<p>We live in the Midwest and a trip I’ve always wanted to take but which we have not managed is a trip to the east coast - Maine /Cape Cod - that type of area.</p>
<p>Next June my niece is getting married in Oregon - Pendleton to be exact. We are not a family that has vacationed much (we have a lake cottage so that is our main vacation) so if we head to Oregon this will be a big trip and expense flying at least 4 of us out there.</p>
<p>It dawned on me that we could maybe sort of have our “east coast” trip on the west coast!
We would likely fly into Portland anyway, drive the 3 hours to the wedding then I think we should take a few days and explore some of the coast - but where? Portland? Seattle? Other suggestions?</p>
<p>What we like to do: hang as a family, be near water, shop, explore small towns and EAT! Not fancy eating, but local places with good regional food.
Who we are: active and willing parents, 24 yr D, 21 yr S, 16 yr D.<br>
Time: likely 3 or 4 days after Saturday wedding.</p>
<p>Early planning I know, but know you all will have some suggestions! Friends recently told us their extended family rented a beach house - we would be open to something like that as well though would not likely stay a whole week. </p>
<p>So any low down on areas, small towns, day trips, Portland vs. Seattle vs. something else much appreciated!</p>
<p>If you’re in Oregon you should check out Sunriver. It’s an amazing place to vacation. Biking, nice shops down town, white water rafting, and plenty of other things to do. I prefer it to Portland.</p>
<p>Spend a couple days in Portland and a few more in Seattle. We spent 4 days there last month and really enjoyed it. The natural beauty and mountains are a welcome change for us flatlanders.</p>
<p>Lots to see in the area. While I’m an East Coast girl, my work gets to that area 2-3x/year and I would recommend trying to see as much as possible. Some thoughts:</p>
<ul>
<li>wine country near Yakima WA & Willamette Valley</li>
<li>Columbia River Gorge is beautiful. The drive from Portland airport to Pendelton is great.<br></li>
<li>the beaches of coastal OR reminds me of Maine - very flat with long tides. Touristy town is Seaside; more upscale is Cannon Beach. The tsunami warnings in hotels rooms was a bit disturbing!</li>
<li>Olympic Peninsula is beautiful</li>
</ul>
<p>Portland and Seattle are nice towns, but if you’re from the Midwest, definitely the Oregon coast. Really beautiful, and quite different from the East coast (and speaking as a totally non-beach person).</p>
<p>I would visit the Oregon Coast. Definitely check out Cannon Beach, Long Beach, and maybe Florence. You can surf(take lessons), skim board, sand board, enjoy fresh seafood, or just take pleasure from spending time on the beach. I’m not too keen on Portland. Seattle is nice if you hit the right areas, some parts are sketchy.</p>
<p>Greatly appreciating all these suggestions. These are the things that are most helpful- the random towns and areas. It’s like you know our family well!</p>
<p>Is the city of Portland right on the water?</p>
<p>The city of Portland is on the Columbia River and the Willamette River divides it in half. The Oregon Coast and the Pacific Ocean are about 60 miles west; it’s a pleasant drive through a lot of green. </p>
<p>You don’t say when in June your niece is getting married. Pendleton is inland, on the other side of the Cascades, in Oregon’s dryest area. It’s a LONG way from Portland. In any case, Pendleton will be dry and hot in June (with nice cool nights). Portland, most years, can still be pretty chilly and wet in June (nights in the 50s, days in the low 70s, persistent drizzle sometimes, other days cool and dry). And the Oregon Coast is not “the beach”; the water is cold, rough, and the wind persistent. (It’s a big deal if the temps are over 70 in the summer.) </p>
<p>I mention the weather in such detail because my east coast relatives were just here for my daughter’s wedding. Her fiance’s southern (Atlanta) relatives were here too. They all were stunned by the weather. They huddled in sweaters and wore heavy socks. While much of the country swelters this summer (the midwest especially this summer!), we have had only a few days above 80.</p>
<p>If you like good food and exploring small towns, you really might want to consider staying in Portland. You can stay at VRBO condos right on the Willamette; the restaurants are amazing; there’s a lot to do. The coastal towns are nice, but the food tends toward the deep-fried.</p>
<p>Yes, I do realize the distance between Portland and Pendleton - seems though, that when my niece flys home, most times the main flight is out of Portland - so we expect to fly there and then rent a car anyway…</p>
<p>The tips of great small towns along the coast to explore really appreciated - and any scenic areas - we’d much rather be seeing outside sites than spending times in museums and such. Kitchy shopping is fun though!!!</p>
<p>Seeing the ocean is a definite! Our cottage is in Canada on Lake Huron so we will get our fill of warm weather and sandy beaches (although COLD water) the rest of the summer - but the varied scenery will be a welcome change!</p>
<p>You’ll get great views on your drive to Pendleton of the Columbia River gorge. On your way BACK, consider coming back diverting over Mt. Hood, with a little stay for lunch (or overnight) at Timberline lodge. Then drive from there to Portland (about an hour) and find a cool boutique hotel - ask more about specific restaurants or shopping you might like–we have a little bit of everything, from kitchy/unique to Nordstrom and all-priced boutiques in-between. Then take a drive through the Willamette Valley wine country (towns of Yamhill/Carleton) to the Oregon coast, especially if you like wine. Then check out Tillamook (cheese factory?) and head up the north coast to, I agree, Cannon Beach.</p>
<p>I certainly didn’t mean to give the impression that abasket shouldn’t visit the coast! I did, however, want to stress that they might not want to spend five days there and not visit Portland.</p>
<p>We were in Canon Beach in May. It was cold and windy but fun. We stayed at the Lands End hotel, which has rooms that look directly out on the beach. Ecola Seafoods has thier own boats and wonderful fresh crab.
On your way out to Pendleton, you could stop at The Dalles for some windsurfing. Also lots of great hiking. Many beautiful waterfalls along the way. Multinomah Falls is the most famous and worth a stop but always crowded.<br>
[Columbia</a> River Gorge Scenic Area Waterfalls](<a href=“http://www.historicthedalles.org/columbia_gorge_waterfalls.htm]Columbia”>http://www.historicthedalles.org/columbia_gorge_waterfalls.htm)</p>
<p>Ok CC’ers - OP here. In all my years on CC I have never bookmarked a thread to find easily at a later date - I think I need to bookmark this thread!
How do I do it???</p>
<p>Subscribing will alert you when new posts are made. If you want to be able to locate this thread easily at a later date you need to bookmark it in your browser. I use Safari, which has “bookmarks” listed at the top of the page. If I click on “bookmark” a pull-down menu offers the option to “add bookmark”. Once that’s done, to access the thread just click on “bookmark” and scroll down to select this thread. That’s the sum of my computer knowledge, right there! I assume it’s done similarly using other browsers. By the way, I’m in Seattle but I agree that staying on Oregon and visiting the coast would make sense for your trip.</p>
<p>Since you have a wedding as well as the vacation you will have to list your priorities. We had been to Seattle twice (with time spent going to the mountains or Vancouver BC direction) so when we had a north Seattle wedding one March we used the week before to drive down to Portland et al. The Columbia River gorge was a nice day trip. As was the coast. But- Seattle! If you want city things go to Pike Place in Seattle. Great used bookstore in Portland. There are so many day trips from each city. Not enough time to do it all. Free coffee (and hot chocolate) on the interstate. Can’t pump your own gas in Oregon. Different sales tax or none ineach state.</p>