Destination attractions things to do in oregon

Posted: 02/09/2007--25/11/2008 || Rate this Article: 3 || Views|| Sign In || Register ||Hello Guest

There are many things for visitors to see and do all around the Beaver State of Oregon. The fact that the state is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean presents many water activities and beach recreation options just for starters.

For lovers of nature, the city of Portland has various gardens that will offer tranquility and beauty to visitors spending time on their grounds. Three of Portland's gardens are the Portland Classical Chinese Garden built in the Ming Dynasty style, the International Rose Test Garden with its more than eight thousand roses, and the Japanese Garden with its five traditional gardens and pavilion.

The Gov. Tom McCall Waterfront Park in Portland offers thirty-seven acres of land for relaxing or for more intense fun. Walking and biking are popular in the park as well as the basketball court. The park runs along the Willamette River. Special events are held at various times of the year. While here, be sure to stop by the Oregon Maritime Center and Museum. It is found inside the sternwheeler tugboat Portland, located at the seawall.

There are various cruises available that board at Portland for hours of sailing and dining enjoyment. Check the schedules for the Portland Spirit, the Willamette Star, the Crystal Dolphin, and the Outrageous Jetboat. Many types of cruises are offered from meal cruises to champagne lunch cruises to dance cruises, so every visitor should be able to find something of interest.

For a calming brunch or dinner cruise on the Willamette River and a sail through the Holgate Channel, try the sternwheeler Rose. Watch for otters, bald eagles, and other forms of wildlife on this cruise.

Wildlife Safari in Winston, Oregon, is where to find the only wild animal park in the Pacific Northwest where visitors drive through the park in true safari fashion. Wildlife Safari is situated on six hundred acres, and animals native to Asia, the Americas, and Africa reside here. The park offers special activities such as Camp Tiki where a camping trip feels as if it's happening in the middle of Africa. Special programs to help with feeding the animals are offered as well. All kinds of animals from the more common deer and turkeys to elephants, giraffes, and hippos from Africa are found on this safari. Look for special animal shows, too.

Many activities are found at Oregon's capital city of Salem. The Mission Mill Museum is a living museum with period costumed living history performers portraying some of the first settlers to Oregon. The site preserves the mill, houses of the Methodist missionaries who founded Salem, a church, etc. and is situated on five acres.

For hours of fun while visiting the capital city, try the Enchanted Forest Theme Park. Storybook characters come to life at this park. There are rides, a haunted house, a water and light show, and an old west town complete with a fort, the Indian Caves, gold panning, underground tunnels, and a shooting gallery. Other areas of the park include the Old Europe Village, Storybook Lane, and the Comedy Theater.

If your travels take you near Bend, Oregon, the more than fifty-five thousand acres of the Newberry National Volcanic Monument shouldn't be missed. Here visitors will see evidence of lava flows, lakes, and beautiful scenery of the Cascades and High Desert. At an elevation of nearly eight thousand feet, Paulina Peak is the highest point in this National Forest.

The Fort Clatsop National Memorial near Astonia is run by the National Park Service and houses a replica of the Lewis and Clark encampment of 1805 and 1806. There are exhibits and two theaters in the visitor center, and hiking trails are available here.

If visiting the Hood River area, the eighty mile long and four thousand foot deep Columbia River Gorge gives a visitor breathtaking views. The various waterfalls seen here are spectacular. Other nearby attractions include the highest mountain in Oregon, and former volcano, Mt. Hood (more than eleven thousand feet at highest point) and its ski trails. Climbers, as always, need to check on weather conditions before the climb.

The Mt. Hood Railroad in Hood River offers a scenic train ride that lasts four hours. Special events such as a murder mystery dinner train, regular dinner train, brunch train, and comedy dinner train are also available from the railroad.

In Redmond, Oregon, guests may enjoy the Crooked River Dinner Train. This dinner theater has a theme of the old west in the 1800s. The dinner and entertainment on this train ride through the Crooked River Valley will take three hours.

The beautiful Crater Lake is another place to be sure to see while in Oregon. It holds the distinction of being the deepest lake in the United States. Hiking trails are abundant, and Mt. Scott rises nearly nine thousand feet from within Crater Lake National Park. During the summer months, fishing, camping, and hiking are popular activities. The Crater Lake National Park area receives some of the heaviest snows found anywhere in the United States, but the park is open to winter visitors, too. Use the normal precautions if coming to the lake and mountains for winter activities, and be aware of winter hazards in mountainous areas such as this.