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There’s something magical about stumbling onto a restaurant that feels less like a place to eat and more like an experience. The kind of spot where the walls are packed with personality, the music instantly relaxes you, and the smell of fresh pizza drifting through...
If you’ve ever wanted to walk through a place where history doesn’t sit quietly behind glass, but practically hums with life around you, there’s a museum in Oregon that deserves a spot at the top of your road trip list. Tucked away in the scenic Columbia River Gorge...
Tucked into the forest above the Columbia River Gorge is one of the most unusual hikes in Oregon, and there’s a good chance you’ve driven past it without ever knowing it existed. The Penstock Flume Pipeline Trail near Hood River isn’t your typical waterfall trek or...
There are certain Portland restaurants people mention with a kind of reverence. The kind of place locals insist you have to try at least once, visitors plan entire mornings around, and hungry diners willingly stand in line for before the doors even open. In Portland,...
If you’ve ever pulled over on the side of an Oregon highway because a shiny rock caught your eye, there’s a good chance you already understand the magic of Central Oregon rockhounding. Out in the high desert around Prineville, the obsession runs deep. Every year,...
Tucked away in the charming small town of Brownsville, Oregon is a place that feels equal parts museum, treasure hunt, art gallery, and roadside wonder. At first glance, you might think Living Rock Studios is simply a rock shop. Step inside though, and you’ll quickly...
There’s something wonderfully strange waiting on Newport’s historic bayfront, and it's not Ripley's. Between the salt air, barking sea lions, and fishing boats rolling in with the tide, you’ll find a shop that feels less like a coastal boutique and more like stepping...
If you’ve ever stood at the base of Mt. Hood and thought, there has to be an easier way to get up there, you’re not alone. In fact, back in the early 1950s, a group of Oregonians looked at that same mountain and came up with a solution so bold, so strange, and so...
Portland has never been a city that settles for ordinary. It’s a place where creativity spills into the streets, where old buildings are given new life, and where some of the most memorable spots are the ones you stumble into by accident. That spirit is alive and well...
We're going a bit out on a limb here at That Oregon Life. This story began as a sort of "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives" compilation, but after a giant list of my own and a slew of recommendations from friends all over the state, we realized that wasn't going to work....
There are places you book for a night… and then there are places that feel like you’ve stepped straight into another world. Tucked quietly into the rolling hills above the Columbia River Gorge near Mosier, there’s a one-of-a-kind stay that looks less like an Airbnb...
There are restaurants you try once… and then there are the ones you grow up with. The ones where the coffee is always hot, the booths feel like they’ve heard a thousand stories, and the pie case quietly calls your name before you even sit down. In Tigard, Oregon, that...