One minute I'm cruising around this really cool new website about the Oregon coast (www.beachconnection.net), and the next I'm cruising around Highway 101, taking in all the clean air, the beautiful sights, gobbling some wowing food and visiting a lot of funky secret spots I found online. It's a wondrous trip that's hard to forget.
The 1642 Living History Village, Historic Site, Gosport: This is a representational Hampshire village set in the year 1642. You could go back in time and experience this replica of how it used to be with timber and thatched buildings. Occupants dress and speak in 17th century style.Entertainment:Details are important, but they�re not always the answer. If you bedazzle everything with pink Swarovski crystals, no one will care that you spent thousands on your decorations when they try to remember your wedding three months later. If you tie a gold bow around every chair, waiter, fork, and hors d'oeuvres at the reception, people might chuckle and appreciate the theme but few will truly remember the elegance that you tried so hard to create when they think of drunk Uncle Bob with a gold bow around his head. Rent designer chandeliers and they�ll stare in awe for 10 seconds before they dance, get drunk, and forget the elegance that�s hanging above. Bottom line is that it�s become commonplace to impress your wedding guests with a pricey, entertaining, and elaborate reception. In order to make a memory, you need to send them home with a little bit of a reminder of how sophisticated and marvelous your wedding really was.If it�s a disposable camera or a picture frame, then the guest is almost guaranteed to keep it with them. The disposable camera idea benefits the guests and the married couple because each guest will be certain to have a camera�s worth of pictures to look back on in an album for years to come, and negatives can be mailed to the bride and groom in order to reproduce candid shots taken at their own party.Aspex Gallery: Here, tourists can experience the most creative and contemporary visual arts; locally, nationally and internationally. There are programs of solo, grouped and themed exhibitions mostly centred on the work of younger or emerging artists.Food and Drink:Royal Marines Museum: This is a grand museum situated in a former officers' mess with sweeping stairways, chandeliers and fine paintings. There are also beautiful grounds in which you can relax and enjoy a quiet picnic with your friends. The Exhibition gallery features a talking head of Hannah Snell, audiovisual shows, interactive games, and a collection of over 7,000 medals.Special Events: Two of Portsmouth's most renowned personalities have events to commemorate their lives in 2006. �Brunel 200 Portsmouth� will celebrate the 200th anniversary of the birth of Isambard Kingdom Brunel, who was born in Portsmouth on 9th of April 1806.The famous author Richard Lancelyn Green will be releasing his wonderful collection of Conan Doyle-related books, papers and assorted memorabilia in the later half of 2006.Things to do:That night, I stayed at the Old Wheeler Hotel: a wildly romantic hotel in the tiny town of Wheeler that was carved out of an old building once ready to fall apart. This was totally amazing to discover, as the place has an extremely manicured, old world charm, with hard wood floors, chandeliers, clawfoot bathtubs and views of the untouched and pure Nehalem Bay. It's been nicknamed the "Westin-Benson of the Oregon Coast." I'm addicted and will be back. Hwy 101 and Gregory. www.oldwheelerhotel.com. 877-4theview.Eating and drinking: There are restaurants and small bistro�s that offer cuisine ranging from Indian to Italian, Turkish to Thai. If you want to meet with friends or enjoy your weekend, there is always a themed location to drink and socialize.The next day, I wander up just north of Manzanita to check out one of the incredible hidden spots I'd found at www.beachconnection.net. A set of grandiose cliffs and a small mountain hovers over the sleepy little beach resort, and on its north face lie some wild, weird slopes. The website said it resembled Ireland in some spots, and scenes from "Planet of the Apes" in others. Somebody nailed it on the head. You walk down these steep, grassy areas to come across a strange seascape of jagged, freaky rock structures and boiling surf. It was absolutely remarkable.So here you are, the blushing bride, in dire need of some wedding favour ideas. You�ve booked the photographer, you�ve purchased and altered the perfect dress, and everything is in place with the budget. Your main concern right now might be going overboard and wasting too much money on something small that people might just throw away. The trick is knowing your guests and hoping that they know you too; chose something personal and meaningful to you and your guests and the chances of those tiny $2 treasures getting tossed in the trash will hopefully be slim to none.Inn Lodge Portsmouth
Royal Beach Hotel
Express by Holiday Inn Portsmouth
Tulip Inn Portsmouth
Beaufort Hotel
Best Western Queens Hotel
Seacrest Hotel
For more information on the Oregon coast, make sure you go to www.beachconnection.net. You'll find virtual tours, weather, lodging, dining, and as they claim, loads of "beach secrets."
Author: Ben Randall
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