Attractions

Sitting in a grove of trees, overlooking a creek, listening to the birds, bugs and other wildlife, it’s hard to believe this place was slated to be a prison.

Thanks to local officials fighting and lobbying, now are area just west of Wilsonville is a nature area where children learn about nature, and every day hundreds of people bike, walk, stroll or simply sit and talk in a 250-acre nature park.

With three-miles of trails that cover 250 acres, the park is as much educational as it is an outdoor workout area and nature reserve.

A 89-foot waterfall on Tumalo Creek about 20 miles outside of Bend. The park at the base of the falls offers hiking trails, fishing, picnic areas and restrooms. Along the way to the falls are informational kiosks that make it a great trip if you want to learn about the ecology of creeks, forests and fish habitat. 

Started in 1993, the Umpqua Discovery Center is a partnership between the city of Reedsport and volunteers to make an interactive museum that teaches people about the history of the area and the natural beauty surrounding Reedsport along the Oregon Coast.

It was a summer day and laughter filled the bear exhibit at the Umpqua Discovery Center, proving once again this isn’t your normal museum.

Oregon’s first lighthouse located near Winchester Bay is one of the few you can see the inside of the light apparatus and at the same time get a great history lesson, thanks to a team of volunteers. The lighthouse is part of Umpqua River State Park and is managed by Douglas County Parks, which also oversees the museum about a block away in a historic Coast Guard building. 

Speckled throughout any community are the antique and collectible shops that offer old-world treasures for people looking to honor the past.  Every now and then, however, you find a store like this one that is unique - not only in the products it offers, but in its approach.

This is Valley Emporium in Carlton.

This shop is the very epitome of cool, bringing together different wines, sweets and, yes, antiques to downtown Carlton.

One of the original 250 Norway maple trees planted by volunteers along Spruce Street and "S" Avenue in 1923 to commemorate the end of the First World War and to appreciate the returning veterans. The beautiful tree-lined parkway, known as Victory Way, stretches from downtown to Riverside Park. The planting culminated in a large ceremony including singing, a luncheon, and speeches.

There are those people in your life who you just have a hard time buying gifts for.

To be honest, I am one of those people. If I really want something, I am the type of person to work and scrap and buy it for myself.

We all have them in our lives, the mother-in-law that baffles your Christmas shopping list, or the daughter whose tastes are just a mystery.

Well there is an answer, Violet Rose.

“It’s as close as you can get to a magic carpet ride,” says Roger Anderson, owner of Vista Balloon Adventures.

The company, which is based out of Sportsman Airpark in Newberg, Ore., has seven balloons and offers one-hour flights over Yamhill County wine country between April and November each year. Flights are offered every day but Tuesdays, and the entire trip takes about three hours and includes a “sparkling” breakfast and complimentary souvenir to remind you of the trip.

Length: 140 miles / 224.0 km
Time to Allow: Plan for 5 to 7 hours to tour this byway.
Fees: There is a fee to enter Crater Lake National Park.

Jim and Stephanie Rose stood outside in the rain, with a large pink box waving it around like they had won the lottery.

This isn’t an unfamiliar site in the Old Town District of Portland, where one of stalwarts of Portland tourism sits – Voodoo Doughnuts.

Known for its edgy doughnuts, voodoo magic theme, and lines that can sometimes circle the block, Voodoo is the quintessential Portland business. Heck, they are even across the street from the iconic “Keep Portland Weird” mural.

Judge William Waldo, the son of an 1842 pioneer, planted this sequoia in 1872. Waldo made efforts during his lifetime to preserve the tree and over time others have saved it from the encroaching street system. In 1936 the Salem City Council declared the site, a twelve by twenty foot plot of land, a City Park.

It is located at 605 Summer Street NE (at the corner of Summer and Union Streets) in Salem, Oregon.

On September 13, 1888, after traveling two months along the spine of the Cascade Range, Judge John B. Waldo, Oregon's foremost nineteenth-century conservationist, and his companions rested at Island Lake and carved their names into the mountain hemlock near the southeast shore of the lake. This trip provided first-hand information for Waldo to use in his lobbying efforts to support legislation designating the 4.5 million-acre Cascade Forest Reserve in 1893. That reserve is now represented by the Mt. Hood, Deschutes, Willamette, Umpqua, Winema, and Rogue River national forests.

Wanderlust Tours exists to vibrantly share the natural and cultural history of the Central Oregon region to small groups of interested guests while touring via canoeing, kayaking, caving, volcano tours, snowshoeing, hiking and nature-based sightseeing.

Take this 220-mile scenic alternative route between Portland and Eugene and discover some of the best "up-close and personal" views of thundering waterfalls, lush ancient forests, rushing whitewater and cool, placid lakes.

This tree has long been identified with Henry H. Wheeler for whom Wheeler County is named. From 1864 through 1868, Wheeler drove the first stagecoach service past this site on The Dalles - Canyon City Wagon Road. In 1866, Wheeler was ambushed near here and severely wounded. A monument dedicated to Wheeler stood by this tree for over sixty years until it was moved with the realignment of Highway 26. The tree is located 2.7 miles east of Mitchell at 19936 Highway 26. Viewing is by appointment only, call 541-462-3039.

Location:
Travel 33 miles west of Eugene on Oregon Highway 126 to Whitaker Creek /Clay Creek Recreation Area turnoff. Exit the highway on the south side and follow the road back under the highway and railroad tracks (north) a short distance to the bridge.

Background:
The Wildcat Bridge is located on a small winding road a short distance from Highway 126.

From the bridge site where Wildcat Creek flows into the Siuslaw River, Stagecoach Road hugs the hillside until it drops into the narrow plain at Swisshome.

Head to Wildhorse Casino in Pendleton for a wide variety of table games like craps, roulette, blackjack, keno, bingo, and of course, poker! Not to mention over 1,200 slot machines! Why not join in the fun?

46510 Wildhorse Blvd.
Pendleton, OR 97801

1-800-654-9453

Map/Directions

Wildlife Safari is a 600 acre Drive-Thru animal park. Driving your own vehicle, It takes about 1 1/2  hours to complete.

Most people don't know there is more to visiting Willamette Falls than just stopping at one of the two viewpoints alongside Interstate 205 or Highway 99E. It's a natural resource with a long history that continues today along the Willamette River.

Creating something unique is what Ray Peck, and his wife, Diane Weisenberg, wanted when they opened Wind Horse Coffee and Tea in Milwaukie. 

They remain true to one-of-a-kind experiences by dreaming up new product ideas and offering extraordinary products in their shop.

Even entering the store is a bit of a surprise. It’s decorated in vibrant southwest design which offers a stark contrast to the sometimes grey Pacific Northwest days.