Northwest Towns Top Travel List for 2007
Every year the editors at Frommer’s Travel Guide and Frommers.com selects the top travel destinations for their readers. Out of all the places on the globe they select only twelve places to refer to their viewer’s. This year two Northwest towns made Frommer’s list including British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley and Portland, Oregon.
Okanagan Valley, a lush region of British Columbia, dubbed by some as “Napa North” or “the Tuscany of Canada”, boasts a mild climate, with rolling hills and plentiful fruits, nuts and grapes. Vineyards are the big business now — with more than 120 in the region, it is an ideal place for wine tasting. As in Napa, the topography and climate of Okanagan Valley make it a great place for hiking, kayaking, and biking (bike tours will even take you from winery to winery). The gateway to the region is Kelowna and the center of the wine region is a town called Naramata.
Portland, Oregon situated one hour from the Cascade Mountains and one hour from the Pacific coast, serves as a convenient hub for the area’s excellent outdoor adventure opportunities — from summer hiking and mountain biking to winter snowboarding and downhill skiing on Mt. Hood, and kayaking and fishing on the Columbia River. Portland, an environmentally friendly town, has revitalized its waterfront along the Columbia as part of an overall commitment to responsible urban development. Here is one of only three U.S.-based sake manufacturers, where you can tour the facility and participate in a sake tasting. Foodies are starting to recognize Portland for its flourishing restaurant scene, especially in the Pearl River warehouse/loft neighborhood. There is also nearby Willamette Valley, a wine region touted for its up-and-coming Pinot Noirs.
Jerry Campbell - Muljat Group - Bellingham WA - Bellingham WA Homes.