I-5′s best stops en route to Eugene and the University of Oregon

Originally Posted on Emerald Media via UWIRE

Many of you knew that your summer would come to an end and that you’d have to leave home at some point. For this means a flight to Eugene or Portland, but for others it’s time to buckle up for some good old-fashioned road trippin’. Put some new batteries into your GameBoy Color — if you’re not driving — and dust off the “Pokémon Red Version” cartridge because smartphone or not, you’ll be going through some areas without any cell service. If you don’t have a GameBoy or something fun to keep yourself occupied, then you’re going to have to read.

If you’re headed southbound to Eugene on Interstate 5, there are quite a few attractions that will serve as fun pit stops on the way to the University of Oregon.

First up is Wild Waves Theme Park in Centralia, Wash. After spending who knows how many hours in a hot car, it’s a great place to cool off and relax. It’s a combination of a water park and an amusement park so you’ll want to carve out a couple extra hours in your schedule to get everything in. The trick here is to go on a water slide, then run over to a roller coaster to spin-dry. Rinse and repeat. Wild Waves (36201 Enchanted Pkwy S. Federal Way, Wash.) admission is $40 for adults above four feet  tall, $33 for anyone shorter than four feet tall and two years and younger get in free.

Much closer to Eugene is the Enchanted Forest in Salem. It’s a theme park entirely dedicated to old storybook tales like Humpty Dumpty and Alice in Wonderland. The park is located at 8462 Enchanted Way S.E. Turner and tickets run $10.50 for adults, $9.50 for children ages 3-12 and ride tickets cost $1 each.

If you’re northbound, there are even more attractions lined up for you.

In case you weren’t aware, there are no In-n-Out Burger joints in Oregon. Word to the wise, stock your body up on those jungle-style fries, four by fours and Neapolitan milkshakes. If you want to make fast friends. Located all over California, the last stop before crossing into Oregon is Redding, while the average double-double costs $3.20, fries are $1.50 and shakes are $1.99. Get as much In-N-Out as you can before you get here because nobody’s going to want to hear about how devastated you are about the lack of jungle-style anything in your life.

In the small city of Winston, Ore., there’s a place where people swap places with animals. Wildlife Safari has lions, tigers and bears in addition to various other wild animals. At this place, the animals roam free while people are confined to their vehicles. There’s even a wallaroo, an animal related to kangaroos and wallabies. At times, the staff will allow visitors to feed the giraffes, but feeding any of the other animals is prohibited. Wildlife Safari is located at 1790 Safari Rd. in Winston. Tickets cost $17.99 for ages 13-59, $11.99 for ages 4-12 and kids younger than 3 get in for free.

Read more here: http://dailyemerald.com/2013/08/29/i-5s-best-stops-en-route-to-eugene-and-the-university-of-oregon/
Copyright 2025 Emerald Media