In 2006 I went to visit my best friend in Spokane. While I was there she took me to see the beautiful architecture of the city. The upscale urban revitalization of their historical business district was amazing. The courthouse and the St. John Cathedral are superb as well as the stately homes in South Hill’s Rockwood National Historic District area and beautiful Manito Park. I was there in winter 
Manito Park
so my photos don’t do justice to this gorgeous place. The Manito Park Trip Advisor Link has nicer photos. There is a large Japanese garden and a lilac garden I could have stayed in forever.
Duncan English Garden Manito Park
My friend had planned a mini vacation during my vacation so a day after I arrived, we drove across Washington state from one side to the other, to their southern coast and into northern Oregon. It was about a 7 hour drive with a teenager and a 4 year old. Fun times.
My friends had stayed at Seaview Motel and Cottages previously. It was a sweet little old motel, with new cottages for families in the back. The rooms were very reasonably priced and clean. We had a very pleasant stay. One of the must see places, if you like odd things, souvenirs and free seashells for the kiddies, go to Marsh’s Free Museum. It’s a fun place to go with the kids, lots of unusual things to talk about. 
They even have a talking trash can! It was somewhere along their main street. We were walking downtown and I heard a voice coming from a trash can. I looked around everywhere, but couldn’t see who was talking. They could hear me and there was a bar right behind me with a big blacked out window where I assume they were hiding..and laughing. It was really funny because my daughter didn’t understand why the trash can was talking to her. She wouldn’t answer because she didn’t talk to strangers.
Loved walking around Oysterville photographing the old homes with their markers. My friends took me to a very old cemetery where a native American chief us burried. You can find his story here: Nahcati. If you like oysters you can go to the Willabay Oyster Company Store or you can order online at:
Willabay.com.
We went to the North Head Lighthouse. It is so beautiful there with sweeping views of beaches far below and this gorgeous lighthouse. There are two cottages for rent if you want to book them in advance I recommend doing so far in advance. Here’s a different link than the one listed below. Lighthouse Friends It’s just a beautiful place to see and spend some time but hang on to your kids hands. Cliffs are a sheer 75 foot drop to the rocks below. It’s free to walk out to the lighthouse.
They took us to the Seaside Aquarium in Seaside, Oregon. This is a small aquarium but it is packed with cool stuff to see and do. Great way to spend an hour or two. There is a place to feed the seals, make crafts, touch tanks and gift shop. The day we were there they said the octopus had escaped his pool and they found him across the room. I don’t know if that was just a story or not, but he’s a big octopus and very cool to see.
At the beach, my friends husband, who likes flying kites, bought my daughter her first kite and helped her put it together and get it flying.
Photo Credit: https://pixabay.com/en/users/malasoca-647152/
Getting to Astoria Oregon from Washington State, was oh so not fun for this scardy cat. We started on the low side and I was afraid the car was going in the water. It was pouring rain and it is a two lane bridge, one lane north and one lane south.
The bridge is 4 miles long and when we were finally nearing the other side we began to incline. This bridge is high enough to allow a 6 story cruise ship to sail from the ocean to the Columbia River which flows beneath.
O
nce we were there, we had an amazing breakfast and we toured the Flavel Mansion. If you like Victorian architecture, this one is tastefully done.
They show a movie for about a half an hour before the tour so be sure to make time to arrive with ample time before they close.
Captain Flavel was a 
very special man with a very interesting life. There is a lot of wonderful history told here about the area and the importance of the Columbia River. The lighthouses and their keepers saved many lives. Navigating the mouth 
of the Columbia River was almost a death sentence without them.
Another point of interest, high above the town over looking the bridge is the Astoria Column.
It is a small park like area and there is a booth set up where you can buy souvenirs and little airplanes to put your name on and fly it off the tower. Beautiful view from there.
The last place I will tell you about is the Tillamook Cheese Factory. 
This place is huge. Their cafe is awesome, lots of souvenirs, you can buy and of course Tilamook products. We were there on a day that the factory was closed so we didn’t get the tour. There were still lots to see. I like the gift shop and my friend’s son and husband liked their squeaky cheese. Click on the link below and check out their video and explore their website. Pretty cool.
Thank you for joining me on our trip to the Pacific northwest. We had a good time and I hope you got a few new ideas on places to take the family for fun.
Captain Flavel Mansion Astoria, Oregon
Oysterville Church, Oysterville, Washingron
