Our Favorite Things to Do Around Vancouver, WA

When people visit Twisted Escape Rooms, they often ask us what else there is to do around Vancouver and Clark County. Since we live and work here, we thought we'd put together a list of some of the places we genuinely enjoy and recommend.

This isn't meant to be a giant directory of everything in Southwest Washington. These are simply some of our favorite places to visit, eat, explore, and take friends and family when they're in the area.

Whether you're planning a date night, family day, weekend adventure, or you're visiting Vancouver for the first time, here are a few places we think are worth checking out.

🔐 Twisted Escape Rooms — Vancouver, WA

Of course, we're starting with something we're a little biased about!

Twisted Escape Rooms is a locally owned escape room located at Vancouver Mall. Our games are designed to be immersive adventures filled with puzzles, surprises, hidden discoveries, and plenty of moments where your entire group has to work together.

We love welcoming families, date nights, birthday groups, friends, visitors and company teams.

If you've never played an escape room before, don't worry — we'll explain everything before you begin, and we're there to help throughout your adventure.

Book an escape room in Vancouver, WA and see if your group has what it takes to escape.

Find Us on Google Maps

Great for — Families, date nights, birthdays, friends and team building.

🌲 Battle Ground Lake State Park

One of our favorite places when we want to get outside is Battle Ground Lake State Park.

It's a beautiful wooded park centered around a small lake, and it's a great place to spend part of the day when the weather is nice. You can walk the trails, enjoy the scenery, picnic, or simply get away from everything for a while.

One of the things we love about living in this part of Washington is how quickly you can go from the city to being surrounded by huge trees and beautiful Pacific Northwest scenery.

Washington State Parks — Battle Ground Lake View on Google Maps

Great for — Families, couples, hiking, picnics and outdoor time.

🐻‍❄️ Oregon Zoo

Yes, it's across the river in Portland, but it's absolutely worth including.

We especially love visiting the polar bears. They're one of our favorite parts of the zoo and definitely worth seeing if you're visiting with kids — or if you're an adult who just really loves polar bears!

The zoo makes an easy day trip from Vancouver and can be combined with other Portland-area attractions before heading back across the river.

Oregon Zoo — official site View on Google Maps

Great for — Families, kids, animal lovers and day trips.

Elevated view of the Bridge of the Gods spanning the misty Columbia River at sunrise in the Columbia River Gorge

🌉 Bridge of the Gods & the Columbia River Gorge

If you've never explored the Columbia River Gorge, make time for it.

The drive itself is beautiful, and the Bridge of the Gods is one of those places that really shows off what makes this part of the Pacific Northwest special.

Mountains, trees, cliffs and the Columbia River make this a fantastic drive when you have a few extra hours and want to explore outside Vancouver.

There are also plenty of places along the Gorge where you can stop, explore and take photographs.

Port of Cascade Locks — Bridge of the Gods View on Google Maps

Great for — Scenic drives, couples, visitors, photography and outdoor adventures.

🌻 Fort Vancouver National Historic Site

If you're after something a bit different, Fort Vancouver is well worth the visit.

It's a reconstruction of the original 1825 Hudson's Bay Company fur-trading post, right on the Columbia River, and it's genuinely well done — costumed historic interpreters working as blacksmiths and tradespeople, original-style buildings inside the wooden palisade, and a heritage garden growing the same kinds of fruit and vegetables that once fed the fort's workers.

It's an easy one to combine with a walk along the riverfront, and it gives you a real sense of what this whole area looked like two hundred years ago.

Fort Vancouver National Historic Site — National Park Service View on Google Maps

Great for — Families, history lovers, out-of-town visitors and a change of pace.

🎰 ilani

For an adult night out, ilani is another place we enjoy.

It's just north of Vancouver in Ridgefield and has gaming, entertainment and plenty of places to eat, so it's an easy option when you're looking for something to do later in the evening.

You can also turn it into a full night out by combining dinner or entertainment there with an escape room at Twisted Escape Rooms earlier in the day.

ilani — official site View on Google Maps

Great for — Adults, date nights, entertainment and evening activities.

Tom's Watch Bar sports bar interior at ilani, with a large multi-screen video wall

🍗 Tom's Watch Bar at ilani

If you're already visiting ilani and you're hungry, we particularly like Tom's Watch Bar.

And here's the important recommendation from us: get the wings.

Our pick: The wings.

It's a fun place to grab something to eat, watch a game and relax.

Tom's Watch Bar — ilani location View on Google Maps

🍔 In-N-Out Burger

Another local favorite is In-N-Out Burger, right here in Vancouver.

It's a fast, easy option when you want something quick and satisfying before or after an escape room, and it's a big deal for anyone visiting from outside the West Coast who's never tried it.

Our pick: Animal-style, fries included.

If you're making a whole evening out of your visit to Vancouver, a quick bite here followed by an escape room makes for an easy, no-fuss combination.

In-N-Out Burger — Vancouver, WA View on Google Maps

🥑 Los Pepe's

Los Pepe's is another one of our Mexican-food favorites.

There are plenty of things on the menu, but there's one thing we particularly recommend: the chunky guacamole.

Our pick: Chunky guacamole — seriously, get the guacamole.

It's another easy option for grabbing lunch or dinner while you're exploring Vancouver.

Los Pepe's — official site View on Google Maps

🍝 The Old Spaghetti Factory

The Old Spaghetti Factory is a classic, and it's somewhere we enjoy when we're in the mood for comfort food.

Our pick: Spaghetti and meatballs — and obviously, don't skip the bread and butter.

It's a good option for families and larger groups, particularly if you're trying to find somewhere everyone can agree on.

The Old Spaghetti Factory — Vancouver, WA View on Google Maps

Great for — Families, groups and casual dinners.

Make a Day of It in Vancouver

One of the nice things about Vancouver is that you don't have to choose between indoor entertainment, restaurants and outdoor adventures.

You could spend the morning exploring the Columbia River Gorge or Battle Ground Lake, grab something great to eat, and then finish your day solving puzzles at Twisted Escape Rooms.

And if you're visiting from Portland, Vancouver is just across the Columbia River — so it's easy to add some Southwest Washington adventures to your trip.

Ready for an adventure?

Come see us at Twisted Escape Rooms inside Vancouver Mall and see if your team has what it takes to escape.

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