Put Ashland Oregon on your bucket list baby. It’s definitely worth the visit. You’ll be hard pressed to find any other place in the world with such an authentic taste for originality and preservation. Thousands of tourist visit the unique town and it’s nearby attractions every year. So, here’s the seven best things to do in Ashland Oregon.

#1 Amazing shopping

Of all the things to do in Ashland Oregon, visiting Main Street is a must. We were lucky enough to have our friend and Ashland native, Tish, to show us around. She highly recommended stopping in at Paddington Station. It was awesome.  I could have shopped there for hours!

#2 Breath-taking Lithia Park

Located right next to downtown Ashland Oregon, Lithia Park has 93 acres of lush forests, flowers, playgrounds, duck ponds, tennis courts, picnic areas and hiking trails. It is a beautiful place where you could easily spend an entire day.

You can also drink from various lithia water fountains found throughout the park. The lithium-loaded water is pumped from a spring outside of town and is known for its supposed health benefits. However, it tastes like a rotten egg.

If you don’t feel like walking through the park, your can rent a Zagster bike from one of seven stations throughout the city. It’s by far the best way to explore every nook and cranny that Ashland has to offer. For only $3 an hour, it is worth every penny.

#3 Science Works Hands-On Museum

I’ve got four little boys and we’ve been to a lot of museums. So believe me when I say that the Science Works Hands-On Museum in Ashland, Oregon is one of the best I’ve been to. Our boys were bouncing from room to room setting off rockets, making over-sized bubbles and tinkering with inventions.  And since we are a member of the ASTC Travel Passport Program, we got in for free even though we don’t live in Oregon!

#4 Chocolates and cheese

If you want to tantalize your tastebuds with local specialties, stop by the Rogue Creamery for some fresh cheese curds and then walk next store to Lillie Belle Farms Artisan Chocolates for some award-winning lavender sea-salt caramels. It’s just a few miles away from Ashland, located in Medford, Oregon. Delicious!

#5 Gorgeous waterfalls and trails

You can’t mention things to do in Ashland Oregon and the Rogue Valley without mentioning the vast outdoor attractions that riddle the area. Within an hour, we drove to the Mill Creek Falls Scenic area where you can see Pearsony Falls, Mill Creek Falls, Giant Boulders, Barr Creek Falls and Boundary Springs.

If I were to come back to the Ashland area, I would spend an entire day checking out all of these individual waterfalls.  We only had enough time to visit Pearsony Falls. Plus, all of the trails were easy enough for our kids.

#6 Crater Lake

If you are within an hour and a half of the deepest lake in the United States, you’d be crazy not to go! Crater Lake partially fills a volcanic depression called a caldera and at its lowest point, it is 1,946 feet deep! It is awe-inspiring to look at. If you go in the winter, make sure you bundle up. Located in the Cascade Mountains, Crater Lake receives an average of 40 feet of snow every year.

#7 Jacksonville near Ashland, Oregon

Originally established as a gold rush town, Jacksonville makes you feel like you’ve stepped back in time. It is now a national historic landmark because so many of the buildings have been preserved. Plus, it’s only 17 miles from Ashland.

You can even feel the bullet holes left in the brick walls of the bank on Main Street.

After spending several days in Ashland, Oregon and the surrounding Rogue Valley, I wondered why I hadn’t visited this awesome area sooner. So, put Ashland on your list of road trips. You won’t regret it.

What are some things to do in Ashland Oregon that you enjoy?

Related link: Roadtrip hacks using household supplies