Recently, we had a chance to spend time in Ashland Oregon earlier than and after main a retreat within the mountains simply outdoors city. In some methods, it reminded us of the Adirondacks in upstate New York, largely due to the dimensions of the city, the small outlets and the individuals’s heat.
Shakespeare Festival Outdoor Theatre Set
Known for many enjoyable and eclectic issues to do within the summertime (in addition to out in nature), right here are some things price noting if you’re prepared to go to this small northwestern American city.
Shakespeare Festival & Outdoor Plays
Founded in 1935, the Oregon Shakespeare Festival is a regional repertory theatre, and provides matinee and night performances of a variety of basic and modern performs not simply restricted to Shakespeare.
The set is totally spectacular. It boasts the oldest current full-scale Elizabethan stage within the Western Hemisphere, constructed on the positioning of the previous Chautauqua theatre established in 1893.
After the solar goes down.
In addition to Shakespeare, you may see essential tales that helped form our historical past, corresponding to Jane Ayre, which was enjoying whereas we had been there. It was the primary time we had seen the manufacturing. Bravissimo.
Lithia Park
We found fairly a bit about Lithia Park from a strolling tour led by Peter Finkle (aka StrollAshland.com). Although we began the tour downtown, we ended up in Lithia Park pretty rapidly, which started as eight acres in 1892. Back then, it was a spot the place the Chautauqua Association introduced leisure and tradition to the realm. Its present location initially housed the unique Shakespeare Theater in 1935.
Peter Finkle, Tour Guide with StrollAshland.com
There had been a sequence of occasions that marked the historical past of the park, together with the time that the previous flour mill was torn down and the creation of decrease duck pond and waterfall in 1910. The fashionable model of Lithia Park was designed by panorama architect John McLaren in 1914—he additionally apparently designed San Francisco‘s Golden Gate Park. The trees you’ll discover listed below are pretty various, from oaks, conifers and madrones, to willows, maples and sycamores, all hearty as a way to face up to the 4 seasons of America’s Northwest.
It’s fairly enchanting in the summertime and you may take heed to musicians, go for a stroll, hang around by a waterfall, learn a ebook, or just BE.
There’s additionally the famend lithia water fountains in Ashland’s Downtown plaza which had been put in in 1927 to offer pure lithia water to the general public. There’s additionally a water supply within the park as effectively; you may inform by the sulphur scent and the orange shade.
Part of the park features a Japanese Garden which was central to the park‘s design. They recommend that you walk the garden counterclockwise as the designer Toru Tanaka intended. You can get a map of the garden on their website, where you can also learn about core Japanese philosophies.
Shopping
Now for some of our favorite picks. Note: we tend to be biased towards old, cultural and esoteric, so bear that in mind.
3 Magpies Antiques: Located on East Main Street, you’ll uncover this gem. It has affordable costs in comparison with among the costlier trendier outlets alongside the principle drag. There’s no scarcity of things to maintain you busy, from vintage file gamers, books, clothes, plates, lamps, furnishings and spoons to statues, carpets and esoteric relics from yesteryear.
Old World Artifacts: Located on 4th Street (subsequent to Noble Coffee). Old World Artifacts provides a novel and weird buying expertise with objects from world wide. You’ll uncover Buddhas, Hindu relics, rugs, singing bowls, antiques, clothes, Goddess statues, dwelling decor, jewellery and extra. Let’s simply say that we had a tough time leaving the shop and didn’t depart empty handed. Finally, we have now a golden Thai statue so as to add to our assortment. Thanks to proprietor Franklin Corbin for his wealthy data and historic details.
Photo credit score: Old World Artifacts Facebook web page
Gypsy Road Studio: Located on the principle drag of Ashland, this can be a must-not miss buying expertise. In from out of city and have to fly dwelling? Owner and store supervisor Heather can ship it for you. Favorite picks right here embody unique artwork throughout cultures and time durations, statues, esoteric objects and prints, gem stones, furnishings, carpets and masks. And OMG, the place is packed upstairs and down.
Below is an image of Heather and her mom within the retailer.
Heather’s mother (left) and Heather to the correct
Create your personal Etching on the Shakespeare Theatre: Located outdoors (you’ll cross it if you happen to’re doing a strolling tour), you may create your personal etchings or purchase prints. Below is a big one which was on show whereas we had been there.
There can be Apothecary, a gem of a spot for blended herbs and concoctions however it’s also possible to get drinks there as effectively.
Rogue Valley Metaphysical Library
We found a captivating metaphysical library simply on the outskirts of city. Located on 1757 Ashland Street, the library is open from Tuesday to Saturday from 10 am to six pm. They have a video archive and numerous books that span a variety of various classes, from angels, UFO’s, the after life, the soul and the hero’s journey to crystals, quantum physics and different well being. And past.
If you’re a neighborhood, you may grow to be a member and take books out to learn and return, much like a public library. There are aisles and aisles to select from; nonetheless, if you happen to’re not a member, they’ve a free part the place you may simply take a ebook dwelling with you. In the “free” part, I largely found older titles, but in addition books from extra well-known authors the place they might have two or extra copies (Deepak Chopra, Ken Wilbur, Pema Chodron, and so on). You get the thought. For these keen on metaphysical matters, it’s a tremendous place to spend a few hours on a wet afternoon.
The Oregon Vortex & House of Mystery
Located in close by Gold Hill Oregon, The Oregon Vortex & House of Mystery is thought for its well-known round space with distinctive phenomena. It’s been open to the general public since 1930 and has left many individuals in awe. Think of it as a glimpse of a “strange world where the improbable is the commonplace and everyday physical facts are reversed.”
The Oregon Vortex is a spherical subject of pressure, which is outwardly half above the bottom and half beneath the bottom. A vortex, basically a whirlpool of pressure, is the fundamental type of our universe. The so referred to as phenomena that makes this place so mysterious is the unusual sightings as you witness individuals strolling from one place to a different. For instance, nowhere within the circle are you able to usually stand erect.
The different unusual factor is that when a taller particular person walks in the direction of a shorter particular person on a stage platform, as they recede from you in the direction of magnetic south, they seem taller. When they method you, coming in the direction of magnetic north, they grow to be shorter. We witnessed this with Jorg and Anthony who demonstrated for us on an space that we measured with a leveling machine.
The House of Mystery (the development you see behind us within the beneath photograph) was initially an assay workplace and later used for instrument storage, constructed by the Old Grey Eagle Mining Company in 1904. The Native Americans apparently referred to as the space the “Forbidden Ground.” We did discover feeling a bit dizzy at instances and extra fatigued and didn’t hear any birdsong (or see any birds) throughout the round space. According to the tour information, everybody responds in a different way to the vitality.
Nearby Jacksonville
Jacksonville is a small city (slightly below 3K in inhabitants) roughly 5 minutes from Medford (the closest airport to Ashland, which is about 20-Half-hour away). It was named for Jackson Creek, which flows by the group and was the positioning of one of many first placer gold claims within the space. Since it was a part of the early Gold Rush period, it’s not stunning that some individuals describe it as a ghost city. It has that vitality in a captivating small city America kinda approach.
There is the historic Jacksonville Inn, the place you will get drinks on the bar or purchase bottles of wine.
At the Jacksonville Inn, there was dwell music once we handed by on a sizzling summer season night time in July.
The total city of Jacksonville is a delegated National Historic Landmark. Walking by the middle of city, you may really feel the roots of the 1850’s gold rush. There are naturally self guided strolling excursions, however it’s also possible to take a trolley or haunted historical past tour as effectively. There’s an eclectic mixture of independently owned outlets, eating places, spas and lodging.
Wine lovers will respect the Applegate Valley Wine Trail with 20 small, intimate wineries to find, together with 5 tasting rooms proper on the town (we stopped at two). There’s additionally the Woodlands Trails which supply 20+ miles of strolling and Forest Park is a good choice for climbing and mountain biking.
Below, previous world appeal meets antiquity and ghost city years passed by.
Ashland’s Outskirts
The Ashland you don’t usually see if you’re on trip is the dry mountainous countryside up within the hills, off the crushed path. It’s the place we held our retreat and the place wildlife play. On this land, you’ll discover coyote, often known as the American jackal, prairie wolf, or brush wolf—there have been loads of them the place I lived in Africa.
There’s additionally no scarcity of rattlesnakes, bear, fox, eagles and hawks. I used to be just about okay with all of them aside from the rattlers, though I notice with such sizzling dry temperatures that surpass 100 levels, it’s their stomping floor. The views are breathtakingly lovely from this spot (roughly just a few miles from the middle of Ashland).
Take in a Concert on the Britt Festival
We lucked out as Rick Springfield and Richard Marx (our period) had been touring collectively and we had been capable of seize tickets to see them on our final night time within the space.
The Britt Festival provides a variety of musical performances from June by September. Britt’s efficiency venue can seat as much as 2,200 individuals and its naturally shaped amphitheater is about amongst majestic ponderosa pines and native madrones. It is about on the picturesque hillside property of nineteenth century photographer Peter Britt. Below are just a few photographs from our magical night watching Springfield and Marx carry out individually and collectively.
Rick Springfield on stage
Mount Ashland
You can ski on Mount Ashland within the winter time, however the mountain additionally provides nice climbing in the course of the summer season. We went as much as meditate, stroll, climb the rocks and have a picnic. Spending time amongst her leaves, rocks and twigs was magical as had been the views.
Walking Through the Town: Art, History & Nature
Walking by the city itself is attention-grabbing in addition to its brimming with historical past. Take within the artwork galleries (there’s tons of them; you’ll discover a free artwork gallery journal on the native Chamber workplace downtown) and simply take in the historical past as you meander by the city. Note among the fairly structure as effectively.
You’ll additionally see deer roaming across the city, together with throughout individuals’s lawns within the suburbs as effectively. It’s not simply an occasional recognizing both.
Day Trip: Mill Creek Waterfalls Hike
Mill Creek Waterfalls is simply about an hour drive from Ashland. The loop is a few mile and 1 / 4 and I’d allocate about two hours or so for the hike, largely since you’ll need to cease, take photos and possibly even sit and stare on the magnificence for some time. Or have a picnic.
The first quarter mile is downhill in the direction of the river gorge and you then hit views for each Mill Creek Falls and Barr Creek Falls inside steps of one another. To the left are what they name “The Boulders.” It’s a reasonably simple hike, so it’s manageable by all stage hikers. Below, Anthony appears out over Barr Creek Falls at a stunning resting space among the many bushes.
The walks in and across the space are lovely as effectively: rivers, bushes, chicken life and various fauna in all instructions.
Day Trip to Crater Lake
Above and beneath, the notorious Crater Lake
Crater Lake is roughly an hour and 45 minutes drive from Ashland, so it’s a protracted day journey or an excellent in a single day getaway if you happen to select to remain on the lodge or a close-by resort. There’s loads of climbing and you will get boat rides on the lake itself however superior reservations are really useful. Truth be advised, I’d allocate a full two days for the expertise as a result of there are issues alongside the best way to go to, such because the waterfalls hike talked about above as one instance.
Apparently, this was the most important eruption in North America in over 500,000 years, and it created a 5-mile huge, 1-mile deep melancholy that finally grew to become the lake. It apparently has visibility to as deep as 130 ft, which is fairly astounding. I additionally found that Crater Lake is essential in Klamath and Modoc Native American historical past and tradition.
Standing at one of many view factors to Crater Lake in late July
The magnificence can have you at howdy and also you’ll need to stare upon her for hours on finish regardless of the crowds.
Be certain to remain till the solar units.
Restaurants
Our favourite spot was a spot referred to as Alchemy Restaurant & Bar, however make sure to learn our article on Ashland Restaurants for a run down on among the different locations we dined whereas on the town. The publish additionally features a handful of nice espresso and tea choices as effectively.
Above and beneath: Alchemy Restaurant & Bar in Ashland
We additionally loved Hearsay Restaurant Lounge & Garden which has nice ambiance in and out. We cherished their Sesame Crusted Ahi Tuna plate.
The Ahi Tuna at Hearsay
There are some fantastic cafes as effectively. We visited a half a dozen or so espresso and tea bars whereas we there. Below is the Bloomsbury Cafe & Wine Bar, which has dependable web and provides not solely nice croissants, sandwiches, home made breads and muffins, however wine as effectively. Their iced espresso had me at howdy.
Our favourite Italian decide is Osteria La Briccola, particularly for its pasta and appetizer plates.
Prosciutto Plate with Shaved Fried Pumpkin at Osteria La Briccola
Be certain to learn our Restaurant Picks for Ashland.
Hope you loved our Summer Travel Guide to Ashland Oregon. Here’s a brief video of a few of our “out in nature” highlights.
Have you traveled to Ashland? What experiences did you like?
Renee Blodgett is the founding father of We Blog the World. The web site combines the magic of an internet tradition and journey journal with a world weblog community and has contributors from each continent on the planet. Having lived in 10 nations and explored practically 80, she is an avid traveler, and a lover, observer and participant in cultural variety.
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Her ardour for artwork, storytelling and images led to the launch of Magic Sauce Photography, which is a visible extension of her writing, the results of which has led to producing six photograph books: Galapagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome, Urbanization and Ecuador.
Renee can be the co-founder of Traveling Geeks, an initiative that brings entrepreneurs, thought leaders, bloggers, creators, curators and influencers to different nations to share and study from friends, governments, companies, and most people as a way to educate, share, consider, and promote modern applied sciences.