Introduction to Ashland, Oregon
Famous for its annual Shakespearean festival, Ashland is located in the Rogue River Valley just north of the California border. It is a small college town with old-fashioned homes lining its green hills, and with dense blackberry thickets lining its rural roads. Some of the locals are burned out (I witnessed a drunk lady in a parking lot and a space cadet at the theater); some are overly cheery (I found this especially in shops and throughout Oregon); some are smug (about living there); and some are throwbacks to hippie days (they sit in doorways--strumming, fluting, and asking for spare change).
Located on Highway 5 about halfway between San Francisco and Portland, it makes a good stop on that journey. It is an all-day drive from the Bay Area, but if you start out early, you can get here by 4 or 5 p.m.--in time to freshen up with a swim and dinner and still attend an 8:30 p.m. performance of the Shakespeare Festival. Note that the town is devoid of gas stations; look for one I found on the first Ashland exit going north.
More information about Ashland.
More things to do in Ashland.
More things to do along Oregon's Highway 5
image depicts Lithia Park, courtesy of Ashland Oregon Chamber of Commerce
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