Things To DoThings To Do
PortlandPortland
Portland is where Chase moved in 2024 and is a super cool city with lots to do! We've had a lot of date nights here, and we still love to commute here for little day trips! To save time with added recommendations, here's a list of a FEW places to hit while you're here (there's so many more!): - The Japanese Gardens - The International Rose Testing Gardens - Powell's City of Books - Any thrift store - The Portland Arial Tram -- Rides up to OHSU (one of Chase's hospitals) and gives a great view of the city! - COFFEE (Slow Pour, Less and More, Electrica, Keeper, and Our Spot) - FOOD (Eem, Ranch Pizza, Hawthorne Asylum, Portland City Grill, The Turning Peel Pizza)
Lake OswegoLake Oswego
This is where Chase first lived when he moved to Oregon! This is the wealthiest neighborhood in Oregon, and it has a lot of things to do and see. We'll include some of our favorites here! - Walk around downtown: Chase lived down here, and the food scene is really good! (Visit Holy Taco, Salt and Straw, Lake View Taphouse, Bamboo Sushi, Morse Coffee, and Jewel Box Steak!) - Walk around Foothills Park, right next to Chase's first apartment! - Hike Tryon Creek State Park
SalemSalem
This is our home! Salem is the capital of Oregon and is central to the many awesome places that Oregon has to offer. Here are some recommendations to do within the city: - Visit Downtown: great food, coffee, and experiences (some of our favorites are Offbeat Coffee, Ritter's, the Wild Pear, Floso Dirty Soda, Amadeus, The Noble Wave, Archive, and Isaac's) - Visit the Waterfront - Visit the Capitol Building - Wilamette Valley Vineyards - Ankeny Vineyard
Columbia River Gorge National Scenic AreaColumbia River Gorge National Scenic Area
This is one of the most beautiful places on earth. Period. If you go while it's raining, you get bonus points, but it's amazing regardless. Home to Multnomah Falls and the Columbia River Gorge Scenic byway, it's a MUST do about an hour north-west of Portland. We recommend starting at the Vista House and driving the byway all the way to Multnomah Falls!
The Oregon CoastThe Oregon Coast
We love taking day trips from Salem to the Oregon Coast! It's one of the prettiest places we've been, and every city has its own unique charms and things to see. It's only about an hour drive from Salem to hit HWY 101, and we would highly recommend driving a few hours north to Cannon Beach to see Haystack Rock, Astoria to see where The Goonies was filmed, and hiking trails along the way!
Some of Our Favorite Hikes!Some of Our Favorite Hikes!
When in the PNW, you have to hike at least one trail--it's a must. Here are some of our favorite hikes in Oregon, all within 20 minutes to 4 hours of the venue: - Silver Falls State Park: The Trail of 10 Falls (you don't have to do the full 8 mile loop, you can just go to see the beautiful waterfalls that have walkways behind them! Super close to us, and a MUST for a Salem trip!) - McDowell Creek Sate Park (2-3 miles, moderate, steep hills, beautiful waterfalls!) - Drift Creek Falls: (3 miles round trip; famous for the suspension bridge that crosses the falls! A little bit of a rough drive to get to the parking lot.) - Forrest Park in Portland: Pittock Mansion Woodburn Trail (3ish miles round trip. An easy hike, narrow and rough terrain in some places. Leads to the famous Pittock Mansion and a beautiful overview of Portland! - Memaloose Hills Trail (Columbia River Gorge. Wildflowers!) - Cascade Head Trail (Chase's favorite on the coast. Where the forest seems to meet the sea! Moderate)