Vacation in Oregon
Vacation Ideas

They also have a petting zoo where you get to pet several types of animals which is my favorite part of the trip. If you do get hungry from the journey they have a wonderful safari village cafe I eat there every time I visit. The zoo is located in Winston Oregon off of I-5 about three miles in the curvy hills.

I really can't wait to revisit this zoo I am expecting them to add some new features sometime soon. If you are looking for a fun place to go and you love animals than the Oregon Wildlife Safari in Winston is the best vacation idea.

They remodeled recently and now have to large hotels and a river rock spa. I really like the massages they have there. They have awesome shows with many famous singers and actors. There are so many slots available it would take you days to play all of them.

Even though it’s in the middle of nowhere while there it makes you feel like you’re at a resort and I love that. Everyone is very friendly there plus dining is available 24 hrs of the day. You won't be disappointed by making Seven Feathers Casino Resort your destination.

This was all very fun, but probably the thing I remember most was going to see Keiko. Keiko was the killer whale that was in the movie Free Willey. It was packed when we went to see him because he was so famous. I remember that I was so excited that I used a whole disposable camera taking almost the exact same picture of Keiko over and over again. That is one vacation that I will never forget for the rest of my life.

My friend, Jody, in Oregon, on the West Coast. I had never flown before, and I was in my early fifties two years ago when I did this. Jody prepped for my trip by Googling all she could find on scenic places and fun things to do in her state. As she told me later, she never realized how much there was to do in Oregon.

I flew Southwest Airlines, the cheapest yet most fun way to fly. We had a layover in Chicago for about twenty minutes. The first part of my adventure for me, began, on the plane from Chicago to Portland. it was amazing see the country overhead as we flew!And when we got nearer to our destination, the pilot pointed out the top of Mt. Rushmore!

The Portland airport is huge. You could vacation there for a month and never run out of places to shop! After a good nights sleep, and a bit of time (not much) to catch up on jet lag, we headed the next day to Foster Reservoir.

Even though it was mid September the weather was a hot 96 degrees. We got some subs from Subway along the way, for a picnic lunch. One thing I didn't expect with such hot weather was the ice cold water! For native Oregon folk, it's nothing.

For someone used to the warm beaches of the East Coast, it was like swimming in the Artic. I can't say I really warmed up, but it was fun jumping down from the rocks, and later sunbathing on a large flat rock midway up the hill to the highway. Boats came though on occasion and there were people fishing, too. Another day we went to the coast - the West Coast, that is.

The Beach and pier were wonderful - there were many shops around the piers - my favorite was the place where you could buy any flavors of salt water taffy you desired. Ainslee's salt water taffy in Depoe Bay is fantastic!

We also went to Newport to see the lighthouses. The day was warm, yet very windy by the lighthouses. We went to Yaquina Head Lighthouse - the tallest, I believe, in Oregon. By the time we got there it was closed, yet we still walked along some trails and down the the rocky beach. There were plenty of seagulls!

Another day, we went to the Oregon Coast Aquarium in Newport. Got some great photos of us being "eaten" by a huge shark (figure!). There were displays were you could "touch" things that are found in the water. But best of all was the penny machine. You put a penny in a got a penny back shaped in one of four figures.

On my final day, we went to the Willamette river - probably the most famous one in Oregon. There were rocks to walk out on, and fresh blackberries growing wild, which we picked and ate. A week for our vacation in Oregon was not enough time to explore the whole state. We never made it camping in the mountains. Perhaps next time?

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