1/4 mile dirt track out in the country. This is a feel good place! Bring cash for everything or…read morepay the fee to use the ATM on site. People are friendly, they serve cold beer, and hot food. If you keep tabs on their website, you'll see days where they do special stuff like back to school night, kids day, fireworks for the 4th of July, etc. Great way to spend a Saturday evening with the family! Pro tips - the metal benches get uncomfortable after a while so bring foam pads or stadium chairs to sit on; it gets chilly in the evening so don't forget the hoodies (yes, even in the summer); bring a sleeping bag for littles as well as ear protection and safety/sun glasses because it can get loud for them and to protect their eyes from the dirt kicking up during the races (it'll blow in the wind right at ya, no doubt. Wear white at your own risk). No outside food or water allowed but you can bring an empty bottle to fill inside (save $ on buying water!). The parking lot is big and the entry is fair ($15 adults, $5 for littles, and there are more prices for seniors, pit passes, and juniors). We noticed that now, you can buy tickets online but we did not so I'm not sure what that looks like when you enter. Come on down, have a beer, cheer on your favorite driver, and wave them American Flags!!

The whole experience was very fun! We went at 5pm on a Saturday with no wait time! The staff were…read moregreat.

This place is huge, and we had such a great time! We came for a team outing and it totally exceeded…read moreexpectations. The go kart track was longer than we anticipated, which made racing against our teammates even more thrilling. The friendly competition, tight turns, and high-speed chases definitely got the adrenaline flowing. One of the highlights was how open and well-designed the facility is. There's a spacious lounge area perfect for relaxing between races, a podium for celebrating the winners, and plenty of arcade games to keep everyone entertained. You can tell the space was built with groups and events in mind, plenty of room to hang out, cheer each other on, and just enjoy the whole experience together.

This was an interesting race. I had a great time, but the people are really what make relay races…read morefun. Most folks wouldn't find being in a van without sleep, baths, or much space for 30 hours as your team relay runs from Mt. Hood to Seaside, OR not much fun, but with over a 1000 teams, we have somehow convinced ourselves that it is! After running a few Ragnar relay races (same approx 200 mile distance; different cities) I've got to say that I really appreciate that Ragnar is more organized than HTC. HTC is huge. The race has been around for 33 years. With that long history, I figured that they would have this race planned out pretty well, even considering that the course sometimes has to change a little...but they could use a lot of work. The exits and entrances to our relay exchanges (passing the team bracelet to the next runner to run their 4 - 9 mile leg) were not conducive to be efficient and my team got stuck in traffic to the exchange so thick, that I actually ran PAST them; met the other team van to pass my bracelet to their van's runner...and ended up running a mile BACK to jump in my van and sit in traffic with them. But the worst was yet to come... But first, the volunteers were terrific. Instead of relying on course signs like Ragnar, they had volunteers physically waving you through--to let you know you were on the right path. It was HOT during the day and neighborhoods had people set up on their lawns to cheer us on--and spray us down with hoses as we ran through. It felt amazing during the hottest legs of the race. Here's the awful part. Last leg of the race. One poorly schooled volunteer forced my van team to take the trolley into Seaside from their parking spot almost a little over a mile away. The trolleys were so full, they missed two rides. So I ran into the finish line...and my team wasn't there. The other van's team was there but weren't expecting me for a bit. Later, we found out that you didn't have to take the trolley in, according to another volunteer :/ It's a beautiful race, but it's a one-and-done kind of event. Check it out if you live in the area! I wouldn't recommend traveling for it like I did.

Hood to Cost promotes a "Turkey Trot" on the day before Thanksgiving. $35 to walk around the track…read moreat the Portland Speedway at night and look at tired old Christmas lights. Spend you money and time on something else!

Awesome run! We had such a great time out running even though it started raining towards the end of…read morethe race. Going over the bridge was an incredible view and something I won't soon forget. When we finished up it was great grabbing brews though I did get pretty cold without any Mylar windbreakers at the finish since it started raining some.

Bridge to Brews, your option of an 8K or 10K race starting from the Waterfront and heads over the…read moreFremont bridge to the Rose Quarter, then over the Steel Bridge. And as the name would imply, beer is involved. The end of the race consists of a beer fest and live music! Can't think of many better reasons to have multiple good beers at 9:30 in the morning. A nice bonus is we got a free beer with our packet pickup too! A must do for any runner and/or beer drinker.

My review may be biased because I live on the Williamette waterfront and have front row seats to…read morethe race, but I love the Dragon Boats! They are so vibrant and whimsical, each a different color combo and dragon face. They look spectacular on the river, especially on a sunny, blue sky day. For me, it's a sign that spring is coming when in early March the dragonboat teams start practicing. Diligently, they are out there every single morning and evening, in the dark! And freezing cold! The teams take turns in the boats to get in their practice time. For me, the twice daily practices provide a few hours of viewing, like live art. Sitting on the balcony with my coffee, reading the news while watching the dragon boats, is the way I start and end my days for three solid months. In the evenings, they start as early as 4:000pm and because there are so many teams, the boats are out on the river until about 8pm. What a backdrop! I'm super lucky, I'm not confused! This weekend is the actual Dragon Boat races and the Williamette is bustling with several private boats and individual kayaks all here to watch, along with the infamous Portland Beer Paddle boats, and a small crowd of people sitting on the grass at Riverside Marina cheering for the teams. Last year I hosted an open house so my friends could watch the races, take in the view, and enjoy delicious food, drinks and friendship. It has become my annual "thing." During Rose Festival, if you are going to City Fair, the Saturday Market, a walk along Tom McCall Park or the Eastern Esplanade, go during the weekend the boats are racing and see these magnificent boats and cheer on the dedicated crews that race!

This is what happens when dreams come true…read more.. Dragon boat racing has fascinated me for over 10 years and this year I finally got to live out my dream and paddle on a team. I've participated in team sports my whole life (except for that little 10-year gap), and this experience has been one of the best. A quick primer on dragon boat racing: The race has four boats with 16 paddlers, a caller, a tiller and a flag catcher in Taiwanese style dragon boats. These things are 1700 lb. beasts shared by the teams with a big 'ole drum to beat on top. Teams are divided into high school, women and mixed groups with the time trials on Saturday and the finals on Sunday. The race itself is an all out sprint for 3 minutes with stroke counts between 70 - 80 strokes per minute for most teams. It has a similar vibe to Hood-to-Coast (some teams are goofy and others dead serious), but this is a lot more fun for the spectators. Admission is free and there are great views of the race course, which starts by OMSI and crosses the river with the finish between the Hawthorne Bridge and the Riverplace Marina in front of the grassy bowl. And don't think of hopping on your boat to watch the races from the water, since the Coast Guard closes the river during the races. The most fearless member of the team is the flag catcher who is strapped to the front of the boat and has abs of steel to reach way in front of the boat to catch and control the flag which ends the race. I saw one of these poor souls go head first into the river yesterday. My team is amazing, but I just love the spirit and sense of camaraderie I see in all of the teams. Many paddlers are parents, so it is fun to see the crowds of family and friends, support their loved ones. There are year round teams who continue on to other races around the world, but many teams get together every year for an intense 10-week training session before the Rose Festival race. And the race weekend is a big picnic and celebration of all the work (no blood or tears, just a whole lot of sweat) it took to get here. So if you are in Portland to enjoy the Rose Festival, make sure you stop by and give a wave and a cheer to all the dragon boaters out there.