We recently spent a long weekend in Portland, OR visiting family and friends. The Pacific Northwest is such a beautiful area of the country with the cool, damp air, low hanging mist, deep green forests and breath taking mountain views.
We’ve been there multiple times to visit family so we were able to skip the long lines at most of the tourist favorites. But, if it’s your first time, there are a few must-see’s right downtown that are worth the hype…
The lines are long at Voodoo Doughnut but it’s worth the wait for a donut junkie and they have a mouth-watering selection of treats. The people watching here is also top-notch.
This doughnut shop has also partnered with the local brewery, Rogue and created a few Voodoo donut flavored beers that are pretty fun too.
Powell’s Book Store is another must-see. It’s a giant book store that has been a staple in the city forever. It’s a great place to browse for hours to find just the perfect book for beach reading or passing the time if it’s rainy (a likely event in Portland).
For this trip, we started our weekend just west of Portland and lunched at a place called Café Yumm. They have delicious rice bowls with some sort of magical secret sauce that is to die for.
The weather was lovely, a little chilly but the sun was beaming and it took the edge off. We hopped into the car and took a day trip up the coast following a bit of the Pacific Coast Scenic Byway.
We made a quick pit stop to see the sights in Garabaldi, a tiny fishing village with a marina that has tons of character. It’s a great place to wander and take in the sights and sounds of the coast or pick up some fresh seafood.
Drive a bit further and you end up at the Tillamook cheese factory where you can peek behind the scenes, eat lots of cheese and/or indulge in a giant ice cream cone piled high with all of your favorite flavors. 🍦😍
With a belly full of ice cream, the best place to go is the beach. Rockaway Beach is a bit further and is a nice place to wander in the sunshine and explore the beach during low tide.
We popped over to the Offshore Grill and Coffee House for a quick lunch of fresh fish tacos and espresso before meandering home.
With the sun shinning all weekend long, we decided to rent bicycles on the river front and check out the weekend market in the Pearl District. It was full of local craft and food vendors, live music and some fun characters doing their part to keep Portland weird.
Scattered around town are a few Kure Juice Bar shops that I wish I could pack in my purse and bring home. They don’t just offer juice but also healthy lunch options and some of the best smoothie bowls I’ve ever had! I picked one called The Bowl of the Gods and yes, it tasted like dessert.
Balancing the healthy with the over-the-top, we brunched at Byways Cafe before heading home and noshed on giant breakfast sandwiches and bottomless cups of coffee. The small café is packed with fun retro knickknacks and a serious diner vibe.
Our family has always been pretty close and we love to travel together. This recent weekend adventure was a great chance to catch up and reconnect with our west coast family and I can’t wait to go back! 😘
Speaking of family, Kim, my uber talented twin sister has started a side biz crafting handmade soaps and lotions. I’ve been a test subject for her creations for a few years now and have loved everything! For my 2nd blogiversary she created a small batch of Bourbon and Honey soap for me to share with all of you! Take a peek at all of the creations on her site, Sebesta Apothecary (check back often as she’s always experimenting).
Ok, on to the giveaway!
Update: Congrats to Erin, Dana and Malvin! Get ready to get squeaky clean with a hint of bourbon and honey! Keep an eye out for an email from yours truly. 
If you didn’t win, don’t worry, you can still check out all of the awesome handmade goodies at Sebesta Apothecary!
GIVEAWAY: Three lucky readers will get a large bar of homemade Bourbon and Honey soap from Sebesta Apothecary!
ENTER: Leave a comment below and tell me about your favorite family trip. Then use the widget to enter anytime between Tuesday, April 12th and midnight on Tuesday, April 20th. Open to US residents only (sorry!). New to Rafflecopter? Here’s some more info on how to enter. Three winners will be selected at random and contacted by email. Good luck!
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We have a cabin in Hendersonville, NC, and we go for a month every summer. I love it there!
Our family traveled to Florida to visit my brother a couple of years ago. It was the best….my kids saw the ocean for the first time!
One favorite family trip is to rural Louisiana where my family has lived…forever. The name of the road is “Donkey Road” after my great aunt’s mule 🙂 Very peaceful.
Mary Beth Elderton
Lovely post. I always get so excited when people visit Portland. I am so proud of our food scene and could talk about restaurants here all day!My favorite trip was to another town with great food- Chicago! We were amazed how clean it was for such a large city, and people were very friendly too.
I always loved summer camping trips. Days in and on the lake and nights around the campfire (with s’mores, obviously).
One summer when I was a teenager we spent time in a hotel that was designed to look like a cabin. It was great, but we haven’t been on a trip since. I hope to take another.
My best family trip was the one in my teen years when we went to Missouri. It was my first trip with my stepbrother and we became so close and had such great times.
Every year growing up my family would vacation at a family cottage in Ontario, Canada on Rice Lake. It was always so much fun and we made great memories there!
My favorite family vacation was in 1996, when me, my brother, mother, and her family (grandmother, aunts, uncles) flew to Colorado for my uncle’s wedding. It was such a wonderful experience, and I am so glad that I have it all on video! I had just purchased my first video camera right before the trip.
My favorite trip was to Cozumel, Mexico on a cruise.
My favorite family vacation was my husband, my daughter who was 3 at the time, my in laws, and sister in law with her family which includes 5 boys! We went to Cape May, NJ for a week in May and just had the best time! Great weatherosclerosis! Fun at the ocean, boardwalk, zoo, the pool.
My favorite family trip was the year we rented a house on the beach in Gulf Shores and my whole family and their families went we had the best time. There was a total of 13 kids and 10 adults
We just went to Los Angeles for the first time a few weeks ago. So amazing, we had a great time and saw one of the last Lakers game with Kobe Bryant.
My favorite family trip was to Scotland. My husband died right after we got back, so it was the last trip with the whole family.
It was fun and adventure, looking for amethyst in the Four Peaks area.
We love to hike and camp in the Superstition Mountains, to see this mysterious location..
We had an amazing time, panning for gold in the Bradshaw Mountains and staying at a cabin in Crown King.
I just love the trip we took to go houseboating on Lake Powell, and saw all the beautiful scenery.
Our cool trip to see the stunning views of natural beauty and an ancient village in a Petrified Forest.
We went on this really, nice hiking adventure, in the Seven Springs Campground area, and found many petroglyphs.