We are very excited to be chosen as the most dynamic tourism website, and couldn’t have achieved this without all the helpful comments and suggestions from our readers. Please keep sending feedback, and keep on traveling to Oregon! We’re looking forward to your visit.

The staff at Travel Oregon (as well as a few of our friends) have put together a list of our favorite holiday events. So get out there and enjoy the holiday season!

“We have a few Oregon traditions in our family. One is attending the lighting of the tree in Pioneer Courthouse Square. When people in Portland gather to light the tree in our ‘living room’ in the center of town, it is a great community event. The other is the cutting of the tree on Sauvie’s Island just north of Portland. 1000’s of families flock to the island to hunt and cut down their own tree, tie to the roof and whisk it home to their respective neighborhoods in Portland. There is also the ceremonial hot chocolate and fresh made donuts at the tree lot. The final one is visiting Santa at the Macy’s (was Meier and Frank in the downtown location). The trains, lights, songs, and children make this an amazing trip each and every year.”
~Recommended by Dylan B., EROI

“One of the highlights of the holidays is a visit to the Grotto’s Festival of Lights in Portland, Oregon. Although, the Grotto focuses on the religious traditions of the Holiday, this display is so impressive and the setting is so peaceful it is great for visitors of all persuasions. A hidden gem for the holidays inside the city limits!”
~Recommended by Dermot M., Ten Bridges

Winter Wonders in Woodburn
“Visit Santa at his cozy cottage at Woodburn Company Stores and experience a magical snowfall from 6 – 7 pm every evening. Also, check out their new Tree of Wonders and listen to the amazing musical light show happening daily.”
~Recommended by Lisa I., Travel Oregon

“The PGE Festival of Lights Parade in Salem is a blast. It takes place on December 8th. I never miss it!”
~Recommended by Noreen W., Travel Oregon

“Lake Oswego, just a few miles south of Portland, is a great place to view the wonderfully lit up Christmas Ships on the Willamette River. The viewing place will be the beautiful, sprawling, Foothills Park. There’s lots of grass for kids to run around on, and afterwards you can take them to the new Café St Honore at Millennium Plaza for some hot cocoa and pastries (open until 8 pm).”
~Recommended by Holly M., Travel Oregon

“The big-time tuba concert at Pioneer Square in Portland- it’s a blast! Not to mention the Holiday Lights at Shoreacres State Park west of Coos Bay/North Bend – much MORE fun if you have kids to take (lots of marine animals that “move”, hot chocolate in the gift shop, etc.), plus a chance to look out at the Pacific at night and listening to the sea lions on Simpson Reef! In addition, I would also recommend visitng the Guided Elk Tours in North Powder.”
~Recommended by Patti K., Travel Oregon

“The Oregon Zoo is always a fun experience. It’s a beautiful display of lights with fun train rides and you even get to wish a few of the animals Happy Holidays, not all of them are out as it is an evening event.”
~Recommended by Teresa O., Travel Oregon

“The Nutcracker in both Portland and Eugene is so much fun- it’s a great show for all ages. My holiday season isn’t complete without it! If you’re in the Portland area, stop by Southpark Seafood Grill and Wine Bar afterward for dinner. If you travel to Eugene, try Café Lucky Noodle for a delicious post-show meal and a drink.”
~Recommended by Ashley M., Travel Oregon

For more great ideas on what to do this holiday season, please visit our Upcoming Events Section. Happy Holidays!

If you’ve ever had a crazy idea, or a dream you knew you had to fulfill, then you know what it’s like to be an Oregonian. We at Travel Oregon, with the help of our counterparts at Wieden & Kennedy, decided this was something that couldn’t go unnoticed.

(Video1 : Ginger & Mira from w+k discuss the Book of Oregon ads)

(Video2 : Chris describes his favorite Book of Oregon shoot)

The Oregon dreamers campaign was created to tell the stories of those who make this state unique. Each of the ads are written in a “storybook” format, and are quirky, funny, and easy to relate to. I sat down with Ginger Robinson and Mira Kaddoura of Wieden & Kennedy, as well as their photographer, Chris Mueller, to get the inside scoop on this diverse campaign.

Tune in over the next couple of weeks as we explore “behind the scenes” of our next “Book of Oregon” ad – The Oregon Overachiever, starring Jordan Kent of the Seattle Seahawks (and former star at the University of Oregon). More videos and photos to come!

Interested in learning more about Oregon’s dreamers? Check out all the ads in our Book of Oregon section.

TravelOregon.com was chosen as an honoree out of the 8,000 entries received from all 50 states- and over 60 countries! But of course we wouldn’t have been able to make our website what it is without your feedback- thank you for helping make our website great!

TravelOregon.com also received recognition this November from Communication Arts Magazine. TravelOregon.com was featured as “Site of the Week” and received the following praises:

“Tourism sites are launching at a fast pace. Many are good. This one is very good. With more than 6,000 pages, it’s a meticulously branded experience with a perfect combination of rich information and breathtaking imagery.”

Of course awards are nice but what we really strive for is customer satisfaction! In fact, the following nice comments from folks who like our site actually mean a lot more than any award.

“Bravo! This is the simply the best, most well organized, and informative website I have ever seen on any state, or country. Outstanding concise content, great design, great navigation, awesome suggestions and featured attractions! Perfect for our trip planning! This site makes us want to visit your state, and we will!! Please give the entire team involved our praises! See you in Oregon this summer.” – -Brian D. Kuhl, Huntersville, NC

“Greetings, I just wanted to let you know that the state of Oregon has the best, most informative, and easy to use web site I have ever experienced, you all should give other states some tips on how to do it.”

“Great website! My husband is planning an international symposium in Corvallis this summer and your website provides excellent information for folks coming from far away. Great execution of a one-stop place for planning travel, a vacation, or even what to do next weekend.” – Regards, Gina Shellhammer

“I’m beginning to wonder if it’s an omen. The only place that has responded to my request for information is Oregon – and they keep sending me stuff – plus I keep coming across articles and ads for Oregon – and even the Webshots I get daily at work seem to have a picture from Oregon almost daily! Do you think someone is trying to tell us something? Meanwhile I’ve called Washington for brochures (since they haven’t responded to my internet application) and still nothing. Maybe they don’t want us to come there! But Oregon obviously does!”

Check out TravelOregon.com if you haven’t already! And if you do have suggestions on how to make our site better, please let us know!

Finally….we’d love to recognize EVERYONE on the team who was responsible for the site (launched June ‘06)….we could not have done it without many of these talented individuals and dedicated organizations.

Travel Oregon
Todd Davidson, CEO
Holly MacFee, director of brand strategy
Kevin Wright, director of marketing
Mo Sherifdeen, strategy/project manager/copy writing/editor
Karen Viehoever, design task force
Lisa Richardson, marketing co-coordinator
Ashley Moran, copy writing/editor

opus:creative – (lead agency, site design and development)
Stephen Landau, creative director/art director
Stephen Landau/Brian Hankins/Michael Godfrey, designers
Rich Joslin/Jeff Hulbert/Cory Duncan, developers
Michael Godfrey, Flash developer
Cory Duncan/Hugh Ly, HTML programmers
Paul Wille, information architect/site strategist
Ethan Jordan, project manager
Todd Jetton, account executive

Consultants
Ken Smith, Wieden+Kennedy, brand development consultant
Dermot Maty, TenBridges.com, technology consultant/agency selection lead consultant
Steve Kemper, Ion Global, localization/SEO consultant
Emily Aanderud, content editor/copy writing/editor Travel Oregon magazine
Brian Harney, marketing/Washington County/agency selection task force
Laurie Waisman, marketing/POVA/agency selection task force

Content Providers
Oregon Lodging Association
Oregon Festival and Events Assn.
Wildernet.com
Portland Oregon Visitors Association (www.TravelPortland.com)
Willamette Valley Visitors Association (www.OregonWineCountry.org)
Mt. Hood Territory and Hood/Gorge team (www.MtHoodTerritory.com and www.MtHoodGorge.com)
Eastern Oregon Visitors Association (www.eova.com)
Oregon Coast Visitor Association (www.VisitTheOregonCoast.com)
Central Oregon Visitor Association (www.VisitCentralOregon.com)
Southern Oregon Visitors Association (www.sova.org)
And…members of the Oregon Conventions and Visitors’ Bureau (full list here in pdf)

I am excited and honored to announce that today (Sunday, April 1 – this is no joke!), we launched our first ever digital media campaign; it’s called 365 Extraordinary Days in Oregon and highlights a year’s worth of things see and do in Oregon. From the Eighth Annual UFO Festival to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, we wanted to give you a daily glimpse of what’s going on in a state where things are not business as usual.

Check out the campaign in full at www.TravelOregon.com/365 and you too will see that there indeed is something magical happening in Oregon, every single day.

And don’t be surprised if you see this campaign while surfing the web elsewhere. Everyday for the next six weeks you’ll see our fun and quirky banner ads on sites such as Travelocity.com, Outside.com, Epicurious.com, Gourmet.com (to mention a few), that will tell the world about an event or thing happening that particular day, somewhere in Oregon.

Go ahead….feed your curiosity and see why we think Oregon is so extraordinary, excellent, exotic even. Come on…explore! You know you want to!

~ Cheers, Mo

PS: Incidentally, if you’re curious about what it takes to pull off such a massive digital advertising campaign, check out the blog later this week for an insider’s look into how we did it. It’s a bit like herding cats but requires copious amounts of caffeine, sugar and Pinot noir!

Now that the holiday season is over, it’s time to get thinking about the year ahead. Whether you hope to spend more time with your family, plan to get fit, we’ve drummed up a few fun Oregon ideas to help you keep your New Year’s resolution.

Family Time: You know the old saying: A family that plays together, stays together. Well, we’ve got a whole lot of family-friendly activities to offer-up. Check out these family fun getaway ideas.

Mind Your Budget…Camp for Less: In Oregon there are plenty of inexpensive ways to explore our beautiful state, from camping outings to road trips and all the spectacular scenery and activities that go along with them. And what’s more, through April 30, you’ll find state park campsites much easier to come by, and lower rates to boot with special “Discovery Season” rates and packages.

Get Cultural: Get out and experience Oregon’s eclectic culture! Each February, jazz takes over the city of Portland—and you’re invited. This year’s Portland Jazz Festival runs February 16-25, 2007, and features some 125 performances at a number of venues, both big and small, throughout downtown Portland. This is your chance to hone your musical palate with performances from such inspiring musicians as Chick Corea & Gary Burton, the Branford Marsalis Quartet, Don Byron and so many others. Performances run throughout the day, with midnight jam sessions at various venues closing out the nights. Visit www.pdxjazz.com for ticket prices and schedules, and www.traveloregon.com for a list of nearby hotels and inns.

February also marks the beginning of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival’s 72nd season. The Tony-award winning festival is located in the charming Southern Oregon town of Ashland. It runs from February 16 to the end of October, giving you plenty of time to see all 11 plays in its repertoire. Despite the festival’s name, William only penned four of this season’s plays (“The Tempest”, “The Taming of the Shrew”, “Romeo and Juliet” and “As you Like It”). Other classic or contemporary plays were written by such talents as August Wilson, David Linsay-Abaire, and Moliere. Visit www.osfashland.org for ticket prices and schedules, and our site for a list of nearby hotels and inns.

Get Pampered!: Who says resolutions have to be selfless? We’ve got plenty in the way of luxury pampering, from beautiful resorts to decadent spa treatments to incredible scenic beauty. Check out these ideas for a day of rejuvenation.

Finally, here’s a tasty pork chop recipe and you have one last chance to win a ski vacation to Hood River and Mt. Hood Meadows!

See you in Oregon! ~ The Editors (Mo & Emily)

The blog will be on vacation through the new year, to catch up on some much needed rest and begin brainstorming some more great ideas. So, until then, have a happy, safe and healthy holiday!

Cheers!
The Staff at Travel Oregon

Who says the Oregon travel industry team can’t have fun? This morning, the Travel Oregon crew was joined by our partners at the Oregon Travel Information Council (OTIC) for a Halloween fashion show! The theme was “Come As Your Favorite (Oregon) Region.” See the video to believe it.

Dixie (our operations manager), Karen (research guru), Ashley (marketing asst.) and yours truly served as judges. Curious about our winners? Check below!

And the winners are…..

(L-R) Patti K. – (Most ‘Oregon Bounty’ – Salmon), Noreen W. (Most RCMPy/mash up – for the birder representing S. Oregon, and E. Oregon), Karma + Luke (Most Regiony – for the Shakespeare Festival, S. Oregon constumes!)

~ Cheers…and have a safe and happy Halloween!

As team mates at Travel Oregon, we’re constantly telling folks about our legendary fishing rivers, Sahara-like sand dunes, snowy mountains, wide-open ranchlands, and a bounty that includes some seriously good wine, micro-brews and a host of fresh fruit and veggies! This blog is an up close and personal narrative of our experiences living, vacationing, traveling and working in Oregon.

As you read our blog entries about these experiences (starting with Greg’s “On the Road With Oregon Bounty” segment on Sept. 27th), you’ll see why things are not “business as usual” here in Oregon.

~Cheers on behalf of the Travel Oregon team

Mo