Eugene,+OR


 * Travel Tips for Eugene, OR:**
 * Eugene, OR Wikitravel Website:** []
 * Eugene, OR Wikitravel Website:** []

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Eugene is home to the University of Oregon (Website: [] ). The airport is about ten miles northwest of downtown Eugene(Website: [] ). There is no public transportation from the airport to the city. Alamo, Avis, Budget, Enterprose, Hertz, and National all have rental counters. You can use Eugene as a jump-off point to the Cascades or the Oregon Coast (Website: [] ). Eugene is also a little more than three hours from Crater Lake National Park (Websites: [] and [] ). Or, you can take a day and soak in the forested mountains just outside Eugene. Take Hwy-58 east to Westfir (stop and enjoy the covered bridge there) then Aufderheide National Scenic Byway (Website: [] ) goes over the mountains to Hwy-126 which takes you back into Eugene. Along the way stop and enjoy the river, many easy hiking trails with parking dot the road, Cougar Reservoir and the dam are enormous. After reaching Hwy-126 and turning left/west you'll come upon Mom's Cafe which has the BEST pie in the area! If you're a runner/jogger, head to Hendricks Park which sits atop a small ridge between the University of Oregon and Interstate-5 at the southeastern edge of town. Located along Summit & Skyline Drives, this is Eugene's oldest city park. Its 78 acres includes a famous rhododendron garden, a native plants garden, short hiking trails, and an overgrown overlook of the city. This is a popular spot to run, as it is known to have been frequented by famed University of Oregon runners such as Steve Prefontaine. Nearby, at the Intersection of Skyline Drive and Birch Lane, is Pre's Rock, the location where runner Steve Prefontaine died in 1972. Pre's Rock is not in Hendricks Park! It is somewhat surprising that so little attention is paid in Eugene to honoring the locations used to shoot the mega-hit, "National Lampoon's Animal House". Perhaps it speaks to the fact that U of O students are not a heavily Greek bunch. Websites for filming locations: [] and []. The best highlight is seeing where the food fight took place-near the 'Subway' in the student union "fishbowl". Sadly, there is a very lonely, small plaque at the site where the actual building stood that was used for the exteriors of the Deltas at 751 E. 11th Street. If you head west to the Oregon coast, you might get to see the Grey Whale migration. Grey Whales migrate between their Arctic summer homes and their winter breeding grounds in the Gulf of California. Twice a year they can be seen off the Oregon coast as they make their ways to and fro. Grey whales stay close to the shore line and feed as they pass by sometimes spending days in a location. Some whales seems to make their homes in choice locations for most of the year. Prime whale watchig times are in December, and then in the Spring when they begin their return trips to the Arctic. The Oregon Parks Division has established a cadre of volunteers who man 28 "whale watching" stations along the coast highway (Highway 101). These volunteers can help you spot the whales and describe their activities as they meander along the coast. These whales were brought back form extinction by a consertive effort of governments and now number in the thousands. As for food in Eugene, try the Oregon Electric Station (Website: [] ). A local institution with lots of bric-a-brac of Eugene's railroad history and of Nike-wearing runners' glories past. The Oregon Electric Station has the best selection of spirits in town-especially their vast wall of single-malt whiskeys. If you want to go out and catch the college bar scene, try Rennie's at 1214 Kincaid (Website: [] ) or Taylor's Bar & Grill (Website: [] ) at 894 E 13th Avenue. Eugene is a nice place to visit or use as a beginning point.

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