Best of the Pacific Northwest

content:

Must-see Highlights

• Discover Seattle, Portland, San Francisco
• Visit Mount St. Helens Visitor Centre, Portland's International Rose Test Garden, Yaquina Head Lighthouse, Seattle's Pike Place Market, Eureka's Blue Ox Historic Village and School, San Francisco's Fisherman's Wharf
• View Multnomah Falls, Face Rock
• Scenic Drive through Humboldt Redwoods State Park, Avenue of the Giants, Bandon State Natural Area, Redwood National and State Parks
• Seattle: Tick the must-see attraction of Pike Place Market off your bucket list. At the oldest, continuously open farmers’ market in the country, take your time exploring the market’s stalls and shops spread across nine acres. Visit the historic arcade and make your way down winding alleys, stairways and lower levels for a sensory tour of sights, sounds and tastes. Be sure to stop by the Pike Place Fish Market, famous for its vendors who toss fish back and forth. Founded in 1930, the Pike Place Fish Market is an enduring Seattle institution and a one-of-a-kind experience.
• WA Parks Mt Saint Helens: Unlock the history and geology of Mount St. Helens at the Science and Learning Center featuring education-rich displays and a short film. You can take a short nature walk to an observation area with several telescopes. On a clear day, you’ll have a tremendous view of Mount St. Helens.
• Portland: Visit the oldest continuously operating public garden for showing – boasting over 10,000 rose bushes and 600 rose varieties sitting on 4.5 acres of land. Unlock the garden’s history, and you’ll learn how in 1888 Georgiana Burton Pittock, wife of pioneer publisher Henry Pittock, invited her friends and neighbours to exhibit their roses in her garden. After an annual rose show grew in popularity and size, Georgiana and her friends established the Portland Rose Society in 1889. A former Rose Society president chose the garden’s site and established a rose test garden in 1917.
• Hood River: Head to Multnomah Falls, Oregon's tallest waterfall at 620 feet. Learn how the falls are fed by underground springs from Larch Mountain and are usually highest during the winter and spring seasons. Multnomah Falls is also one of the best places in the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area to study geology exposed by floods. As the most-visited natural recreation site in the Pacific Northwest, it's the ideal spot to snap pictures to add to your travel album.
• Yaquina Head Lighthouse: The Pacific Northwest promises you one iconic sight after the next. Visit Yaquina Head lighthouse, a beacon which has been guiding ships along the West Coast since 1873. Gaze up at this 93-feet-tall lighthouse perched on the Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area, stretching out from the Oregon coast one mile into the Pacific Ocean. Then visit the interpretive centre featuring exhibits on seabirds and marine life as well as human history. You can even see the wheelhouse of an historic ship, a recreated rocky island and its inhabitants and a full-scale replica of the lighthouse lantern as well as the nearby tide pools.
• North Bend: Get ready for beautiful scenery along Beach Loop Drive in Bandon State Natural Area. Peer out at rocky spires, offshore rock formations and sandy beaches filled with tide pools. Wind along the bluff to view the Pacific and the photographic offshore “sea stack” rocks as sea birds fly overhead. You can even spot part of Bandon’s residential area before returning to Beach Loop and continuing to Face Rock State Scenic Viewpoint. Take the well-kept trail to the beach lined with information about the legend of the rock and see if you can spot the face peering up out of the water.
• Redwood National and State Parks: Welcome to Redwood National and State Parks. Take the winding, Newton B. Drury Scenic Parkway through old-growth redwoods. Immerse yourself in the history of these towering trees and the legacy of Newton Drury, whose 40-year dedication helped preserve these forests and secure them as parklands in the 20th century. As you gaze at the giant trees, keep an eye out for the wild Roosevelt Elk herds that roam the park.
• Humboldt Redwoods State Park: Delve into the natural beauty of California at this park encompassing over 53,000 acres, nearly twice the size of San Francisco. Learn about its history, dating back to 1921, when the Save the Redwoods League dedicated the first Memorial Grove, Colonel Raynal C. Bolling Memorial Grove, in what is now known as Humboldt Redwoods State Park. Among the park’s diverse coast redwood ecosystem is the Rockefeller Forest, home to the largest remaining old-growth forest in the world and the 362-foot-tall, 17-foot-wide fallen Dyerville Giant.
• Avenue of the Giants: Welcome to the Avenue of the Giants. Located in Humboldt Redwoods State Park, this 31-mile road parallels Highway 101 and offers you a slower-paced route through southern Humboldt County to take in the scenery. Wind your way along its gentle curves passing secluded forests, campgrounds, picnic areas and access to the Eel River, a waterway with swimming, fishing and paddling spots. Perhaps pull off to explore one of the many trailheads along the avenue luring you into the redwood forest, each with its own magic.
• San Francisco: Unlock the local secrets of the city on an orientation tour with your Travel Director. Admire the eclectic mix of architecture from candy-coloured Victorian homes to modern, glittering skyscrapers. Framed by the historic North Beach neighbourhood and iconic Coit Tower, make your way to Union Square, a historical landmark linked to the American Civil War. In Fisherman’s Warf, freshly caught seafood tempts and the chime of the cable car reminds you that you're in one of the world’s great cities.
• San Francisco: Delve into Fisherman’s Warf, a neighbourhood encompassing the northern waterfront area of San Francisco from Ghirardelli Square or Van Ness Avenue east to Pier 35 or Kearny Street. Stroll along Pier 39 where the wooden pier is lined with restaurants, quirky shops and street performers as well as the notable aquarium.

content:

Make Travel Matter®

Portland: Enjoy a tour of TMK Creamery where you’ll see where they make their cheese and ice cream. TMK is the world's only Farmstead Creamery + Distillery and sustainability is at the forefront of their operations. As you unlock the secrets behind their operation, you'll even meet the “Cowlebrities,” learning how the creamery has gotten creative by upcycling remnants from each of their processes into a consumable product. our experience supports United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 12: Responsible Consumption and Production.

content:

Be My Guest

Wilsonville: See how Oregon wines are in a league of their own on your visit to family-run Terra Vina Vineyard. Over your Be My Guest experience, hear the story of founders Karl and Carole. Karl’s passion for understanding the origin of wines and his goal to create the big bold reds he preferred in Pinot Noir country have led him to constantly seek new varietals, blends and techniques from some of the most ancient wine regions of the world. Tour the vineyard, containing nearly 17 acres of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Cabernet Franc before tasting some of their complex wines paired with a three-course, family-style lunch.

content:

Stays with Stories

San Francisco: Unlock the spirit of San Francisco during your stay at the Beacon Grand. Since its 2022 re-opening, the Beacon Grand has celebrated its location in historic Union Square. Within its storied walls you’ll find tempting food and drink from Mediterranean flavours in The Post Room to splashy cocktails in the 21-st floor Starlite lounge led by award-winning bar connoisseur Scott Baird and Michelin-awarded Chef Johnny Spero.