Oregon is a beautiful destination for travelers who enjoy exploring the great outdoors. With its diverse landscape of mountains, forests, waterfalls, and coastline, there’s something for everyone to enjoy. Visitors can hike through Crater Lake National Park, explore the Columbia River Gorge, and visit the famous Multnomah Falls. Oregon is also known for its vibrant cities, like Portland, where you can experience world-class dining, shopping, and entertainment. Whether you’re an avid outdoor enthusiast or a city dweller, Oregon has something to offer for your next adventure.
For millions of people who grew up in the 1990s, Free Willy was more than just a movie. It was emotional, unforgettable, and for many kids, it was the very first time they questioned whether wild animals truly belonged in captivity. At the center of that movement was...
There’s something oddly magical about walking an Oregon beach at low tide, scanning the sand for that perfect, pale disc tucked just beneath the surface. Sand dollar hunting isn’t just a coastal pastime here. It’s practically a rite of passage. If you’ve ever come...
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...
In 2022, the world still felt a little strange. Masks were common, travel still carried that odd post-pandemic energy, and many people were trying to figure out what “normal” even looked like again. My wife Danielle and I, who run That Oregon Life together, decided to...
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...
There’s a stretch of Highway 26 on the way to Mount Hood where the air feels a little fresher, the trees grow a little taller, and if you time it just right, you’ll stumble onto one of the coziest food stops in Oregon. That’s exactly how many people discover Zigzag...
What started as a peaceful morning treasure hunt on the Oregon coast reportedly turned into something a lot more chaotic. A Corvallis woman is now facing assault charges after police say she struck a man multiple times with a piece of driftwood during a dispute over a...
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...
There are places in Oregon where history whispers instead of shouts. No crowds. No big signs demanding your attention. Just a narrow trail winding through towering trees, the soft hush of wind through redwoods, and the quiet understanding that something extraordinary...
There’s something almost surreal about standing beneath a redwood tree. The scale doesn’t quite make sense at first. You look up, and up, and somehow still can’t find the top. The air feels cooler. The light turns soft and green. And for a moment, everything else...