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Travel Local for Less
Updated Jan 4, 2025 Oregon The wonders of Oregon, 3 min video, plus a 2 week itinerary to see the state . . . https://traveloregon.com/things-to-do/trip-ideas/7-wonders/2-weeks-7-wonders/ Portland Astoria to Newport Newport to Bandon Bandon to Crater Lake Crater Lake to Bend Bend to John Day John Day to Baker City Baker City to Joseph & Wallowas Joseph to Hood River Hood River, Mt Hood Mt Hood to Willamette Valley Museums for All (low income) museums listed alphabetically by state: https://museums4all.org/participating-museums/ Portland Metro Multnomah Co Library Discovery Pass https://multcolib.org/how-it-works-my-discovery-pass Access to Arts and Culture, Portland Region https://explore.publicartarchive.org/regional-arts-and-culture-council/ Oregon Rail Heritage Center, Portland OR Thursday - Sunday, 1:00 - 5:00pm Free Admission, Free Parking, has a holiday train https://orhf.org/ Oregon Jewish Museum, Portland OR Hours: Wednesday – Sunday: 11am – 4pm https://www.ojmche.org/exhibit-type/core-exhibitions/ PDX Parent lists free/discount activities & venues https://www.pdxparent.com/free-and-discounted-portland-area-museum-days/ Portland Rainy Day Fun https://pdxparent.com/pdx-rainy-day/ Portland Living on the Cheap https://portlandlivingonthecheap.com/events/ A great travel guide for Portland & more, including accessibility http://wheelchairtraveling.com/portland-oregon-wheelchair-accessible-travel-guide/ Free to look Powells City of Books https://www.powells.com/locations/powells-city-of-books/ Portland Saturday Market https://www.portlandsaturdaymarket.com/#close Farmers Market PSU https://www.portlandfarmersmarket.org/our-markets/psu/ King Farmers Market, Sundays May-Nov https://www.portlandfarmersmarket.org/our-markets/king/ 
Transit Travel--Portland & Vancouver WA
Get a HOP pass at Safeway, Fred Meyer, and many other stores. It's like a re-loadable phone card--you don't have to worry about having change or exact change. https://trimet.org/fares/hopcard.htm Tap the PASS as you board a bus, but before you get on the MAX (Portland’s Light Rail), look for a post like the one pictured at left. Discounts for Seniors/Disabled, Low Income, Youth. 2025 Reciprocal Admission Program--"membership to one of the participating organizations is your key to free admission for a member and three guests of any age to a different attraction each month." Jan--Oregon Zoo (Portland) Feb--Oregon Historical Society (Portland) & Columbia River Maritime Museum (Astoria) Mar—Pittock Mansion (Portland) & Cannon Beach History Center (Cannon Beach) Apr—Deepwood Museum & Gardens (Salem) & Hallie Ford Museum of Art (Salem) May—Architectural Heritage Center (Portland) June—Oregon Jewish Museum (Portland) & Lan Su Chinese Garden (Portland) July—Museum at Warm Springs (Warm Spings, west of Madras) Aug—Five Oaks Museum (Portland) Sept—Rice Northwest Museum of Rocks & Minerals (Hillsboro) Oct—Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum Nov—Oregon Coast Aquarium (Newport) & World Forestry Center (Portland) Dec—Clark County Historical Museum (Vancouver WA) Nationwide Zoos & Aquarium reciprocal memberships As of September 2024 https://www.aza.org/find-a-zoo-or-aquarium Oregon State Parks info
Universal Access Hikes (last update 2020) https://www.oregonhikers.org/field_guide/Category:Universal_Access_Hikes METRO parks & free parking days (Portland regional) https://www.oregonmetro.gov/ click on Parks & Venues https://portlandlivingonthecheap.com/free-parking-days-portland-metro-parks/ free parking days OR Free Fishing Days for 2025 https://www.eregulations.com/oregon/fishing/ Feb 15-16, June 7-8, Nov 28-29 *The FINE PRINT: Area closures, bag limits and all other regulations still apply. Oregon Museum of Science & Industry--OMSI https://omsi.edu/events OMSI YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/c/omsimuseum?app=desktop Rose City Astronomers Star Party Page https://www.rosecityastronomers.net/star-party-page The Cove Palisades State Park, near Madrus & Redmond OR brochure https://stateparks.oregon.gov/index.cfm?do=main.loadFile&load=_siteFiles%2Fpublications%2F%2FCove_Palisades_LOW_RES083631.pdf For more ideas check the Destinations page of this site. More in Oregon Link to Travel Oregon . . . https://traveloregon.com/ Oregon Coast map & mileage Oregon Rest Areas https://www.tripcheck.com/Pages/Rest-Areas?fbclid=IwAR1_WIlLcU3QGY_1Gm6qR97no9g-FLafBGLu9sgbAFlLHfzXFs12LAnNlZ4 Salem
Eugene https://traveloregon.com/places-to-go/cities/eugene/? Corvallis/Albany
Medford/Ashland/southern Oregon https://www.travelmedford.org/things-to-do Bend & Central Oregon
Getting Gas
Check out
Advice from a frequent traveler (stations below just off the highway) I-5 Oregon 1. Flying J at Donald/Aurora, OR; exit 278 2. Pilot at Brooks, OR; exit 263 3. AM/PM at Lebanon/Corvallis, OR; exit 228 4. Arco at Creswell, OR (used to be competitive); exit 182 Hwy 101 at the Coast 1. Union 76 at Bandon, OR 2. Coos Bay 76 (one going north, one going south) 3. Fred Meyer at Warrenton, OR 4. Fred Meyer at Tillamook, OR I-5 Washington 1. Exxon at Burlington (George Hopper Rd); exit 229 Compare Arco same exit, across street (one or other might be better) And Costco gasoline close 2. AM/PM Slater Rd, Bellingham, WA; exit 260 3. Pilot at Ferndale, WA, east side of I-5; exit 262 I-84 1. Arco exit 16 before Troutdale 2. Space Age gas station about 200 mi east of Portland, exit 182 near Hermiston 3. Pilot station exit 188 not too bad Note: if you have Safeway rewards, you can use them at Chevron and Texaco. New for 2021--checked 1/4/2025 Washington & Oregon compared--6 min video posted 2018 https://youtu.be/j7oxBYGW1Kw Access Recreation—helpful reviews of local trails and parks in the Portland/Vancouver WA area https://www.accesstrails.org/overview/home/index.html |
Washington Vancouver & Southwest WA FVRL Experience Pass (Fort Vancouver Regional Library) https://www.fvrl.org/experience-pass --use your library card for a free pass to:
FVRL calendar of events Fort Vancouver & Pearson Field/Air Museum, Vancouver WA City of Vancouver WA—Columbia River Renaissance Trail
Esther Short Park, downtown Vancouver WA Vancouver Farmers Market--begins in March Annual Events Vancouver WA Family Valentine Ball Feb 7-8 Pearson Air Museum hangar Thurs Waterfront Concert Series Fri Night movies in the Parks Juneteenth, June 14, 2025 Esther Short Park Hawaiian Festival July 24-27, 2025 Clark College & Esther Short Park Vancouver Wine & Jazz Festival 2025 would be the 25th Annual event Held in Aug at Esther Short Park; 2024 post 2025 dates not set yet (Esther Short Park): Día de los Muertos Hanukkah Celebration--Menorah lighting Annual Christmas Tree Lighting Vancouver WA Parks, Rec, & Cultural Services Water Resource Education Center Free educational activities and learning, various events Pendleton Woolen Mills Tour (Washougal WA) 11 min video You can sign up for a tour at either Washougal WA or Pendleton OR at Ridgefield, Steigerwald, Franz Lake, Pierce Nat Wildlife Refuges Cedar Creek Grist Mill
To-Do Vancouver, WA https://www.visitvancouverusa.com/things-to-do/ More places of interest in SW Washington Long Beach, WA Fort Borst Park, Centralia Cowlitz Salmon Hatchery Loggers’ Jubilee, Morton WA (see post, under Destinations) For more ideas check the Destinations page of this site. Washington state WA State Dept of Transportation https://wsdot.wa.gov/ https://wsdot.wa.gov/travel/roads-bridges/toll-roads-bridges-tunnels toll roads, bridges, & tunnels WA State Parks, searchable https://parks.wa.gov/find-parks WA State Parks free days 2025 —day use only-- https://discoverpass.wa.gov/ "Washington State Parks and the Washington Departments of Fish & Wildlife (WDFW) and Natural Resources (DNR) offer several 'free days' when a Discover Pass is not required to visit these lands." Following are the 2025 free days:
Historical Highway Markers—WA State https://wsdot.wa.gov/engineering-standards/design-topics/environment/environmental-disciplines/cultural-resources/history-archaeology-culture/historic-highways/historical-highway-markers 12 Free activities in WA pub Nov 2016 https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/washington/fun-free-things-wa/ 25 Best to do WA State includes 2025 events https://vacationidea.com/washington/best-things-to-do-in-washington-state.html Greater Seattle on the Cheap, including events (2025) https://www.greaterseattleonthecheap.com/ Wheelchair Travel in Seattle, including accessible taxis https://wheelchairtravel.org/seattle/ National Parks & Lands--2025 free days
https://www.nps.gov/planyourvisit/fee-free-parks.htm
Free & reduced passes-- Military 4th Grade Seniors Disabled Volunteers https://www.nps.gov/planyourvisit/passes.htm Accessibility in the National Parks https://www.nps.gov/subjects/accessibility/index.htm US Forest Service, and fees & passes Here's a good article on the Benefits of Camping, though it doesn't directly discuss accessibility. https://www.sport-fitness-advisor.com/benefits-of-camping.html Smithsonian Magazine Free Museum Day Sept 17, 2025 according to Smithsonian Museum and Zoos https://www.si.edu/contacts Transit Travel—other cities Seattle https://www.seattle.gov/transportation/getting-around/transit Vancouver BC public transit https://vancouver.ca/streets-transportation/visitors-guide-to-public-transit.aspx Victoria BC public transit www.bctransit.com/victoria Volcano Row https://pnsn.org/volcanoes Lassen Peak, CA Mt. Shasta, CA Medicine Lake, CA Crater Lake, OR Newberry Volcano, OR Three Sisters, OR Mt. Jefferson, OR Mt. Hood, OR Mt. Adams, WA Mt. St. Helens, WA Mt. Rainier, WA Glacier Peak, WA Mt. Baker, WA Travel your Local Planet Link to: https://happytowander.com/resources/ Pretty comprehensive website for worldwide wheelchair travel and issues by a man who lives & travels in a wheelchair: https://wheelchairtravel.org/destinations/ Wheelchair Jimmy has a special rating system, videos, etc. https://wheelchairjimmy.com/ Mobility International USA--resources, helps, tips for Disabled travel https://www.miusa.org/plan/americans-abroad A travel company that arranges for disabled travel adventures: https://gowheeltheworld.com/ Disabled travel & adventures in Utah (you'll be amazed) https://www.visitutah.com/plan-your-trip/accessible-utah/ Here's an article about Travel Rewards Credit Cards, if you want to know more about them: https://money.com/best-travel-credit-card/ |