming. So IDK! Going to go look up Herbfarm!

Oly,

Do you like Mammoth better than Tahoe for some reason? I thought of Tahoe because they have a ski-in-ski-out Ritz, direct NYC flight on Jetblue, and the Lake is blue in winter (sounds pretty and different).

I really want to to Chihuly but I wanted to do a special tour via the Seattle 4S and they dont offfer it in March, not sure why. Still, a wonderful place and Ive never been.

Thanks so much for mentioning the Gates foundation. Never would have guessed there was a museum and a tour; great idea!

Rat city roller girls looks like a hoot!

Flight museum is a very big draw; both DS and DH are amateur pilots.

Anyone else with Portland ideas?

Thanks!

I'm heading to Tahoe in a few weeks. Anything specific you'd like to know about Tahoe? We won't be staying ski-in, ski-out as we are staying at a house we bought at a charity auction in Incline Village. I'm the only skier of the 6 going, although my daughter wants to learn, her friend doesn't though.

I have never been to the Tulip/daffodil festivals. I know of people who go every year and love it. Depending on what our winter has been like will dictate how the flowers have bloomed at the end of March. It typically goes beginning to the end of April. This year our winter has been so mild (actually warm and breaking high temps) that everything is blooming early so end of March this year, will be good. The area is about an hour north of Seattle.

MtnRdRedux, here is a trail map for Timberline Lodge Resort: Timberline Lodge Trail Map that shows trails and lifts starting out of the lodge area.

If your DH and DS are into aviation, there's an Aviation & Space Museum in McMinnville near Portland that might be of interest to them: Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum and Waterpark

Mtn, I don't ski but have been to Mammoth off season (and Tahoe) - both are incredibly beautiful, but the proximity to Yosemite of Mammoth give it such amazing views, etc. I think Mammoth is kind of off the radar for many and they certainly don't have a Ritz (a Westin is the closest that I can see) but it's a playground for the wealthy/celebrities as there are direct flights from LA - so there are luxury accommodations and expectations. I have good friends who work for the mountain and believe it's top quality skiing. Some lodging is ski in/out but it sounds like Tahoe is better transportation wise for you.

Chihuly is worth going to whether the hotel has a tour or not. It's very easy to tour on your own; there is a great restaurant attached, filled with Chihuly's collections of quirky things, including a ceiling filled with old accordions. Try to go close to dusk so you can see the grounds when the sculptures are lit. It's magical.

Thanks, Oly, I will have to look into Mammoth.

The Four Seasons offers some sort of VIP Chihuly thing, with private access of some sort and a glass blowing demo (but only after May 1). I don't know a lot about it but a lot of the 4S special VIP things are unique and worthwhile, thats why it caught my interest. I had read about the cafe; wonderful!

Lana, thanks for both!

BLFenton, yes, i was reading that it was super early. It sounds beautiful!

Lyfia, IIRC the Ritz is in Truckee which may be totally different; Tahoe is big I gather! Love to know what you think. I was in Tahoe many moons ago in the summer!

The Ritz is outside Truckee, between I80 and North Lake. The drive around the lake and up north from the Tahoe airport can be a lengthy (and beautiful) one in winter. Nearby Northstar is its own complex, with restaurants and shops. Squaw Valley is close by, and still has the high altitude ice rink from the Olympic Village. Truckee is a small town with some very nice (even superior and lower cost) dining options. North lake is also reachable quite easily, if you wanted to head to Incline Village. We've hunted for vacation homes in Truckee-Donner and Incline Village, so I tend to prefer the North.

Besides the Tahoe airport, the Reno airport is actually closer to Truckee and has frequent direct flights to many locations, including SEA and PDX. The drive down to Yosemite takes about 4 1/2 hours.... closer from South Lake (but South Lake is much more of gambling/casino centric place).

MtnRdRedux - I'll report back when we get back if I have anything to say. - I know we'll be visiting Northstar at least one day since they have activities there that my daughter wants to do and my husband will do because he refuses to ski since the first time he tried snowboarding he fell, hit his head, and passed out. This was before I met him. Maybe our daughter can talk him into trying again with skis this time.

Last time I was in Tahoe was in the early 90's so I'm guessing things have changed a lot.

Thanks Lyfia. Yes he should ski; 10x easier than snowboarding IMHO.

Gooster - not sure if Jetblue flies into Reno or Tahoe actually; to someone coming from NYC it seems pretty much the same; in fact IIRC they may have advertised it as Reno/Tahoe, LOL

My guess is your flight would be into Reno-Tahoe International Airport. It is the only one we could find flights to or Sacramento.

Maybe I can talk him into having private lessons with my daughter. Or I should say maybe our daughter could talk him into doing it with her. Her power of persuasion is much better than mine.

Spring skiing at Tahoe is a risky proposition these days. We are in a multi-year drought in N. CA and Tahoe has been hit hard. There has not been much snow for a few years and not much water to make snow. We were there over President's Day weekend and we were on not much snow--all of it slushy man made stuff--and they were canceling a snowboarding competition that was scheduled to happen in a couple of weeks due to lack of snow.

If you decide to go with Tahoe, I would at least pick the highest elevation skiing you can find to up your odds of actually having snow.

I don't ski but everyone I know, except for my dh, says skiing is easier than snowboarding to learn. (Dh grew up skiing the German Alps and tried snowboarding as a 20 something and swears it's not harder to learn. Maybe he hit his head too and just doesn't remember.)

San Francisco seems like the obvious pairing with Tahoe for a vacation to me. Spring isn't bad in the city usually--better than summer most likely.

The drought in the Sierra is so sad. Will the trend continue into next year, or will they bust out of it with grand storms and deep snow? Hard to say. Picking a ski destination way ahead of time is always something of a gamble.

Lyfia, I'm a ski instructor. With 100% certainty, I can say that a private lesson for your husband is the way to go. Good instructors have a large radar screen for all the factors that can affect a guest - not just the mechanics of skiing but the anxiety, prior bad experiences, self-consciousness, etc. If he is at all inclined to try again, that is the way to go. I have taught people like your DH many times. They start out fearful and gain energy with each success and in the end they are thrilled to have overcome their fear. So, it's totally possible that he can regain his mojo. But he has to want to. Nothing can replace that basic desire to give it a go. Have a great trip, either way!

Karin - I think the bigger thing would be to get him even interested in trying which is where I think only our daughter would succeed. It's been about 20 years since he went, but then it has been 15 years since I went and before that it had been about 10 years and I picked it up like nothing in no time. Guess those things don't leave you. I think I was 4 when tried down hill the first time. My parents put me on cross-country ones since around 2. But he just doesn't have the will. He is game for doing things he has no interest in though when our daughter wants them ;) so I'm still holding out hope.

Would you recommend a private lesson for a kid (6 years old) too? I'm torn - I'm thinking she would learn better and more since she tends to want to clown around when other kids are around, but it might not be as fun to her. I was considering teaching her myself (taught my sister when she was 3), but unless daddy decides to try skiing I can't see us spending more than a day or so skiing and not sure how well she'll listen to me. She did good listening and me teaching her to ice skate recently, but you never know ....

It seems as tho the Ritz is on Northstar. I went back and looked at the stats, and it seems like they have always had enough base to ski mid March (when we would go), and often thru mid April.

Lyfia - from my experience. a bit of both are great for kids. Ski school gets them into it and having fun (and costs less). But at some point they will improve much faster with 1-on-1 instruction. My 2 cents.

@Mtnredux -- it appears the airport code is RNO, which is more convenient to NorthStar and the Ritz. It can also form a good connector to SEA or PDX, with frequent nonstops.

The extended drought has greatly impacted the ski areas; there were high hopes after a big series of storms in December, but its been followed by dry times. NS is at like 8,000 feet, so that is better. There is some speculation that this is the new normal.

Here's a link to a news report on the cancelled competition. It also gives the stats on how incredibly far behind the usual snowfall they are this year.

It was kind of sad to be at Squaw in February and walk around on bare ground everywhere except the runs where they had blown man made snow which was not great skiing snow. I told dh I couldn't help but wonder if this is the new weather pattern and perhaps eventually the end of Tahoe as a ski destination.

Thanks, CRL, for some reason i could not read it. maybe you have to subscribe. But I saw webcam of Squaw --- yup, sad. Northstar's webcam didn't look bad, from what I saw. Is there a reason they think the drought might recur?

Sorry you can't open the link. I'm not sure why. It is definitely not subscription--just a local news article on the recent cancellation of a world cup snowboarding event at Squaw. (Squaw once hosted the Winter Olympics so historically it definitely had adequate snow routinely).

The drought is a severe ongoing multi-year event in N. CA at this point. From the article:

"Squaw Valley has recorded 140 inches of snow so far this winter at its 8,200-foot summit; on average, the resort sees 450 inches each winter.

"It’s become the latest in weather-related closures or cancellations this year as the Truckee-Tahoe region endures its fourth-straight mild and much-drier-than-average winter."

I don't think the long-range predictions for precipitation have been released for next winter yet, but I know at the beginning of this winter they forecast continued drought for the 2014-2015 winter rainy season and also pointed out that even typical precipitation would leave us in a drought due to the effects of the long-term rain and snowfall shortages. This means there isn't much water for the ski resorts to use to make snow. (Many big time farmers left their fields unplanted last year knowing that they weren't going to get enough water to irrigate crops,) I think many Tahoe resorts pretty routinely make snow even in good years.

Lyfia,

For younger kids, a group lesson usually works well. They have the advantage of being able to watch other kids learn and it tends to be more fun for them as well. If a child has special needs, or is likely to learn faster or slower than their peers, then a private lesson would be helpful. But in general they enjoy the camaraderie of other kids. That said, a private lesson with a good children's instructor can be a fabulous experience - for both parties usually!

Definitely do not teach your daughter. That's a total no-no. Pro instructors have a million ways of explaining and demonstrating things, can keep kids happy, and won't get frustrated if things get off to a slow start. I always cringe when I see parents teaching kids, and even more so when husbands try to teach wives (total facepalm - as they harp on totally irrelevant "failings" of their spouses technique!).

As a random aside, I recently had a gentleman ski up to me and a female client, and offer us his unsolicited suggestion to help us be better skiers (which had the added bonus of being totally incorrect). Somehow he missed the fact that I was in uniform? But I didn't let on. The guy was really proud of himself. We found the whole thing to be both astonishing and hilarious.

Mtn, when do you need to commit to the location for this trip? In all honesty, I would be gun shy about the location and the snowpack. But if you can decide in say, December, you'll have a chance to see if the drought pattern has persisted, or if it has changed. It's very sad, and it must be just crushing their ski industry, not to mention the whole natural environment of the region.

Thank you Karin I'll take your advice even though we've never had issues with her leaning from me. I don't get upset with her as we just try things a different way if it doesn't work. Of course this only apply to leaning something new that she wants to learn such as ice skating, roller skating, bike riding on the other hand is slow moving due to a lack of motivation on her part as i don't push. She wants to learn to ski though so it should go well.

We would probably be at Mammoth during next weeks break if it wasn't for DS1's schedule and trying to visit a few local colleges. A longish, but easy drive from LA, as it is a steady uphill drive with no twisty/icy mountain roads.

Lyfia, sounds like you guys have a great dynamic! You are both lucky.

If she does take a lesson, just ask the instructor what she should practice afterward and then you can have some fun practicing that together. Sounds like you'll have a ball!

Karin_ mtn,

At the most popular ski resorts, during spring break and Pres week, not only do you need to book far in advance, but you are fully committed. For example, the first time I tried to book a vacation at the famous Stein Eriksen in Park City for Pres Week, I called in July and was informed they were sold out already for next year's Pres/ week. The next day I called a competitor, the St Regis in Park City. I was told that to reserve the rooms I needed to pay a nonrefundable "deposit" equal to the total room charges for all 5 nights of our stay. That is a very funny "deposit" in my book, but we did it anyway. Nice float for them!

So, yes, unfortunately at the places most in demand, it's crazy how far in advance you need to book and (it's been my experience) none of these high end ski resorts allow cancellations within any time frame that would allow you to adjust for poor snow conditions. The most generous I have seen is maybe 30 days in advance cancellation.

Anyway, thank you both so much. We still might choose Tahoe, just for variety, but I'm going to look very closely at all of our options.

I know nothing about skiiing in Oregon, but DH said that Mt. Bachelor is better than Mt. Hood. Sunriver is a popular resort in the Bend area.

Mt. Bachelor

Sunriver is lovely and Mt. Bachelor has a far larger ski area, both downhill and x-country, than Mt. Hood. We vacationed there several times. But there's no ski-in-ski-out lodging on Mt. Bachelor at all. You have to drive there from Bend or from Sunriver. It's about 30 min drive from either place.

Snow is more reliable in Oregon than at Tahoe, though. I know people who live in SF Bay area and go to Oregon for skiing because of better snow conditions. However, Oregon resorts are different because they are more on the rustic/rugged side. No glitz or glamour like in California, but I guess it's just a part of the local culture.

Portlanders tend to be more discreet about displaying personal wealth. There's a enclave with multi-million mansions but you'd hardly know it's here unless you're inside it. It's hidden in a forested area, no gates. Not every Portlander even knows it exists. There are also neighborhoods of upscale homes ($500K-$800K range), were manicured lawns aren't the norm. Think vegetable beds in front yards, chicken coops and a farmer's market within a short bike ride distance.

For reference, the median home price in Portland metro is $263,500 according to Forbes.