It’s here! It’s here! Summer’s here! OK, not officially until June 21st, but don’t quibble… right now Memorial Day is behind us and sunny days are ahead. For our purposes, that means SUMMER’S HERE! Have you made your vacation plans yet? Planning on heading to Disney, the Grand Canyon, or New York? WHY? We already live in one of the world’s most beautiful places, a destination spot for everyone else on the planet. Why go anywhere else? To help you get the most out of a local Northwest summer, we’re bringing you a selection of vacation spots, festivals, events, and destinations for summer fun throughout Oregon and Washington. See if you can find a new adventure spot you never considered. And when Fall finally arrives, remember to send us a postcard and you’ll be entered in our Summer Postcard contest to win fabulous prizes. Details are in this month’s Shop Talk column!
Travel in Oregon
TravelOregon is running a tourism campaign based on the “Seven Wonders of Oregon”. The gorgeous video for the campaign is here; well worth a watch.
For Oregon travel, TravelOregon.com is the place to start. Their full website has info on every nook and cranny of our fair state, but the Travel Guides page has suggestions for Oregon itself, Food trips, Bikeways, Scenic drives, Indian country, and much more.
Trip Advisor– Oregon
This page has guides to 78 of the cities, towns, burgs, and wide-spots-in-the-road throughout Oregon. Wherever you find yourself in Oregon, something interesting is going on nearby.
A guide to the whole state with links to lodging, travel, attractions, and living in Oregon. It’s a little more for people considering moving here, but there are still some features you might enjoy this summer.
You don’t even need to leave the city limits for an amazing adventure. Travel Portland will give you the inside dope on the Rose City from kids’ activities to food carts.
Portland’s Daily Vacation Schedule
This page has an event for virtually every day throughout the summer and beyond. If you haven’t made advance plans but find yourself with a free day, then this calendar will help you figure out how to use it.
Travel in Washington
If you’re heading across the Northern Border during the summer, then the folks at Experience Washington will be glad to help.
Just like Portland, Washington has a complete selection of guides for anyone vacationing in the state. Choose from Evergreen Escapes, Best of the Northwest, and more.
Scenic Washington State is another alternative for Evergreen State fun. Their site features deals and packages along with some tips to well-hidden places of interest. Have you heard of Hank’s Harvest Foods or the Olive Marketplace in Walla Walla? You will if you check out this site.
TripAdvisor– Washington
The TripAdvisor people have Washington covered even better than Oregon, with guides to 108 towns and communities.
Travel in the Northwest and Beyond
Hiking Hot Springs in the Pacific Northwest
One of our favorite local-adventure-vacation ideas is a tour of the regions hot springs. If that sounds good to you, then pick up this guide before you head out. It describes over 130 of the finest natural hot soaking pools and 85 scenic hikes that either lead to or begin near springs. Covered are Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and British Columbia
If you’re planning to get out of our region, Brian DeFrees set the mark to beat. He took a 12,225 mile trip around the country, and documented the whole trip in a 5 minute video.
Jalopnik, one of our favorite sites, has a list of the 10 best highways in the world. Our own Pacific Coast Highway was number 2 on the list… something to check out?
