Downtown Ashland, Oregon
Ashland
One of the items that had caused me to be interested in visiting Ashland was the description of the town itself. It had been described to me as a bucolic, almost alpine, little town tucked in amidst the rolling hills of southern Oregon. While that part of the description was accurate, it also left out a lot of the characteristics that make Ashland unique and wonderful.
The first thing that one notices after coming down the Siskyou Pass is that Interstate 5 does not run through Ashland. Instead, it runs about two miles east of town. The result of this highway placement is that Ashland feels pleasantly isolated. It also accentuates the “time capsule” feel to the town. One gets this feeling as they drive into the town. The edges of town are filled with the typical box hotels and gas stations seen in every tourist town. As one gets closer to downtown, the buildings change to Craftsman style houses typical of the 1920’s. The edge of downtown is made up of multi-story buildings from the 1950’s. Finally, the core of downtown is composed of buildings from the late 1800’s. While all of these buildings have been modernized, one can’t help but feel like they are traveling back in time as they get closer to downtown.
Also downtown is Ashland’s crown jewel: Lithia Park. This stretch of wilderness starts out as an innocuous patch of lawn straddling Ashland Creek on the south side of the town’s plaza. But, as it winds its way back into the hills, the park gets bigger and the plant life becomes more varied. The lawn becomes interspersed with azaleas and other flowering bushes. Later, these plants disappear, only to be replaced by the alpine wilderness that surrounds the town. All the while, the park follows the general path of Ashland Creek. Because the creek shapes the trails bisecting the park, one always has the wonderful sound of water rushing over rocks in the background. The park’s trails extend all the way to Mount Ashland. But, it is perfectly acceptable to stay in the manicured sections and enjoy the view. Regardless of which option is chosen, it is easy to see why so many people make it a point of spending time in Lithia Park when they stay in Ashland. Ashland’s citizens deserve a lot of credit for having the foresight to create this park, and the dedication to maintain it.
Aside from the Festival, Ashland’s other claim to fame is that it is the home to Southern Oregon University. The university, which is located about 2 miles from downtown Ashland, is fairly nondescript. But, since the Oregon Shakespeare Festival was founded by one of its instructors, the university has wisely decided to attach itself to the Festival. Consequently, a visitor (or a resident) can take special classes on Shakespeare or theatre while the festival’s plays are ongoing. It’s just another example of the foresight that seems to permeate Ashland’s atmosphere.
As one might expect given the popularity of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, the town is filled with bed and breakfast establishments. There are a few of the chain hotels, but (as mentioned before) they are relegated to clustering around the highway exit about two miles from the town proper. Obviously, bed and breakfast accommodations aren’t cheap (Our room cost $129/night). But, if you want to stay close to the Festival, odds are you will need to stay in a bed and breakfast. We chose to stay at the Oak Hill Bed and Breakfast. This B&B is close to Southern Oregon University, about 2.5 miles from downtown. We chose it primarily because its web site was the best of all the other Ashland B&B websites. We were glad to see that the actual establishment was equal to its website. The B&B is run by Tom and Pat Howard. They are Minnesota expatriates, who decided on the spur of the moment to buy a house in Ashland and run a B&B. As far as we were concerned, this was an excellent decision. They have created an absolute jewel of a B&B. The rooms are perfectly decorated, the gardens are lovely, and the breakfasts are scrumptious. We were fortunate in that we were the only guests for most of our stay (although, judging by their bookings, that usually isn’t the case). Because of this exclusivity, we were able to spend a lot of time talking to Tom and Pat. Those talks were one of the highlights of the trip. Tom and Pat were excellent resources for critiquing the plays, discussing local attractions, or just simply talking about life. They did an excellent job of making us feel like welcomed guests to their home. The only downside was that we did have to drive to the plays. But, this slight inconvenience was more than made up by the hospitality and the superb accommodations. It is for these reasons that I highly recommend a stay at the Oak Hill Bed and Breakfast.
With breakfast handled, we sampled the local cuisine only at dinner. We tried three establishments that had good food at good prices. Our first stop was The Plaza Café, so named because it sits in Ashland’s downtown plaza. We took advantage of the Café’s outside tables to enjoy our dinner on the banks of Ashland Creek. We had an appetizer of hoison barbeque wings ($6.00), along with an entrée of grilled salmon tacos for me ($11.50) and a grilled chicken Caesar salad for Dianne ($9.50). While the prices were a bit high, the food was exceptionally fresh and delicious. The next night, we stopped at the Green Leaf Restaurant, also on the plaza. The Green Leaf specializes in sandwiches, which was great for us because we were running late for a play and needed something quick. I had a pastrami sandwich, chips, and a soda for $7.95. Dianne had half a turkey sandwich, chips, and a soda for $4.95. The portions were just right to satiate our hunger, but still not overwhelm us to the point that we felt sleepy during the play. Finally, we ate at Munchies, which is also on the plaza. Munchies had been recommended to us by our B&B hosts, who said it was a place that was frequented by locals. They were right…it did have a “local” feel to it. But, despite the slight drop off in ambiance, the food was still excellent. Dianne had a burrito for $7.95, while I had a Cobb salad for the same price. In all, I have no problem recommending all three of the places where we dined.
However, the best part of eating in Ashland is having ice cream after the play. While the Ashland Fudge Company on the plaza does a good job of serving a variety of high quality ice cream, the place to go is BJ’s. BJ’s is on Main Street, about a block south of the theatres. The ice cream is simply out of this world. And, they serve it in so many different forms (including extra thick milk shakes), that there is always some new way to try a delicious new flavor. One must make a stop at BJ’s right after a play…although the ice cream is good enough that it deserves a visit regardless of the time.
I can see why so many people are drawn to Ashland. A beautiful setting, an understated sophisticated ambiance, and an abundance of civic pride have combined to create a jewel of a town. We definitely enjoyed our time in Ashland, and can’t wait to go back again.
2004 Update – The return visit to Ashland turned out to be as informative as the initial visit. We did see some differences in the town, and found some new restaurants worth mentioning. All in all, this visit to Ashland just deepened our appreciation and admiration for this town.
The biggest difference we noticed was the pronounced segregation between the town’s residents, attendees of the plays, and (as Dianne terms them) “free spirits.” In another era, these “free spirits” would be called “hippies.” Since that term is now passé, it’s probably more politically correct to call poorly dressed, unbathed, multiple body pierced, dreadlock wearing young people “free spirits.” There seemed to be a lot more “free spirits” around the town during the day than there were the previous year. Their presence seemed to drive the tourists out of downtown Ashland during the day. However, in the evening, the playgoers would come out and chase the “free spirits” back into the shadows. In the meantime, the residents seemed content to staff the stores and restaurants, biding their time before the town once again became theirs. I realize I’m being a bit facetious, but there was definitely more of a separation between the townsfolk, the playgoers, and the “free spirits.” I don’t know if that bodes ill for Ashland, but it certainly produced a different atmosphere than what we had experienced in 2003.
We once again returned to the Oak Hill B&B for our accommodations. As it was in 2003, it turned out to be a great choice. Pat and Tom were as gracious as ever, the breakfasts were even more filling than before, and the room was more comfortable than one could imagine. This time, we moved “down the hall” from the Lilac Room to the Fern Room. Both are great rooms. I think I like the Fern Room a bit better, primarily because it was cooler than the Lilac Room. However, it is a bit noisier, because it sits right above the door leading to the outside breakfast area. Still, whichever room is chosen, one cannot go wrong with the Oak Hill.
As for restaurants, we tried two places that we hadn’t tried previously. The first establishment we sampled was the Ashland Creek Bar & Grill. As can be surmised from the title, the restaurant is located next to Ashland Creek. But, the tables located along the creek were set too high to let the breezes coming off the creek cool the area. After sweating profusely, we went inside to the cool, but blandly decorated, interior. The food, while good, was nothing exceptional. I had a chicken strip sandwich ($6.95); Dianne had a Hawaiian burger ($6.95), and we shared a basket of onion rings ($4.50). We ate at a slightly off hour, so there was only one server handling us and everyone outside. As a result, service suffered. Overall, the solid quality of the food didn’t offset the overtaxed service and the mediocre décor. I’ll pass on the Ashland Creek Bar and Grill when I’m in Ashland again.
The next night, we ventured into downtown Ashland at about 10 p.m. for dinner (due to our late arrival from Crater Lake). Consequently, there weren’t many options open. So, we settled on the Black Sheep Pub. This restaurant/bar advertises itself as being similar to the pubs in England. Well, I’ve been to a few pubs in England, and I’ve never seen anything like this pub over there. The entire place (except for the staircase leading up to it) was pitch black. Throughout the pub, patrons were huddled over barely flickering candles that gave off just enough light to allow one to recognize the outline of someone’s face. To top it off, there was very loud music playing in the foreground (it was too loud to say that it was playing in the background). Thus, it was difficult to both see and hear the other people at one’s table. Fortunately, the food did not share the same bizarre qualities as the ambience. I had a pasty ($6.00) and Dianne had a salad with orange yogurt dressing ($6.95). However, because of the poor lighting conditions, I’m still not sure if I ate a pasty or not. Even though the Black Sheep Pub is open until 1 a.m., I think I’ll try to find another restaurant if I’m ever again looking for a late night meal in Ashland.
Having been experimental the first two nights, we settled on a tried and true favorite from our first trip: the Greenleaf Restaurant. I’m happy to say that nothing had deteriorated about this establishment in our year absence. The food was great, the service was speedy, and the ambience (next to the creek) was perfectly refreshing. In a very short time, the Greenleaf has become one of our favorite Ashland restaurants. I highly recommend it.
We also took advantage of the free Lithia Park walk that is offered by the City of Ashland every Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday at 10 a.m. The object of this one hour guided tour is to show off the variety of trees and plants that are scattered throughout Lithia Park. It’s a great way to gain an appreciation for the care and attention that has gone into creating Ashland’s crown jewel.
Like I said earlier, Ashland proved to be just as entertaining this time as it was the previous year. I’m looking forward to another visit to this treasure in the Siskyous.
Ashland Creek
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