A Road Trip to Ashland

What do chocolate, the theater and 3 generations of women together have in common? A Road trip to Ashland, Oregon. In the early part of spring, just as the cherry blossoms began to burst onto the scene, I took a road trip down to Ashland with my daughter, Lana, daughter-in-law, Amy and my granddaughter, Alex.

We spent a lovely weekend in Ashland enjoying the 2nd Annual Chocolate & Wine festival, an amazing evening of cabaret theater, and the charming ambiance of Ashland. It was a wonderful girls-weekend getaway, and one worth repeating. Check out the photos from our trip, and get inspired for your own trip to this jewel of Oregon.

This first photo is just an example of one of the most intriguing natural sights to see as you drive south along I-5, into the southern part of the state. If you've ever driven that way perhaps you wondered what all the 'bushels' or 'nests' in the trees alongside the roadway really are. Wonder no more, they are mistletoe, which grows upon the branches of sturdy trees such as oaks. This was the first new thing I discovered on our way down. My daughter Lana has a passion for nature, and as we drove by them one after another, after another, she let us know, that these were indeed mistletoe, which is a hemiperisitic plant, it takes what it needs from the oak, never planting its own roots in the ground... a strange and wonderful sight to see.

Once in Ashland, we settled in comfortably at our hotel, the Ashland Springs Hotel, a landmark of it's own right, and in the heart of downtown Ashland. This made getting around town quite easy, be it a walk to the great tastes of Hiro Raman just a couple blocks away, or for a quick drive up the hill from downtown where the chocolate fest was held at the Ashland Hills Hotel....

The Lobby is truly beautiful and timeless; and yet gives a sense of the creative past of Ashland itself with the art and furnishings as much as the architecture itself.

    

    

The chocolate festival consisted of a Friday night social hour with chocolate fountain, wine tastings and even a chocolate martini for those who dare; along with an afternoon to chocolate and wine tastings from some of the finest chocolatiers and wineries around the region. Yum!

     

Some nice surprises include face painting- why not? Mint chocolate soap (divine to smell), and perhaps the sweetest treat of local infused honey.... you must try these! 

 

There was plenty of down time to relax and enjoy the simple things in life such as a walk around the beautiful, historic town of Ashland.....

  

My granddaughter Alex took a turn at some close-ups....within  Bluebird Park, a bit of green with Ashland Creek running through it...

                  

Our Saturday evening was spent enjoying an incedible dinner and entertaining cabaret style show. The Million Dollar Quarter- featuring the songs of Elvis, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins and Jerry Lee Lewis during a one-night-only jam session at Sun Record in Memphis- took me back to my younger days and saw all of us tapping our toes in delight and fun. Even the youngest generation, Alex, got a kick out of seeing her Nanna have such a great time with all the music!

And a final photo to share; our girls' weekend getaway to Ashland was a lot of fun full of memories... and right during the start of Oregon's Spring blossom run- such lovely blossoms everywhere... Spring in Ashland, before the Oregon Shakespearean Festival gets underway, is an excellent time to enjoy this charming and historic jewel of Southern Oregon....