Douglas County, Oregon's Free 7 Wonders of the World
Posted Jun 23, 2008 @ 4:25 pm, Viewed by 464 Visitors, Read 491 Times.Sometimes people think that country living is a little boring, sort of the same thing in every state. You know, the main street, lots of farms, the feed store, cows and barns. In Douglas County, Oregon we do have all of that, but we have so much more. Add to that list, waterfalls, the best fly fishing in the world, mountains, caves, the ocean, water and snow skiing, horse ranches, rodeos, concerts in the parks and last but not least, Bigfoot sightings. The list goes on even further. Here is some of the free fun stuff that you can take visitors to, especially in the summer:
1. The Fish Ladder at Winchester: Don’t laugh, it’s free and when the huge 30 inch plus salmon are in there people get excited. Just this week, I was driving a small group of visitors from Shobu, Japan’s Sister City Delegation from one event to U.C.C. for their next event. I thought a quick stop at the top of the Fish Ladder to look at Winchester Dam would still have us arriving in time. Big mistake. These people started down the stairs to the Fish Ladder before I could say “boo”. Since none of them could speak English, I started waving my arms, saying “No, no, no!” and pointed to my watch. None of it worked. So down we all went to the Fish Ladder. They must have known that a boatload of humongous Summer Steelhead were waiting for them in the window down there. They were all talking to me at once, (between “ooos” and “ahhhs”) and all I could do was gesture back and smile. Of course we were late for the presentation from the UCC President and I sat there with egg on my face. So trust me when I say that the fish ladder is a fun free spot.
2. Self Tour of Wine Country: Stop in at Melrose Vineyards, Henry’s Estate Vineyard, Palotai, or Reustle-Prayer Rock Vineyard. These are just a few of the area's burgeoning wineries available to spend a day soaking up (not to make a pun) Douglas County’s gorgeous Umpqua Valley scenery. This is free but it’s very tempting not to walk out of any winery without buying a bottle or two.
3. Waterfalls: If you ever want to feel like you are being watched by Bigfoot, go hiking some of our many waterfall trails. Wolf Creek Falls and Falls Creek Falls have that sort of primeval forest feel about them as you hike the trail to the falls.What I especially enjoy about our County hiking trials is that you really get that feeling of being on your own and away from it all, not like some of the sadly overrated and overpopulated parks in other states.
4: Concerts in the Park: Every summer, Roseburg and other cities such as Winston have a free series of concerts in the park each week. What a way to wind down a workday, grab a bottle of wine, a spouse or close friends and enjoy great music outdoors.
5: Show and Shine at River Forks Park, Graffiti Weekend: The second weekend of July every year is Graffiti Weekend. Pre-1972 cars and trucks from all over the country come to Roseburg to show off and parade their stuff. The best free place to see them is at the Show-N-Shine at River Forks Park. Imagine walking through all of the pristine classic cars at the beautiful juncture of the North and South Umpqua Rivers. If you are a car fanatic, this is heaven.
6: River Forks Park: Mentioned above, this park is one of the best all around parks in Douglas County. You can boat, fish, swim, picnic or hold your wedding reception in this beautiful river park. During the winter you can come down to the park and see the spectacular Christmas “Festival of Lights” which runs from Thanksgiving, until New Year’s Eve.
7: Art Festivals: Roseburg’s Summer Arts Festival, held at the Art Center on Harvard, kicks off the biggest art festival in the County. No admission, but they do kindly ask for a $3 dollar donation. Over a 130 artists and entertainers are entered at this fair and it's a really grand way to spend an afternoon. Sutherlin, Myrtle Creek and Reedsport are among the other towns in the County who offer free festivals during the summer.
This is just a small sample of the free stuff you can do and see here in Douglas County, Oregon. Stop by the office of the News Review newspaper or the Roseburg Visitors Center on Harvard and pick up our annual copy of the Douglas County’s Visitor’s Guide.
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Diana Peterson is a licensed Oregon Broker with Prudential Real Estate Professionals in Roseburg, Oregon. Douglas County living is the best kept secret in Oregon. Read More
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