One of my all time favorite places I have traveled to in the US has to be the Pacific Northwest.  I was able to experience city life, the ocean, and the mountains all in one long weekend. Being a nature freak that lives in a big city, this was love at first sight for me. I had all my favorite things in one place!

Portland, Oregon

Portland is known for its microbreweries, eco-friendliness, coffee houses, and parks. I didn’t spend a ton of time here considering I was only there for a long weekend, but I did explore the city life when I could. A few of my favorite things I experienced while in Portland were:

• Powell’s City of Books: Powell’s City of Books is claimed to be the largest independent new and used bookstore in the world. Even if you don’t like to read, it is worth going to see and walk around. I have never seen so many books in my life.

• Hopworks Urban Brewery (Bikebar): Hopworks has a unique experience where you can ride a stationary bike outside that helps to generate power for the building (plus if you ride for a certain amount of time they give you a discount on your beer and who doesn’t like discounts?).

• Ground Kontrol Classic Arcade: Bar + arcade games = fun. Enough said.
• Deschutes Brewery: I asked our Uber driver where we should start our night out and he dropped us off at Deschutes. Great food and drinks with an awesome atmosphere.  It has 26 taps that feature Deschutes mainstays plus seasonal and experimental beers. I don’t typically drink beer, but I did there and I’ll admit it was good.

Pacific City, Oregon

I have an ocean obsession, so I requested that we drive to the beach one day while in the PNW. We ended up in Pacific City and it had a small town feel with a gorgeous beach. We ate lunch at the Pelican Brewing Company which is right on the coast, has great food, and of course fabulous adult beverages. We also discovered the sport of sand boarding and decided to try it ourselves. The beach has giant sand dunes that overlook the ocean that you sand board down (basically snow boarding on sand). It was not easy, but it was a ton of fun and provided us with a good laugh (plus, you work off the drinks and food from the brewery).

Mount Rainier National Park, Washington

This national park is a must see while in the PNW. I went from exploring the forest, to seeing waterfalls, to feeling like I was in a snow globe. I only spent a day here, but there are tons of hiking trails and places to camp.

Multnomah Falls, Oregon

TLC may say ‘don’t go chasing waterfalls’, but I say do go chase this one. These falls are only 30 minutes outside of Portland. You can view the falls from the bottom or hike to the top (highly recommended).  There’s also a lodge with a restaurant and a gift shop.

There is so much more of the PNW I was unable to experience, which means I’ll just have to go back. And I’m not mad about that.