Step Inside the Wacky World of Mike Bennett

It started during the pandemic — not the art, the attention. At a time when everyone was separated, art provided an outlet for the community to come together (at a safe distance). Then Mike Bennett’s zoo-based animal yard signs began to attract so many onlookers that his neighbors needed to control traffic. Bennett’s signature “Slow Down” signs then entered the landscape, featuring big-eyed sloths and whimsical snails, quickly becoming a local favorite. Cars started to slow down, but the demand for the art grew.

A community niche emerged where art, education and entertainment began to collide, or perhaps collage.

Popping up across Portland

No longer a fit for a home-based project, the art expanded across Portland lawns and Instagram reels and soon commercial ventures. Wonderwood and the Wonderwood Cafe opened in 2022. Wonderwood’s initial run was a Rat King-themed sewer walkthrough with a café reminiscent of a family-friendly dungeon crawler’s inn. Wonderwood transformed into a 9-hole indoor mini golf course in 2024, which was rethemed this year in February. The café menu and services have expanded too. The St. Johns neighborhood favorite is also home to multiple pop-ups and seasonal events.

Washington readers might be familiar with The Oatmeal comics by Matthew Inman and events like Beat the Blerch. Bennett’s work has similar humor and live event comic interactions, but the laughs are geared more toward younger kids or world-weary adults who want to experience uncomplicated fun. The creations are drawn with a greater innocence and a vivid, zoology-based style with vibrant colors. The art is distinct, unassumingly joyful, and with the humility to mock itself as a cross-eyed goldfish.

However, Wonderwood only had room for so many animals, and Bennett had more creatures to create.

Drawing new experiences

Artistic collaborations with Bennett have appeared across Portland, such as the NBA Portland Trail Blazers and the Portland Japanese Garden; plus media features from NPR to Atlas Obscura and The New York Times. My kid’s favorite collab was an animal-based scavenger hunt at the Oregon Zoo, and he wouldn’t let us leave until we’d found every creature.

Space for new experiences was a natural evolution, and Bennett opened the Portland Aquarium in summer 2025. Located in downtown Portland, this aquarium is filled with facts, but not with water or live sea creatures. Related aquarium extras like a new podcast and nearby seasonal pop-ups with live “snow” complement the downtown experience.

As community demand for art has increased, the Bennett team launched a maker space last winter, simply called Mike Bennett Studios. Currently open on weekends and for private rentals, this art studio helps inspire local families to make their own art and create their own community joy.

If you’re visiting Portland, you can check out all of them over the course of a weekend.

Where to experience the world of Mike Bennett

The Portland Aquarium

Yes, it’s about fish, but maybe it isn’t about water. The Portland Aquarium is a multi-room walk-through exhibit with more than 100 hand-drawn aquatic creatures in illustrated and creatively lit biomes. Each admission comes with a 24-page field guide that combines Bennett’s illustrations with information from marine scientist Chanel Hason. The “special effects” (think lighting and interactive elements) were highly praised by my kid when visiting and he loved the scale of the larger sea creatures like the sharks and whales, posing to take action photos along the way.

Pair your on-site experience with another collaboration from this team in “The Zooquarium Podcast” online, expanding your whimsy and creature knowledge.

The aquarium is a short walk from the seasonal Snow Day Village, which returns in November. This pop-up is a family favorite, because where else can you find a combination of snail plushies, live goats, and fake snow falling from the sky?

Cost: $14 for general admission; $10 for kids 12 and younger; free for kids 2 and younger

Hours: Wednesday–Friday, 11 a.m.–5 p.m.; Saturday–Sunday, 10 a.m.–5 p.m.

Location: 603 S.W. Broadway, Portland, Oregon

Mike Bennett Studios

The newest addition to the magical cartoon world is the makerspace on Fremont Street. This space is still evolving, and you can smell the sawdust and paint as new creations emerge and families begin to enjoy crafting experiences.

Bennett was painting Pokémon during my recent visit, where I toured the walls filled with all sorts of craft and creation supplies prepared for kids on the weekend. If you look through a window during closed work hours, you might find Bennett working on his next creature. Check online for classes, special events and private parties, as prices will vary.

Even when the studio is closed, you can visit Bennett’s “sidewalk joy spots” for swapping keychains, stickers and Pokémon cards. Or grab a free tennis ball from the dog library (for your four-legged friends to enjoy at the park across the street).

Hours: Saturday–Sunday, 10 a.m.–3 p.m.

Location: 707 N.E. Fremont St., Portland, Oregon

Wonderwood Indoor Mini Golf

Indoor family attractions are a staple of the rainy Pacific Northwest. Wonderwood Mini Golf, a 9-hole family-friendly course, has been rethemed as the Alpha Bestiary with 26 new hand-drawn monsters and a new storyline. Reservations are not required, but it helps to check online for the current waitlist. There’s a large outdoor paved area between the two sites, and my kid still remembers this location as the “place where you walk right into a comic book.”

Cost: $12 per person; free for ages 3 and younger

Hours: Monday–Thursday, 1–8 p.m.; Friday–Sunday, 10 a.m.–8 p.m.

Location: 7410 N. Chicago Ave., Portland, Oregon

Wonderwood Cafe & Restaurant

The café is next door to the mini golf location, and available for breakfast, lunch, dinner and ice cream. Vegan options are available, and seating is offered both inside and outside. We love the more interactive indoor elements, including the “trophy wall” with hand-drawn taxidermy such as jackalopes and alligators. Check the café page or social media for the latest on weekly events, including bingo and trivia. With a full menu that includes weekend brunch, my kid is still constantly drawn to the vegan “buttered” popcorn and the pastry case. Fortunately, the chicken tenders and fries on the kids menu are also a hit. Check out the Enchanted Elixirs menu for a customizable drink.

Hours: Monday–Saturday, 9 a.m.–8 p.m.; Sunday, 9 a.m.–7 p.m.

Location: 8811 N. Lombard St., Portland, Oregon

Bring the art home

Do you need to leave town with a packet of cryptid stickers? What about a magnet featuring the famous PDX Airport carpet? Perhaps you need a snail plushie to complete your collection. Each location offers a large variety of purchasable art on-site, or you can shop the Mike Bennett art collection online.

Make a weekend of it

Perhaps the most quintessentially Portland lodging venues are those operated by McMenamins. If you’ve visited the Anderson School in Bothell, you’ll see the same eclectic and colorful style carried throughout the many Portland locations. While not all lodgings are in an old school, expect every McMenamins to be in a differently shaped and often repurposed building. The chain restaurants typically offer solid kids menus and are known for the crispiest tater tots around. Lodgings and pools vary greatly, and some summer venues will have large concert crowds on event nights, so make sure to check for specifics before you book.

A family-forward alternative that’s just a short drive from Bennett’s artistic attractions is the new and evolving Vancouver Waterfront. Just minutes across the bridge from Portland, this area features extended walking trails and a waterfront view, including the Grant Street Pier. There’s a sandbox-based playground open year-round, and in the summer you’ll find the popular splash pad with the Headwaters Wall water feature showcasing the area’s river systems. The lawn area near the splash pad is home to frequent summer movies, concerts and pop-up events.

For dining options, you’ll find a variety of food but family favorites include Ruse Brewing Crust Collective’s deep-dish pizzas and Grassa’s handmade pasta. For dessert, check out the quirky ice cream flavors at Salt & Straw or fill up your mug at the Yard Milkshake Bar.

Hotel Indigo Vancouver Downtown offers a clean and accessible stay that guarantees you a waterfront parking spot. The AC Hotel Vancouver Waterfront is another option within walking distance as part of the newer lodgings in this area. Both hotels offer good Wi-Fi and on-site restaurants (though neither has a hotel pool).

If you’d like a little more old-school vibe, the Vancouver Hilton is a few blocks away downtown. Still only a short drive from the Portland Expo Center, this classic location features a pool and a hot tub. The Hilton is across the street from Esther Short Park, another popular summer festival spot that sits next to the year-round Vancouver Farmers Market. The park also includes a popular accessible playground and water feature. The park is within walking distance of multiple local restaurant favorites and a movie theater.