Hello!
I recently took a trip to Oregon with my husband, Dad and his girlfriend. My Dad has family out near Portland, so I’ve been there once before. My husband has never been, and I was excited to take him out there! We did stay with family while visiting, which I am so grateful for since it saved us a ton of money. That means I don’t have any hotel recommendations, but I will share where we went, what we ate, and of course what I wore. There are links throughout of the places we visited and various restaurants that you can click to find out more about each place! Links appear as a light grey color.
We arrived Friday afternoon, but Friday and Saturday were days we spent with Family. We did stop at J’s Family Restaurant on Friday after we got into the city. I had a really delicious burger, and their apple pie was to die for! Saturday we stopped at Briar Rose Creamery, which had free cheese samples. They have goat’s and cow’s cheese, I enjoyed every single one we tried. We ended up getting one of the spreads, which didn’t last long (because everyone ate it). They also had goat cheese chocolate truffles!
On Sunday we went to Silver Falls State Park. It is located in Silverton, OR which is about an hour and a half south of Portland. There are ten waterfalls total, which are along a 7.2 mile loop. You don’t have to walk the entire 7.2 miles, there is a two mile and five mile option. I will tell you that there is a lot of downhill and uphill hiking, as well as switchbacks. I am definitely not in shape, and it was a tough five miles for me. Most of our group decided to turn back at the one mile mark. The waterfalls are stunning, and it is definitely worth the hike! Just make sure you know what you’re in for. They also have bike paths, horseback riding, and camping. Watch out for cougars and bears!
On Monday, it was my husband’s birthday. We were planning on going to Mount St. Helens that day, but the weather was not looking great. So we decided (after 30 minutes in the Starbucks parking lot) to go to the Oregon Zoo. We spent a few hours there, and then we went to Powell’s City of Books, which is located in downtown Portland. Powell’s is actually the largest bookstore in the world. It takes up an entire city block and has approximately one million books. For dinner we ate at Round Table Pizza. My husband loves pizza and beer, so this is where my Aunt and Uncle recommended we go. We had a great time having dinner with them too!
On Tuesday, we went to the stunning Mount St. Helens. It was about a three hour drive from where we staying, or two and half hours from Portland. Mount St. Helens is actually in the state of Washington. When you drive up there, make sure you take that route that takes you to the Johnston Ridge Observatory or the northern route. It cost $8 a person to go into the Observatory, parking is free! I had been to see it once before, but we took a different route where there is literally nowhere to stop along the way, and you can’t see the mountain as well. It is such a beautiful sight, I could have stayed all day. I highly recommend going if you are in the area.
For dinner we went to The Dundee Bistro. They have pasta, steak, seafood, chicken, and brick oven pizzas. They also have an extensive wine list. For the starters we ordered the crispy chickpeas, the bread, and this delicious soft cheese with strawberries and arugula. Unfortunately, I can’t remember which one it was. For dessert, my husband and I split the maple pecan bread pudding. I ended up eating most of it, but that’s okay because it was delicious.
On Wednesday, we left Newberg and headed up to Astoria. Astoria is a really cool city on the Columbia River, it is at the northwest tip of Oregon. It is about a two hour drive from Portland. Apparently the house where the movie The Goonies was filmed is there. We stayed one night at the Cannery Pier Hotel and Spa. This hotel is absolutely amazing! It books up really quickly, so make sure you plan ahead if you have any interest in staying there. Our windows and balcony were facing the river, we got to see (and hear) so many huge ships coming through the harbor while we were there. They also provide each room with a pair of binoculars, which is such a cute touch. Not to mention the rooms are gorgeous! There is a window seat, a fireplace, and a really nice bathroom, including a giant tub. They also had appetizers and wine at 5pm every night, not mention a really great free breakfast!
For dinner Wednesday, we ate at The Bridgewater Bistro. Wednesday was actually my Dad’s birthday, two days after my husband’s. It is literally a five minute walk from the Cannary Pier hotel! They have some little shops nearby, too. The restaurant was really nice and modern. They have floor to ceiling windows so that you can look out at the beautiful bridge and river. Not to mention the food was outstanding! We ordered three different appetizers, oyster shooters, potato crochets, and a crab cheesecake. I am still thinking about that crab cake… For dinner I had a goat cheese salad.
For dessert, I had the roasted rhubarb cheesecake. My husband had the berry cobbler and my dad had the Chocolate “Bete Noir”. I would definitely recommend the Bridgewater Bistro!
On Thursday, we went to the Astoria Column. The column was built in 1926, and it is one of twelve historical markers in the United States. It’s goes 600 feet above sea-level with a 164 step spiral staircase all the way up. It is a pretty cool thing to see, I made it to the top, but only went out on the balcony for a few minutes because I was slightly scared.
Here we are at the top of the column, it was super windy if you can’t tell.
We also went to Fort Stevens State Park and The Seaside Aquarium on Thursday. The best part about the aquarium was getting to feed the seals! They will ask you when you pay for your entry if you want to feed to seals, definitely say “yes” because it only cost $2. You do have to touch dead fish, but they have sinks to wash your hands after. The seals are absolutely hysterical, we were laughing our butts off at all of the tactics they use to try and and get you to throw the fish at them. One even kept diving in front of the others to steal the fish! I would definitely go back just to feed the seals. They had other fish and sea creatures, too. We also went out to the ocean while we were there.
Universal thread pocket tee. A New Day sweater.
We stopped at Bell Buoy of Seaside for lunch, which is a little seafood shack. Most of their food is deep fried, but it was pretty good. My husband had the tuna sandwich with cheese. It was basically a grilled cheese with tuna, which was delicious. Definitely regret not getting what he did.
Friday was our last full day. We all went on a Spirit Lunch Cruise along the Columbia River. The food was really good, but a little heavy for lunch. It’s a fun experience if you just want to cruise along the river, I wasn’t too impressed with the “sights”. The coolest part was probably watching the drawbridge in downtown Portland have to be raised when we were going out and then coming back in.
For dinner Friday, we went to La Rambla restaurant which is a Spanish Tapas place. This is located in McMinnville, which is about 25 minutes from where we were staying, or an hour from Portland. All of the food was really good. There were six of us so we ordered, the pork migas, lamb nachos, empanadas, fried green beans, chrorizo, and a few other things. Everything was delicious, but I think the empanadas, pork migas, and lamb nachos were my favorite. I highly recommend! After that, we went to Serendipity for ice cream, which is also located in downtown McMinnville. It has delicious ice cream, and other “treats” too. Like the cookie ice cream sandwiches. This place is also really cool because they provide workplace experience and job training for adults with intellectual disabilities.
Saturday sadly, we flew home. Oregon is a beautiful, scenic state. If you are looking for a place to go to try a ton of different wines, the Wilamette Valley is the place to be. Downtown Portland also has a lot of really cool things to do. Oregon is a great place to visit if you love being outdoors. My favorite parts were definitely seeing Mount St. Helens and visiting Astoria. I hope this gives you some ideas for your next trip to Oregon! Let me know down below of anything cool things you’ve done while you were there, or of any questions you have!
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