Family travel in Oregon

Shark tunnel at the Oregon Coast Aquarium in Newport OR (courtesy OCVA on Flickr CC)Every Tuesday until we run out of states, I plan to post about family-friendly vacation ideas, attractions and events in each one of the US states, taking input mostly from Twitter and Facebook.

Yes, I know how to search for travel ideas on a destination or attraction Web site, but a tweet or a Facebook Wall recommendation is a much more engaging and public way to spread the word.

Please don’t email suggestions to me; that’s nice but it is one-to-one communication. Tweet me and/or Facebook me, so that all of our networks can see what’s cool about your state.

We’re going in alphabetical order but started with the end, so our first state for the series was Wyoming, then we investigated Wisconsin , West Virginia , Washington, Virginia, Vermont, Utah, Texas, Tennessee, South Dakota, South Carolina, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania and now we’re moving on to….Oregon!

Their state tourism organization is on Twitter at @TravelOregon and they’re on Facebook at the Travel Oregon Facebook page. They also have a blog and the Go See Oregon community of travelers.

When I asked for ideas, here’s what came in….

Twitter Travel Tips for Oregon

***  From Jamie Pearson via @TravelSavvyMom on Twitter  —  Our kids dug the High Desert Museum in Bend: otters, bobcats and rattlesnakes. Plus creepy docents in period costumes. Fun!

***  From the tourism folks for the Eugene, Cascades and Coast regions via @TravelLaneCo on Twitter  —  Willamette Pass-Oakridge area: second-tallest waterfall in Oregon, mountain bike capital of the Northwest, mountain gondola, ski/sled in winter, Waldo Lake.

***  From Pam Mandel via @nerdseyeview on Twitter  —  Crater Lake! Crater Lake! Crater Lake! Crazy blue, boat ride to Wizard Island. What I’m sayin’ is this:  CRATER LAKE. [I think Pam has strong feelings about this.]

***  From The Little Fluffy Cat via @LittleFluffyCat on Twitter  —  [I’m] not an Oregonian, but we loved this place: Lincoln City Glass Center. Kids as young as 8 can blow glass w/artisans!   In Tillamook….small, but inexpensive and full of great creative vibes: Latimer Quilt and Textile Center.

***  [In a demonstration of cross-country tourism support….] From the Virginia State Parks via @VAStateParks on Twitter  —  The drive east along the Columbia Gorge has great waterfalls with easy access. One of my Oregon faves.

***  From Bridget Smith via @BridgetASmith on Twitter  —  Loved the Portland Children’s Museum.

***  From Nancy D. Brown via @NancyDBrown on Twitter  —  White water rafting Big Eddy in Bend, Central Oregon. Kid-friendly, also down hill mountain bike ride Paulina Plunge, next to SunRiver.  The Saturday Market in Eugene. Face painting, tie dye, juggling sticks, hackey sack, amazing kid-friendly food.  See also @SaturdayMarket and this UpTake post about Eugene.  Don’t miss Rogue River & Grant’s Pass.

*** From Chris Fancher via @cfanch on Twitter  —  Don’t forget to add the Portland Rose Festival and the Oregon Shakespeare Fest in Ashland (@osfashland) [Full disclosure – yes, my husband sends tweets to me.]

*** From Travis & Kathy Nelson via @EngagingIreland on Twitter  — Fave kid-friendly Oregon places:  the Oregon Coast Aquarium in Newport and the Oregon Dunes Nat’l Recreation Area. Oh, yeah, and Hell’s Canyon Nat’l Rec Area is great! https://www.fs.fed.us/hellscanyon.

Facebook Travel Tips for Oregon

***  From Shelly Rivoli on Facebook  — I vote for Silverton, Oregon – always a favorite stop for us. Seven Reasons to Visit Silverton, Oregon.

On the BootsnAll Travel Network, here is the Oregon Travel Guide (and Boots itself is headquartered in Portland!)

Thanks so much for the contributions – the next state in the series is Oklahoma.

Send your Oklahoma highlights to @SheilaS on Twitter or write them on my Facebook Wall (please tell me you’re a 50 state-er if you want to friend me.)

My purpose for this series is not only to highlight worthy kid-friendly vacation destinations in all 50 states, but by using Twitter and Facebook I want to also encourage tourism organizations to learn more about connecting with their visitors using social media and online networks.

Please add your own Oregon suggestions in the comments below, if we’ve missed anything. Thanks!