Attractions

Location:
From Interstate 5 take Highway 58 east towards Oakridge. Just before entering Oakridge, near milepost 31, turn west onto Westridge Ave. Continue to Westfir on County Road 6128. Travel about 2.5 miles to the mill site, community and bridge.

Background:
The Office Covered Bridge was built in 1944 by the Westfir Lumber Company and spans the North Fork of the Middle Fork of the Willamette River, once the site of a mill pond at the town of Westfir.

Location:
From Yachats travel approximately 7 miles east on Yachats River Road to N Yachats River Road. At the intersection turn north and travel approximately 1.5 miles.

Background:
The rustic covered bridge spanning the North Fork of the Yachats cost the county only $1,500 when built in 1938, and was the last covered span constructed by veteran bridge builder Otis Hamer.

The Nyberg Chestnut was part of a 150 tree mixed orchard that was planted around 1903 and owned by John Nyberg, a immigrant from Sweden. When Interstate 5 was being built, the Nyberg home and orchard was located on the highway right-of-way and had to be moved and most of the orchard was destroyed. But John Nyberg stood between the tree Due to the efforts of John Nyberg this tree became one of only a few Oregon trees located on the original I-5 right-of-way that was saved from demolition during construction of the highway.

Sometimes the best finds are ones that are off the beaten path.

Nye Beach in Newport is one of those finds.

While hundreds of thousands of tourists and locals scour Highway 101 for the perfect spot, one of the best places to enjoy everything from dining to shopping to beach access is just a few blocks off the highway.

“A lot of people know about us,” said Berniece Hammon of the Nye Beach Merchants Association. “But folks from out of town might not get down here and they will really be missing something if they don’t.”

Location:
Located on the Oregon State University campus in Corvallis. From I-5, exit 234 at Albany, travel southwest on Highway 20 to Corvallis. Follow Highway 34 southwest toward Philomath. Turn right (north) on 53rd Street and park in the County Fairgrounds on the west side of 53rd. Follow the foot path (Campus Way) on the east side of 53rd to the bridge.

Like any good entrepreneur,  DK Smith had an idea around 40 years ago, one that people weren’t sure was going to work.

Kites.

“When he opened the store, a lot of people laughed at him when he opened his shop,” said John Fraser, owner of Once Upon a Breeze.

The name of the shop, which opened in 1975, was the product of a naming contest in the small coastal city, Fraser said. The shop has the distinction of being the oldest kite shop on the Oregon coast, and for good reason, Fraser and his staff are experts at anything attached to a string that catches the wind.

Tour interpretor Julie Anderson says the caves are 3 million to 5 million years old. Each person who visit finds something special.

Newport is blessed with not one, but two museums less than a block from each other.

The Oregon Coast History Center is just that, a center for learning about the history of not only the development of Newport, but Native American traditions and cultures as well.

Loretta Harrison, executive director of the center, says there are two buildings to see when you visit, the Burrows House Museum and the Log Cabin Museum.

Seeing the North Coast by Rail

Whenever you visit a place, if you keep your eyes open, you can catch a glimpse of small surprises – on in the case of the Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad, 60 ton surprises steaming along the tracks on the north coast.

When I saw the glitter on the hoofs of the ponies, I knew this wasn’t your standard pony-riding excursion.

Sitting on the hills right outside Newberg, Oregon Dream Ponies offers visitors a chance to have their kids experience horses, in a low-key and educational environment. 

Horseback riding and living in the country was a life-long dream of Kim Taylor, better known as “Cowgirl Kim” on the farm. 

On a busy summer weekend, my husband and I launch our kayak down the Siltcoos River Canoe Trail, and in moments find ourselves in absolute quiet and solitude. Well, quiet, that is, if you don't count the flap of osprey wings overhead, or the creaking of trees swaying in the wind, or the tweets and twitters of countless songbirds.

From Florence to Coos Bay, the Oregon Dunes NRA extends for 40 miles along the Oregon Coast. Formed by the ancient forces of wind, water and time, these dunes are like no others in the world. These are the largest expanse of coastal sand dunes in North America and they hold numerous opportunities for adventure and solitude.

A dad was behind the camera, while his daughter and son were sitting behind the wheel of an old Nissan pickup, talking back and forth.

“You guys are completely off script, you know that don’t you?” The father asked, as his children started giggling.

Have you ever created your own cartoon or played Connect Four with giant robotic arms? Have you ever been inside a real submarine or made flubber in a science lab? At OMSI you can do all of this and more in one crazy day. With the only IMAX theater in Oregon, a laser light planetarium, a motion simulator, a real US submarine out front, and rooms filled with science activities, the whole family will enjoy the varied activities at OMSI and everyone will have a blast as they learn something new.

Driving to the waterfront on the east side of Portland, the first thing people normally think about is OMSI – the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry.

While OMSI is a huge attraction, that you can spend an entire day exploring and learning, there is something right next door that is also a must-see Portland attraction, the Oregon Rail Heritage Center.