Oregon Capitol building, Salem, OR
My last post was my own top seven Natural Wonders of Oregon (my home state, if you can’t tell). I left off a couple biggies- Abert Rim and Old Perpetual Geyser, both near Lakeview. Abert Rim is the largest fault block in North America. Oregon has such awesome geology! Well, now it’s time for the not-so-natural Wonders of Oregon. Here’s my ideas (in no particular order), and I’m open to others!
1. The Vista House at Crown Point, at the Columbia Gorge. A geometric castle of sorts, giving amazing views of the gorge as well as treats and souvenirs.
2. The Oregon Caves Chateau at Oregon Caves National Monument- On the list of National Historic Lodges. A cascade flows into a peaceful pool next to it, which then feeds into a creek that runs through the restaurant in the bottom of the Chateau. One of the most romantic places I’ve ever stayed.
3. The Astoria Column (in Astoria, obviously)- Artwork on the outside, windy staircase on the inside, fantastic views at the top! I went here with 7th grade students, and watching them jump in the wind and launch lightweight wooden airplanes was a blast.
4. Powell’s City of Books, Portland- this one’s not for the architecture. A store the size of a city block, filled with books? Pure heaven! I’d say it’s the world’s largest bookstore, but Shenzhen’s five story Book City a block from my apartment when I was in China was pretty impressive, too. I still think Powell’s had more books, though!
5. The Elsinore theatre, Salem- an authentic gothic movie palace. The outside is impressive, with a gothic architecture rising from the roof. But inside the theater, you feel a bit like you’re in a castle in Germany (and I’ve been there!)
6. The Eco-Earth, Salem- Everything gets recycled in Oregon! They took a giant old acid ball from a papermill, and decorated it to be an amazing work of art.
7. The state capitol building, Salem- a Greek-styled government building, complete with the Oregon Pioneer standing golden in the sunshine (at least a few days of the year!)
Other top picks of mine: Timberline Lodge, Fort Clatsop, and the Geiser Grand Hotel in Baker City (I haven’t been there but I’ve read about it, and it sounds awesome).
I’ll only post pics that I have digital photos of, so to see what the rest of these places look like, see the pinterest board I’ll be making at pinterest.com/writerjessicaj/
Please tell me your favorites, and the places I’ve missed!
Eco-Earth, Salem, OR
- Astoria Column, Astoria, OR
- Vista House, Crown Point, Columbia Gorge
The Compass Rose Queen 