Where are the most interesting places to visit in the Pacific Northwest?
Posted By admin on March 31, 2010
jlily680 asked:
My family is taking a vacation in the area at the end of July. I am trying to plan it out so any ideas would be helpful. We are traveling with three childen under the age of nine and we are coming from Florida. So the drive should be real interesting! Also, you have any ideas of any interesting stops along the way, feel free to tell me! Thanks.
My family is taking a vacation in the area at the end of July. I am trying to plan it out so any ideas would be helpful. We are traveling with three childen under the age of nine and we are coming from Florida. So the drive should be real interesting! Also, you have any ideas of any interesting stops along the way, feel free to tell me! Thanks.
We had a great vacation in the north west and saw some spectacular sights. Checkout the link below for the route we took with links to details about the places we saw.
LOL! Great question! Can you be a little more specific, please? It is big here, really big! Oregon alone is about the same size as Great Britain. Washington is about 2/3 the size of Oregon. Together we are bigger than most European countries!
Oregon was the land at the end of the rainbow — remember the wagon trains and pioneers? We have forests and deserts, seashores and cities. Majestic Mt Hood is just a few miles from the Mighty Columbia River and it’s dramatic Gorge.
In Eastern Oregon you can find cowboys, ranches, fossil beds, even gold mines and ghost towns if you know where to look.
In Western you can build sand castles at the coast, hike misty mountains, explore fern shrouded dells. Only one other waterfall in the US is higher than beautiful Multnomah Falls. At the end of July, the cherries should just still be on the trees in the Hood River Valley and the peaches just starting. Maybe you will take the family on a ride on a paddle wheeler while you are there. After you get off, you might buy a salmon from a Nez Perce or Yakima whose ancesters have been fishing the Columbia for 10,000 years!
In Portland where I live, my daughters like to go swing dancing in the evening, but I prefer the concerts in the Zoo. You can shop downtown or sip lattes at one of a hundred sidewalk coffee shops and just watch the people. How about the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry? Sometimes they have a sleepover in the retired Navy submarine for
the kids.
More driving? As the crow flies, Mt St Helens is only 50 miles north of Portland. Near the mountain are the Ape Caves. It is easy walking and a fun tour. Bring a flashlight, a jacket and a hat.
On a globe, Portland is on the same line as Bordeaux, France. If you like wine, some of the best Pinot Noir in the world is just a few miles to the southwest in Yamhill County.
The climate? Days will be about 70 or 75. Nights about 55. Humidity will be be about 30% — very comfortable. Mosquitos have been outlawed and were all shipped Back East where they belong.
I am sure you will enjoy the trip — finding something wonderful to see will be as easy as eating blueberries off a bush! Yum!
Portland during the Rose Festival, Seattle during Sea Fair and the Olympic Peninsula. Go up to Vancouver, British Columbia too and see the city and Victoria Island.
Seattle, San Juan Islands, Victoria Island and Vancouver (BC); the drive from Victoria to Tofino is amazing!
Sequim Washington is beautiful in July. I know there is a Lavender Festival going on, but I think it’s more in the Mid-July time frame. There are beautiful beaches and rain forests in the Olympic National Park. Also, your kids would love the Olympic Game Farm where they can see some retired movie animals. On the drive out, maybe take a northern route, it might be cooler weather and there are some beautiful mountain ranges and parks along the way. I just used AAA’s TripTik on their website for a trip and it can tell you all the hotels, road construction, rest areas, and attractions along the way. That might be helpful. It also tells you mileage and driving times. Have fun and good luck. Oh, and find colored pipe cleaners in your local craft store, they make great pass-the-time things. You can make flowers, fish, and people with them and then reuse them over and over. They are cheap and my kids love trying to be as creative as they can!