Family Things to Do in Grants Pass

Whether you’re visiting with kids or picturing weekends here after a move, it helps to know what there is to do beyond the obvious. Here’s my list of family things to do in Grants Pass and nearby, from wolves and bears at a wildlife rehab center to cave tours, lake days and a few ideas for the rainy months.

I’m Justin Burton, a Southern Oregon REALTOR® with eXp Realty. This page is about activities, with seasons, practical details and the official sources to check. For the broader list, see my things to do in Grants Pass hub.

Wildlife Images

Wildlife Images is a nonprofit wildlife rehabilitation and education center on Lower River Road, out toward Merlin. It’s a working rehab center, and it’s also home to permanent residents that can’t be released into the wild, including wolves, grizzly bears, bobcats and birds of prey.

  • Open year-round. Wildlife Images lists summer hours of 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, with last ticket sales at 4. Its park page lists the same daily hours year-round, with closures on a few winter holidays. Check current hours before you go.
  • Plan for about an hour and a half. That’s how long Travel Oregon says the tour takes.
  • Tickets. Wildlife Images sells tickets on-site, and Travel Oregon suggests calling ahead to check tour availability. Ambassador Encounters must be booked at least three days in advance.
  • Dress for the weather. Much of the visit is outdoors. Travel Oregon suggests comfortable shoes, warm layers in winter and water and sun protection in summer.
  • Summer camp. Wildlife Images runs Camp EEK!, a summer day camp where young people learn about wildlife, rehabilitation and conservation.

Oregon Caves: The Kids and Family Tour

Oregon Caves National Monument and Preserve, past Cave Junction, is a memorable outing for kids old enough to handle it. You can only see the cave on a ranger-guided tour.

  • Kids and Family Cave Tour: the National Park Service designed this 90-minute tour for families with children. It’s moderately strenuous. At least one child must be in the group, and all children must be over 42 inches tall. It runs in summer, starting in late June.
  • Discovery Tour: the standard tour, offered through the whole season. Children must be at least 42 inches tall and can’t be carried.
  • Tickets: NPS recommends reserving through Recreation.gov. Same-day tickets can sell out in spring break and summer, and the park suggests buying them at the Illinois Valley Visitor Center in Cave Junction before driving up.
  • Above ground: the park’s surface trails are open year-round and free to hike.

More detail on seasons and planning is on my day trips from Grants Pass page.

Lake Selmac County Park

Lake Selmac County Park, near Selma in the Illinois Valley, is a Josephine County park. The county describes the park as roughly 300 acres. It offers year-round camping, with RV and tent sites, yurts and horse camping, and ODFW lists trout, largemouth bass, bluegill and crappie in the lake. ODFW stocks rainbow trout from late winter through spring and calls the lake an outstanding largemouth bass fishery.

  • Camping: reservations are made through Josephine County Parks.
  • Fishing: check Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife rules and license requirements before you cast. My Rogue River fishing page has links.
  • Day use: the county lists swimming, boating, sailing, nature trails, bird watching, bike and horseback riding, picnic areas, disc golf and horseshoe pits. A playground is near one of the picnic shelters. The park is open sunup to sundown, and there’s a day-use parking fee.
  • Getting there: the county lists the park as about 24.5 miles from Grants Pass, off Highway 199. It makes a nice stop on the way to or from Oregon Caves.

Riverside Park and the Rogue

Riverside Park sits on the Rogue River in Grants Pass and is home to Boatnik every Memorial Day weekend. The festival includes a carnival, children’s activities, boat races and fireworks. The rest of the year it’s an everyday city park, with a playground and a free spray park the city runs in the warm months. Children 12 and under at the spray park must be supervised by an adult, and it closes in bad weather. Check the city’s page for current hours.

Being near the river is part of everyday life here, but the Rogue is cold and moves fast even when it looks calm. Life jackets are a must for kids on or near the water.

For river trips, including Hellgate jet boats (a summer trip that closes each winter), see my Rogue River rafting and jet boat guide.

Saturday Markets and First Friday

Saturday mornings downtown are an easy outing. The Grants Pass Growers Market runs Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. during its outdoor season, and the separate GP Saturday Market runs downtown on Saturday mornings from May through October. The Growers Market asks visitors to leave pets at home, with service dogs only. On the first Friday of every month, First Friday brings live music, art, food trucks and family activities to downtown. My Grants Pass events page has the full calendar.

Rainy-Day Ideas

Winters in the valley are wet, so here are a few indoor options:

  • Grants Pass Museum of Art: downtown at 229 SW G Street. The museum lists free admission and hours Tuesday through Saturday. It’s on the second floor, with elevator access. Check the museum’s website for current exhibits and hours.
  • Wildlife Images in any weather: it’s open year-round. Bring rain gear and warm layers.
  • The winter Growers Market: the market lists a winter market indoors at the Josephine County Fairgrounds Commercial Building, starting at the end of November.
  • Bowling at Caveman Bowl: one of my go-to rainy-day picks. It’s on the Rogue River Highway in Grants Pass and offers open bowling, bumpers for little ones, a game room, Saturday-night Cosmic Bowling, and the Tenpin Café inside. Check its website for current hours.
  • Rogue Valley Family Fun Center: another favorite, about a half-hour drive away in Central Point, just off I-5. Its arcade is the rainy-day draw, and on dry days it adds go-karts, bumper boats, two 18-hole mini-golf courses, and batting cages. Call ahead or check its website before you go.
  • More indoor ideas: VisitGrantsPass publishes a list of indoor things to do on rainy days.

Things to Do by Season

  • Spring: Oregon Caves tours start, markets open and trails green up.
  • Summer: Kids and Family cave tours, Camp EEK!, river days and Boatnik over Memorial Day weekend.
  • Fall: Art Along the Rogue downtown, cooler hikes and harvest season.
  • Winter: Wildlife Images, the museum and the winter market.

For an honest look at the climate, see my Grants Pass weather by season page.

Picturing Weekends Here After a Move

For many people moving from California, the appeal is being able to fit these outings into an ordinary weekend without a long drive or a big crowd. Where you live affects how close you are to the river, the trails or the Illinois Valley. It also affects how much land you have for your own projects.

If you’re starting to compare areas, these pages help:

Family Activities FAQs

How old do kids need to be for Oregon Caves tours?

The NPS uses a height rule rather than an age rule. Children must be at least 42 inches tall for the Discovery Tour and over 42 inches for the Kids and Family tour, and they can’t be carried.

Is Wildlife Images open in winter?

Yes. Wildlife Images is open to visitors year-round. Check its website for current hours and reservations.

What can we do on a rainy day?

Try the Grants Pass Museum of Art downtown, a rain-gear visit to Wildlife Images, or the Growers Market’s indoor winter market at the fairgrounds once it opens.

Ready to Learn More?

Download my free Southern Oregon Relocation Guide to start planning. If you’d like to talk about areas that fit how you want to spend your weekends, reach out to me. I’m glad to help you plan a visit that mixes a few of these outings with looking at homes.

For more ideas, head back to the things to do in Grants Pass hub.