Cleaner Air Is Coming to Western Oregon Tonight, but Wildfire Smoke Could Worsen Farther East
After several days of staring through a brown haze, people across western Oregon may finally be able to open a window and see the hills again. Wildfire smoke that settled over Portland, Salem, Eugene and much of the Willamette Valley is expected to begin thinning Thursday afternoon, with a more noticeable improvement arriving Thursday evening and continuing into Friday. The change comes as winds turn back toward the ocean and begin carrying cooler, cleaner Pacific air inland. That onshore flow...
THINGS TO DO & EVENTS
Festivals, concerts, seasonal celebrations, and memorable Oregon adventures worth putting on your calendar.Fresh ideas for getting out and enjoying Oregon, from upcoming community events to unforgettable places and experiences around the state.
Lincoln City Launches Drone Show in First Firework-Free Fourth of July on the Oregon Coast
If you’re anything like me, the Fourth of July has always meant one thing: fireworks. The rumble in your chest, the sulfur in the air, the oohs and ahhs from the crowd as brilliant explosions light...
Ride This Coastal Train In Oregon For A Spring Break Adventure You’ll Never Forget
If you're looking for the perfect spring break activity on the Oregon Coast, this is it. Sun, sea air, coastal charm—and the nostalgic click-clack of a historic train. The Spring Break Excursion...
Millions of Blooms Await! Don’t Miss the 2025 Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival in Oregon
Rows and rows of colorful tulips on a foggy morning or a crisp spring day are the perfect way to welcome spring. The Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival offers blooms, hot air balloons, wine, and family fun!
New Portland Eatery Lets Guests Cook Their Own Meal Over Shared Barrel Fire For Added Authenticity
PORTLAND, Ore. — In what city officials are calling “a bold step forward for Portland’s ever-evolving culinary scene,” a new open-air dining concept has officially launched this week, offering...
Local Couple Celebrates Buying Dream Fixer-Upper For Only $649,900
EUGENE, OR — After months of tireless searching, dozens of rejected offers, and what they describe as “a full emotional breakdown in a Safeway parking lot,” local couple Ryan and Melissa Carter say...
City Of Portland Announces New Tin Foil Sculpture Where Visitors Can “Experience The Culture Firsthand”
PORTLAND, OR — In a bold move city leaders are calling “immersive, reflective, and mildly concerning,” officials this week unveiled plans for a brand-new public art installation in downtown...
FOOD & DRINK
Explore Oregon’s food and drink scene – from locally sourced ingredients to craft brews and award-winning wines. Plan your culinary adventure now!
This Historic Oregon Tavern Dating Back To 1922 Is Still A Local Favorite Today
If you blink, you might miss it. Tucked away along a quiet country road outside Hillsboro, surrounded by open farmland and a slower pace of life, sits a red building that has been feeding Oregonians...
This Charming Log Cabin Café in Oregon Is the Pizza Stop You Didn’t Know You Needed
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...
The 42 Best Oregon Mom & Pop Restaurants to Eat At in 2026
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...
Here’s Which Oregon Businesses Are Closing Today for the Anti-ICE Strike
Oregon businesses in multiple cities are closing today, Friday, January 30, as part of a nationwide anti-ICE strike calling for no work, no school, and no shopping. Supporters say the point is economic disruption, a one-day pause meant to draw attention to federal...
Bi-Mart to Shut Down Cascade Farm and Outdoor Stores This Spring
Bi-Mart is hitting pause on one of its side projects. The employee-owned retailer announced it will close all Cascade Farm and Outdoor stores this spring, shifting its focus back to expanding Bi-Mart locations across the Northwest. The decision affects five Cascade...
Seagull Maintains Unbroken Eye Contact While Committing Fry Theft
CANNON BEACH, OR — Witnesses confirmed Tuesday that a local seagull brazenly stole several French fries from an unattended basket while maintaining prolonged, unblinking eye contact with the victim, clearly signaling that the theft was both intentional and...
Parents of Dane Paulson Arrested After Alleged Assault in Front of Child
SILETZ, Ore. — New developments have emerged involving the parents of Dane Paulson, the child who drowned in the Siletz River last year. According to the Lincoln County Sheriff's Office, deputies responded at approximately 12:11 a.m. on January 23, 2026, to a reported...
71-Year-Old Native Elder Wesley Dixon Jones Missing From the Umatilla Reservation Since October
A 71-year-old elder from the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation has been missing for months, and the story of his disappearance has shifted from an urgent early search to a case that officials describe as “open but functionally inactive.” But for...
Progressives Advance Radical Measure That Could Outlaw Hunting and Fishing in Oregon
According to a National Review (NR) report by Wesley J. Smith, Oregon progressives are once again trying to outdo themselves, this time with a ballot initiative so extreme it would effectively outlaw animal agriculture, hunting, fishing, and even animal research in...
Oregon Government Seeks Another $500 Billion to Retry Same Ideas That Failed the First Six Times
SALEM, OR — Standing beneath a banner reading “Progress Takes Time (And Money)”, Oregon leaders this week announced a bold new plan to address homelessness, housing affordability, addiction, and public safety by requesting another $500 billion to retry the same...
Are You Afraid of the Dark? This Oregon Retreat Locks You in Total Darkness. For Days. On Purpose.
Somewhere in Southern Oregon, tucked away near the Cascade–Siskiyou Wilderness, not far from Klamath Falls, there’s a place where the lights don’t just go out: they never come on. No windows.No screens.No glow from your phone.Not even the faint outline of your own...
The Oregon Teen Who Walked Into a County Fair in the 1980s and Vanished Without a Trace
In August of 1986, as the lights dimmed and the rides were dismantled at the Coos County Fair, a mystery quietly took its place in rural Oregon. A fourteen year old boy who had been seen laughing and moving through the crowds days earlier was suddenly gone. His name...
Portland Coffee Shop Refuses To Serve Anyone Who Doesn’t Hate Something
PORTLAND, Ore. — A popular inner-Portland coffee shop announced this week that it will no longer serve customers who cannot clearly articulate something they actively hate, citing a “longstanding cultural mismatch” with people who appear content, neutral, or...