Meet Darla Thomas

Straddling the Willamette River, Oregon’s largest city offers culture, history, coffee, and many books. While Pacific Northwest winters may be damp, outdoor beauty abounds year-round. Forest Park, a 5,200-acre space that provides refuge to native wildlife, offers easy access to hiking and mountain biking trails. For a scenic stroll, head to the Lan Su Chinese Garden, the Portland Japanese Garden, or the International Rose Test Garden.

Portland is home to many family-friendly attractions, including the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, the Pittock Mansion, the Oregon Zoo, and Oaks Amusement Park, one of the country's oldest continually operating amusement parks.

Plus, readers rejoice—the City of Roses is home to Powell’s, the largest independent new and used bookstore in the world. Once you’ve picked out a book, grab a cup of coffee at Portland Coffee Roasters or Stumptown.

With an emphasis on arts and theater, Albany is close to the coast, the mountains, and Portland, Oregon’s largest city.

In the summer, head to the park to catch the Mondays and Monteith and River Rhythms concerts series. There are regular community theater shows and musicals year-round.

Staffed by volunteers, the Historic Carousel and Museum is a popular attraction, featuring more than 50 hand-carved animals, ranging from a 7-plus foot tall giraffe to unicorns, dragons, and bears.

With a gilded pioneer atop its State Capitol building, Salem sits at the heart of the Willamette Valley, offering an historic downtown and a vineyard-covered countryside.

Salem is home to shopping centers, a Riverfront Carousel, and Willamette University. It also has a rich cultural scene, with movies and music at Elsinore Theater and an annual World Beat Festival, organized by the Salem Multicultural Institute.

Nearby, the Enchanted Forest features fairytale fun for the family. In the summer, beat the heat at Walter L. Wirth Lake or play disc golf at Cascades Gateway Park.