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For the Oregonians.

B

bleeb

Lifer
I have some guests coming in from out of the Country to visit and I'm wondering what places to take them here in Oregon?

Besides:

Mt. Hood
Multnomah Falls
Indian Casinos
Seaside/Lincoln City/Cannon Beach (NUTdotNet)
Spruce Goose near McMinnville
Crater Lake (Eli Recommended)
Dunes/Tillamook Cheese Country (TheRevrnd)
"Drive In" at Rice Hill if passing through I-5. (RossGr)
Oregon / Sea Lion Caves (Datalink7)
Terwilliger hot springs up at cougar reservoir for HOT BUCK NEKED GIRLS (Brutuskend)
McKenzie/Metolious Rivers
Zoo (Xirkam)
Historic McMenamins/PCG (BigSmooth)
Japanese/Test/Chinese Gardens
OMSI
23rd / Pearl District

Newport: Oregon Coast Aquarium and OSU's Hatfield Marine Science Center. Walk along the bay front. Eat at Mo's. Go to Yaquina Head and explore the interpretive center, lighthouse, hike down to the tidepools. (Bryophyte)

my favorite place is fort rock - it pretty far out in the desert, but it's really awesome - beautiful rock formations on a horseshoe shaped mountain. there's nothing for what seems like hundreds of miles. Standing on the top I wave to my friend and I got st. elmo's fire (I think) on my fingertips! (BZ)

Pittock Mansion (Buck_Naked Recommended)
Saturday Market (PowerEngineer)
*Jodies & Stars* (NorthRiver)
...
 
Hmmmmmmm....

Crater Lake? Although that'd be pretty time consuming if you're in Portland.

I dunno. I think you pretty much got it covered. Maybe someone else will be able to think of something.
 
Well, if you're going to the coast you could go check out the Wax Museum. Ummm, hmmm. Not much to do in this state really. You should be able to find plenty of things to do in Portland I'd imgine. Don't ask me though, I'm in the hell otherwise known as Salem 😛 Well, a little outside it actually.
 
Originally posted by: Eli
Hmmmmmmm....

Crater Lake? Although that'd be pretty time consuming if you're in Portland.

I dunno. I think you pretty much got it covered. Maybe someone else will be able to think of something.
Click to expand...

Actually Crater Lake isn't bad. I'll add that to the list. Also any cool places in or near Portland is fine too.
 
I've got a baby loaf of Tillamook Sharp Cheddar in the fridge right now..

About half gone...

Mmm.. 😀
 
This time of year you may have to get to Crater Lake though Medford, the North entrance is closed after October. Check acess before you go. The Portland ->Medford -> Crater Lake drive would be loooong. 5 or 6 hrs to Medford then 1.5 - 2hrs to Crater lake (you probable will not be able to maintain freeway speeds on that road.)

IMHO, if you want to see the best of Oregon you need to get out of the Valley, into Southern Oregon. Highway 138 from Roseburg to Crater Lake is magnificent. Though based out of Portland that is again a lot of driving.

Don't miss the "Drive In" at Rice Hill if passing thorugh there on I-5. Monster Ice Cream cones!
 
Originally posted by: GoodRevrnd
Originally posted by: datalink7
Crater Lake is awesome.

So are the Oregon Caves.

Sea Lion caves are great as well.
Click to expand...

Oh yeah... the lava tubes just outside of bend (to the south).
Click to expand...
Yes, yes.. I definately recommend a trip to the East side of the Cascades if you can. There are some awesome lava flows and such.

Walls of obsidian.. It's really cool. Unfortunately, I forget the names of the places we went.. heh
 
Lets keep the suggestions coming! Hopefully the MODs will make this an official thread of all the fun places to visit in Oregon. And then maybe the other states will follow. =) (Hint Hint)
 
For food/drink, I would definitely suggest one of the historic McMenamin's pubs since they are so unique and they give you a taste of Oregon's strong microbrewing community. Also, if you want a nice place the Portland City Grill on the 30th floor of the US Bank tower downtown has great food and spectacular views of the river/city. It's spendy, but whenever relatives visit I take them there.

I agree with the Zoo recommendation along with the Rose Test Gardens and the Japanese Garden. There's also the Chinese Garden downtown although I've never been there.

OMSI can be fun, especially for kids.

The NW 23rd and Pearl District areas are good for some diverse window shopping. Saturday Market is fun to browse for knickknacks.

There are tons of great places to hike/camp/fish etc. but those are more of a summer thing. I also love just driving down the Pacific Coast Highway in the summer when it's warm (a convertible is recommended for maximum enjoyment) because there is a lot to see and do on the coast.

There is of course plenty of skiing/snowboarding etc. up at Hood if they're into that. Timberline Lodge is pretty cool.
 
Also Clear Lake is cool.

It's the head waters of the McKenzie River. Many years ago when the volcano's were active up there lava flows formed the lake. Floating over the lake, you can still see trees that were growing when the lake formed pointing up from the lake floor. Also the Metolious River where it comes bubbling up out of the ground is a cool thing to see. It's up that way as well!
 
Originally posted by: Brutuskend
Also Clear Lake is cool.
Click to expand...
Not just cool, but damn freezing this time of year.
But if you like snow, central oregon would be nice.

I'm not sure when Crater Lake closes for the year. Definitely check before making the trip.
The Portland to Medford drive is more like 4.5 hours if there is no snow on I-5. It's about 285 miles.

Too bad they couldn't come during summer. I'd have lots of suggestions then.

 
I grew up in the Coast Range just outside of Philomath. A few of my favorite places/things to do:

Drive up the McKenzie River (Eugene/Springfield ----> East)

Drive up to the top of Mary's Peak (highest point in the Coast Range, near Alsea). My Grandfather and his parents were original pioneers/homesteaders at Peak Oregon, a small town that was at the top of the peak for a short time at the beginning of the last century. Eat breakfast at the little restaurant in Alsea (my dear friend used to own it, they make or made a great breakfast).

Drive the circle from Philomath to Newport down to Waldport, back inland to Philomath via Alsea.

Go to Tillamook and go to the cheese factory and the air museum.

McMinnville - Evergreen Air Museum (Spruce Goose is here) Haven't been to the new museum yet, supposed to be good.

Oregon Garden in Silverton!!

A relative of mine (way way back) discovered the Oregon Caves, so we always went there as kids. Really a nice place to visit.

Astoria (haven't been there for years, is there anything to do there anymore?)

Vernonia is really charming, it reminds me strongly of how rural Oregon towns looked 30+ years ago.

Corvallis area: visit vineyards, OSU, eat at Nearly Normals ("Gonzo Cuisine"), drive/hike in Finley Wildlife Refuge.

McMennamins pubs, especially at the historical sites...like at Troutdale.

Crater Lake, but be aware of snow this time of year.

Newport: Oregon Coast Aquarium and OSU's Hatfield Marine Science Center. Walk along the bay front. Eat at Mo's. Go to Yaquina Head and explore the interpretive center, lighthouse, hike down to the tidepools.

Yachats is fun to walk around.

I'm not into it, but lots of people like the casinos.

I will think of more later, I'm sure.
 
Originally posted by: BryophyteEat breakfast at the little restaurant in Alsea (my dear friend used to own it, they make or made a great breakfast).
Click to expand...

My grandma has 20 acres a few miles west of Alsea by Five Rivers. Lobster creek runs through her property. I used to spend summers there when I was a kid. Very nice area. Great place to fish for winter steelhead and fall chinook. Very cool place to play in the rivers in the summer.

Of course, it wouldn't be the top of my vacation list in the winter because I hate the rain and you get a lot of rain in that area.
 
my favorite place is fort rock - it pretty far out in the desert, but it's really awesome - beautiful rock formations on a horseshoe shaped mountain. there's nothing for what seems like hundreds of miles. Standing on the top I wave to my friend and I got st. elmo's fire (I think) on my fingertips!
 
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