Blog Posts

Thanksgiving Turkey Trots in Vancouver WA

November is a special time of year to think about all the things we have to be thankful for and give back to the wonderful community we live in. An excellent way to do this is by participating in the local Thanksgiving Marathon! Read on to learn about the Clark County Turkey Trot, where to sign up, and why it’s so special to the people of Vancouver, WA. Here are some quick details about this family-friendly Turkey Trot! The race itself is a 5k or 10k Run/Walk, taking place on Thanksgiving Morning - November 26, 2020. The race follows a pre-marked course that you can find on the website, and for this unique year if you want to race at home you are more than welcome! The official courses will still be marked with Start/Finish signs and 5K turnaround signs on Thanksgiving morning from 8 am-10 am! There are courses for Ridgefield, Camas, Lewisville, Salmon Creek Trail, and along the Waterfront. The cost to join is just $20. The Polar Plunge is not included in that, as that part of the race has been canceled this year. That $20 covers registration, a t-shirt, finisher’s magnet, and race bib! The Clark County Turkey Trot is a long-running (pun intended) turkey-trot sponsored by numerous local businesses. The list of sponsors for 2020 includes Heritage Bank, Barre3, Clif Bar, Columbia Sportswear Company, coreTek, The Old Spaghetti Factory, and more! This fundraiser gives 100% of the proceeds from the race to the Clark County Food Bank. The Clark County Food Bank is essential to alleviating hunger and food insecurity in Clark County. They are a grower, gleaner, and supplier of food and provide a critical link between resources and people in need! This organization is an incredible force, distributing 8 million pounds of food and 6.7 million meals a year. There is a great need for help with over 100,000 hungry people in Clark County, and the Clark County Turkey Trot is just one way to give back and help your community this holiday season! If you participate in the race, take a photo and share it with us on Facebook or Instagram ! Come back next week for a blog featuring more ways to pay it forward this holiday season. Have a good weekend everyone!

Last Minute Costume Ideas: Halloween Shopping in Vancouver WA

We are so excited for Halloween! It’s going to be a full blue moon on a Saturday, and it doesn’t get much more magical than that! There aren’t any big Halloween parties happening around town this year, but you can still dress up for your own Halloweekend celebrations at home. Whether you're having a party of one or your quarantine squad is joining you, dressing up this year is easy with all these great costume shops and thrift stores nearby. Read on for a quick list of the best costume shopping in Vancouver. Spirit Halloween Just 15 minutes from our apartments is Spirit Halloween . You can't go wrong here! This place is your one-stop-shop for all things spooky. They have everything: costumes, wigs, makeup, face paint, fake blood, fake teeth, props, and decorations if you want to pick up a little spooky something for the home. Party City About 5 minutes away is Party City ! From accessories to makeup to full-on costumes, they are here to meet all your costume needs. Be a kid from Stranger Things, a sexy pirate, a Ghost Buster, they’ve got so many options available! Visit their website to see what’s still available at the Chkalov location. Target Target is a great choice for low-key costumes! There's one about 5 minutes away on Mill Plain and they've got costumes for all ages there too. Plus they have the cutest Halloween decor and you can buy last-minute candy while you’re at it! Definitely stop by, you'll never regret a trip to Target. Thrift Stores When in doubt, DIY a costume with vintage and thrifty finds from nearby thrift stores. Perfect for the sustainable shopper, or someone looking to recreate obscure characters from movies! There's a Goodwill less than 10 minutes away. Whatever you end up doing for Halloween, share your Halloween #OOTD with us on social media! We'd love to see what you put together. As always, come back next week for more food, fun, and shopping in Vancouver, Washington.

Spooky Season! How to Celebrate Halloween in Vancouver WA 2020

This year is unique since some of the bigger celebrations in the area have had to modify or cancel their plans in accordance with Washington state mandates. There are still tons of ways to celebrate Halloween in Vancouver though! From haunted houses to DIY projects at home, there is plenty to do this year to have a spooktacular Halloween close to home. Haunted Houses There’s something so exhilarating about haunted houses! Vancouver has paused theirs, but just across the Columbia River, Portland has a good collection of haunted house attractions in the area. We’ve rounded up our top three favorites for you in this quick list. There is excitement and anticipation around every corner, and the costumes and decor are always a sight to behold in person! Scaregrounds PDX Located at Oaks Amusement Park, these guys have adapted to the current situation with a drive-thru take on the classic haunted house experience. Spooky scenery in the forest surrounding the park with spine tingling audio, video, and special effects! It’s also 100% contactless. Oaks Amusement Park is 30 minutes away. The Fear PDX Fear PDX is the largest Halloween event in the Portland/Vancouver area! They offer a variety of attractions with different themes and levels of scariness, including an all new Nightmares “Extreme Haunt” set in their massive building in Portland. It’s definitely the scariest haunted house in Portland! Their other themed haunts include Dark Carnival, The Creatures, The Doll Factory, and The Mansion. The sets are incredible and the actors are committed. You can’t go wrong with any of these haunts! Haunted: Dead or Alive Portland’s newest haunted house attraction has an awesome location at Rossi Farms about 15 minutes away, that will take you back to Old Parkrose and the Wild West. They’re open for a limited time, October 18-19 and October 25-26 from 7pm to 9:30pm. Halloweentown! If you’re a 90s kid or you had a TV in the early 2000s, you’ve probably heard of Halloweentown . This Disney Channel original movie was set in the real town of St. Helens, and every year they hold a Spirit of Halloweentown month long celebration. See the iconic Big Pumpkin in the town plaza, and spooky merchants lining the streets! Buy tickets ahead of time, click here . It’s a 45-50 minute drive from Vancouver, but completely worth it! DIY Projects for Kids If you are looking for ways to keep the kids entertained for the holiday weekend, try some fun Halloween inspired DIY projects at home. You can make costumes, Halloween decorations, wreaths, decorate pumpkins, and more. Find a whole list of fantastic ideas here . Movie Night Opt for a lowkey Halloween at home with a fun movie night! Put on your favorite costume or coziest pajamas, make some yummy snacks like caramel apples, and put on a Halloween movie. To help you out, here’s a quick list of some of our favorite Halloween movies and shows that you can find on Netflix and Disney Plus! Halloweentown (of course!) Frankenweenie The Corpse Bride The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina Stranger Things The Haunting of Bly House The Addams Family Penny Dreadful Scream Hubie Halloween

Fall Festivities: Best Pumpkin Patches and Corn Mazes in Vancouver WA

Vancouver has the best of both worlds. City life in Portland is nearby and interwoven in our cities and suburbs are local farms that have been serving the community for decades. Read on for a quick list of our favorites and in our opinion, BEST pumpkin patches around Vancouver, WA! Joe’s Place Farms - 5 minutes away Joe’s Farm is a must on our fall festivities list! This farm has been serving Vancouver since 1946 and sadly, Joe will be retiring this year so show the farm some love! They’re just 5 minutes away from Acero Haagen Park, and they offer a variety of activities and have a wonderful selection of produce for sale as well. They’ve got a fantastic u-pick farm plus an incredible bakery with homemade pies, candy, jams, jellies, and more! In addition to fantastic food, you’ll also find a classic pumpkin patch to pick the perfect pumpkin, a corn maze, fort maze, hayrides, and more! Dogs are welcome! Check out their website to learn more. https://www.instagram.com/p/B4EBtOqgKAE/ Bi-Zi Farms - 16 minutes away Located on the north side of Vancouver is Bi-Zi Farms is absolutely massive and their name doesn’t lie! Locally owned and operated by the Zimmerman family since 1872, this place stays busy with tons of festivities going on year round! Their Pumpkin Patch season is definitely our favorite time of year to visit. This pumpkin patch does require paid admission, but with your ticket you’ll gain access to: One free pumpkin, any size you can carry from the Pumpkin Patch! Wagon ride to and from the Pumpkin Patch. Admission to the farm animals Admission to the corn maze Two shots on the Pumpkin Launchers Corn shelling and grinding demonstration Freshly pressed apple cider sampling Children's activities: Bale Maze Bale Pyramid Pedal Tractor Driving https://www.instagram.com/p/CGVeLmdDHmG/ Vancouver Pumpkin Patch - 11 minutes away The Vancouver Pumpkin Patch is a flat $3 admission and includes pumpkin patch entry and the corn maze! This year is limited since the petting zoo and hayrides were cancelled in a preventive measure, however they’ve still got acres of land to explore, pumpkins, gourds, more veggies, and fall decor are all available for purchase as well. Dogs are welcome too! https://www.instagram.com/p/B4lKVqFhrLV/ That’s it for this week! If you happen to visit one of these farms, take a photo and share it with us on social media! Come back next week for more food and fall fun in Vancouver, WA.

Your Guide to the Best Neighborhood Coffee Shops in Vancouver WA

Best Coffee Shops near Acero Haagen Park! There are tons of fantastic local coffee shops in Vancouver, we're actually going to need a few posts to get through the best! To start off with though, we've rounded up our Top 3 favorite coffee shops near our brand new apartments. While there's a Dutch Bros, Black Rock Coffee Bar, and Starbucks all within 5 minutes of our community, we like to support local small businesses as much as we can! Read on for a quick list of the best neighborhood coffee shops in Vancouver, WA! Hosta Coffee Just a 4-minute drive from home, you'll find Hosta Coffee ! Located inside the Gastronome European Store is this bright and charming coffee shop. They serve fantastic coffee, tea, and espresso drinks, with gorgeous latte art and a variety of food as well. You'll love their pastries, crepes, creme brulee, bagels, and more! They carry locally roasted coffee beans by Stumptown Coffee Roasters, and have a spacious seating area. It's the perfect place to sit down and work on your laptop or catch up with friends. Did we mention crepes? View this post on Instagram NEW SEASONAL CREPE✨🍂 cinnamon carmel apple, come try how delicious it is!#vancouverwashington #coffee #seasonalspecial #fallvibes #fallcravings #hostacoffee #vancouvereats A post shared by Hosta Coffee (@hostacoffee) on Sep 19, 2020 at 6:37pm PDT Madhouse Coffee We're mad for this coffee shop! Madhouse Coffee is right off Mill Plain in the same shopping area as Chuck's Produce and Craft Warehouse. This coffee shop offers an extensive menu with wraps, burgers, and vegan food in addition to offering tasty lattes, tea, ice cream, shakes, and energy drinks! There's a lot going on in this little shop, and the folks that work there are wonderful too. We love their Candy Corn Tie Dye Shake, and it comes in a vegan option too! View this post on Instagram Happy Spooky Season with all the tricks and treats! Come try our Candy Corn Tie Dye Shake (can be done Vegan 🌱) Happy Hump Day everyone! 💜🎃 #madhousecoffee #welcometothemadhouse #trickortreat #spookyseason #vegancouv #coffeetime #pdxcoffee #shopsmall #shoplocal #clarkcounty #vancouverwacoffee A post shared by Madhouse Coffee (@madhousecoffeeco) on Oct 7, 2020 at 8:04am PDT Presso Coffee Kitchen This coffee shop on Fourth Plain just north of our apartments is full of style and charm! They've got picture-perfect lattes, a sister store in Portland, and a podcast, what more could you want? Their website has awesome apparel and stickers for sale and you can order a coffee subscription so you can make gourmet coffee from the comfort of your home! They're just 8 minutes away if you head down 136th. You'll love this place, trust us! View this post on Instagram we’re excited to be pouring drinks for you all!! ☕️ the PDX shop is re-opening tomorrow from 8am-2pm! stop by for takeaway or order online for pickup. we will have a smaller food menu but lots of new drink specials! see you soon 🤍 A post shared by Presso Coffee Co (@pressocoffeeco) on May 13, 2020 at 8:22pm PDT If you were inspired to take a visit to one of these coffee shops, snap a photo and share it with us on social media! Tag us @acerohaagenpark on Instagram, and be sure to visit our blog next week for more food, fun, and shopping in Vancouver, WA.