From Tri-Cities to the Coast – 10 Great Vacation Spots

Budget Travel named Yachats "One of the Coolest Small Towns of the U.S.A." Oregon Live named it "The Gem of the Oregon Coast." Arthur Frommer of Frommer's Travel Guides named Yachats number 7 on his 10 favorite vacation destinations in the WORLD.

Beautiful Lincoln City! It's one of the most popular tourism cities on the Oregon Coast. My parents got married here when I was little, and it's one of my favorite places I've ever lived in. Check out Roads End State Recreational Park.

Seaside is great if you're looking for a relatively short drive to a nice town with cheap lodging. It's a fantastic getaway for history buffs. They even have a big aquarium and arcade. Some scenes from Kindergarten Cop were filmed 20 miles outside Seaside. My dad served as civil engineer in Seaside in the early 1990's, overseeing projects like the Lewis and Clark monument, "End of the Trail." It marks the official end of the Lewis and Clark expedition. His name is on the firehouse and city hall. (Paul Christensen)

Astoria is named for John Jacob Astor, the first multimillionaire in American history. One of his descendants famously died aboard the Titanic. Astoria is the setting for the 1985 cult classic The Goonies, home of the famous "Goonies House." Kindergarten Cop, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger had exterior scenes shot at John Jacob Astor Elementary in Astoria.

Considered to be the "Windsurfing Capital of the West Coast," Hood River is a great vacation destination. The city has been praised in national media like National Geographic Adventure.

The Peter Iredale was a steel ship that was on route to the Columbia River when it wrecked in 1906. It is one of the most accessible shipwrecks on the Oregon Coast. I've been there several times from ages 2-22. I need to go again! (Photo by Mel Christensen)

Did you ever watch Free Willy? Willy was played by Keiko the killer whale. Keiko lived in the Oregon Coast Aquarium from 1996-1998. He died in Norway in 2003. The Oregon Coast Aquarium is considered one of the 10 best aquariums in North America.

One of the most popular tourism spots in Oregon has got to be Rooster Rock State Park. Legend says there's a nude beach nearby. That's funny, because the column was originally named "Cock Rock" but later changed to "Rooster Rock."

Considered the "Whale Watching Capital of the Coast", Depoe Bay also boasts the "smallest navigable harbor in the world."

Maryhill has a great observatory, art museum, Greek Orthodox Nunnery nearby, and Stonehenge. The Maryhill Winery often has big-time concerts.