Travel to Portland, Oregon and Find Something for Everyone

I married into Portland. I will reluctantly admit that I wasn't born and raised here. Oregonians are extremely fond of their less crowded beaches, mountains and neighborhoods. Although in the past 10 years things have become much, MUCH more crowded due to all the Oregon transplants (mostly from California, like myself). Compared to other major cities, Portland and the surrounding areas are far from being as densely populated as Seattle or San Francisco. However, since my husband was raised in the area, I feel somewhat entitled to his claim and less like a "transplant from California".

Portland is the starting point for lots of activities. Drive in any direction out from Portland and within 90 minutes you could be wind surfing, hiking up a volcano, flying a kite on the beach, exploring caves, skiing or snow boarding, outlet mall shopping (with NO sales tax!), touring Oregon's wine country, fishing and much more. Best of all, while many people enjoy lots of these activities, you rarely find unmanageable crowds. Sure, traffic can get backed up every once in a while heading out Hwy. 26 or 84 and I-5 seems to always be undergoing some kind of construction, but overall, Oregon is less crowded.

Beaches
I have the most experience with Seaside, but am looking to become more educated on Cannon. If you are traveling with family and small kids, Seaside is your beach. Broadway is packed with kid friendly attractions including a carousel, bumper cars and lots of taffy and candy shops. You can rent a surrey and pedal around town, or rent roller blades and skate on the prom (paved walk way along the beach).

Cannon Beach is a beautiful, artsy sort of town. My husband and I are dying to spend some time here with out our 2 and a half year old so we can browse the galleries and shops with out worrying about having to pay hundreds for the original glass sculpture our son might swat to the floor. Check out the Coaster Theater, a 25+ year old community theater if you are interested in watching a play or musical. With seating for a little over a hundred, the Coaster has a warm, intimate atmosphere consistent with the rest of Cannon Beach.

If you happen to be visiting Oregon in December through April, head to Newport for some whale watching. This year, up to 30 gray whales cruised past the coast every hour between Christmas and New Years on their trip from the Bering Sea to their breeding grounds in Mexico. Whale-watching charter boats depart regularly from Newport's Yaquina Bay. And if spending hours on a boat at sea isn't your cup of tea, Newport has a world class aquarium, The Oregon Coast Aquarium.

Mountains
While Oregon's mountains offer plenty of places to downhill ski and snowboard, not all winter sports need a speed factor to make them exciting. It's nice to slow down and take in the Northwest scenery once in a while, and what better way than to spend the day cross-country skiing. There are no chairlifts cluttering your view or any out-of-control skiers cutting you off. As you make your way toward Mt. Hood, there are several sno-parks along U.S. Highway 26 that are perfect for cross-country skiing.

Gorge
If you've got your SUV packed and your Columbia windbreaker on, you are ready to head out I-84 to the Columbia Gorge. Not only is the Gorge packed with stuff to do and see, it's got a pretty famous resident. The natives call him Sasquatch, but you can call him Bigfoot.

Yes, it's true. It turns out Bigfoot lives in the Gorge. Just ask Peter Byrne, author and operator of the Bigfoot Research Project in Hood River. He's looking for clues that will lead him to Bigfoot's lair.

All you need for your own Bigfoot search are a few tips, a large net, a pair of tongs, rubber gloves, four ziplock bags (for collecting samples), a compass and a cell phone (in case you need to call the Bigfoot Research Project at 1-800-BIG-FOOT for back-up).

If Bigfoot hunting isn't your idea of a good time head over to Skamania Lodge in Stevenson, Washington. While you're at Skamania, you might want to get in a few holes of golf. If not, just sit and relax as you enjoy the gorgeous view of the Columbia River.

Stevenson is also a popular place to windsurf and some weekends find the river pretty crowded.

For some of the more tourist-heavy spots, be sure to check out Multnomah Falls (on the Oregon side) and Beacon Rock (on the Washington side). Both offer nice trails for hiking. Multnomah Falls trail is paved and offers a spectacular view from the top of the falls. Beacon Rock is the second largest free-standing monolith (the largest being the Rock of Gibraltar) in the world.

If you'd rather have someone else do the driving, check out the Hood River Railroad for a scenic trip through the gorge, with lunch. There are also several large paddle wheel boats that tour the Columbia River.

Shopping
The entire state of Oregon offers sales tax-free shopping. We, the citizens, pay for it in our state income tax and all you out-of-staters get to benefit from it. Nothing beats the joy of buying something for $19.99 and getting a penny change from your $20 bill.

If saving a 7 or 8 percent sales tax isn?t enough for you, check out the outlet malls in the area. About 45 minutes South of Portland you?ll find the Woodburn Factory Stores. Or, you can combine your trip to the coast with a visit to several other outlet mall visits in Lincoln City or Seaside.

If you are looking for a shopping experience a little less suburban, I highly recommend North West Portland. Northwest 23rd Street is lined with eclectic groupings of one-of-a-kind shops, boutiques and restaurants. If you are looking for something totally original, Northwest Portland is the shopping stop for you.

Zoo and Museums
Check out the Oregon Zoo, formerly the Washington Park Zoo, located where else: Washington Park, just off of Highway 26 and minutes from downtown Portland. While the Zoo doesn't boast a large population of big cats, the elephant program is one of the best in the country. The Oregon Zoo seems to be always adding new exhibits and building upgrades to current exhibits.

One of the Zoo's newer attractions is Stellar Cove. It doesn't have a lot of residents, but is really well designed, offering great views of the 2 otters, 2 sea lions and various tide pool life which resides there.

Check out what time the Polar Bears are fed and make sure you are there to see it. They put on quite a show as the keeper stands on a ledge above the bears and tosses hunks of meat down to them.

If you are looking for a museum, Portland's got lots of those. OMSI, the science museum is a great stop if you have kids, or if you are interested in seeing an IMAX film. If fine art is more your style, check out the Portland Art Museum just west of the Park Blocks on 9th Avenue. And if you want something totally different, try the American Advertising Museum at 5035 SE 24th Avenue.

Wine Country
What?? Oregon has a wine country? Actually, Oregon wineries now produce wines that rival those from anywhere else in the country, including a certain large state south of here.

Check out portland.citysearch.com for a complete listing of wineries and directions, then head out 99 W towards Sherwood and Newberg off of Highway 217. In less than an hour from downtown Portland, you could be touring vineyards and tasting some of Oregon's finest wines.

There is so much more to do in the Portland area. I didn't even mention Fort Clatsop just south of Astoria or the End of the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center in Oregon City. Portland makes a great starting point for almost any kind of activity.