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Ashland Attractions
The Oregon Shakespeare Festival
The Oregon Shakespeare Festival, the raison d'être of Ashland, is an internationally acclaimed theater festival that runs from February to October. The season typically includes three or four works by Shakespeare plus eight other classic or contemporary plays. These plays are performed in repertory, with as many as four staged on any given day.
The festival complex, often referred to as "the bricks" because of its brick courtyard, is in the center of town and contains three theaters. The visually impressive outdoor Elizabethan Theatre, modeled after England's 17th-century Fortune Theatre, is used only in the summer and early fall. The Angus Bowmer Theatre is the festival's largest indoor theater. The New Theatre is a small, state-of-the-art venue used primarily for contemporary and experimental plays.
In addition to the plays, there are backstage tours (tickets $9-$12 for adults and $6-$8 for children). Throughout the festival season there are also talks and special performances. The opening of the Elizabethan Theatre is celebrated each June in Lithia Park with the elaborate Feast of Will. Between June and early October, the Green Show provides 35 minutes of free pre-performance entertainment outside the doors of the Elizabethan Theatre.
For more information and upcoming schedules, contact the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, 15 S. Pioneer St., Ashland, OR 97520 (tel. 800/219-8161 or 541/482-4331; www.osfashland.org). Ticket prices range from $20 to $91; children's and preview tickets are less expensive. In spring and fall, tickets are discounted 25%.
Exploring Ashland & Its Surroundings
The Schneider Museum of Art, 1250 Siskiyou Blvd. (tel. 541/552-6245; www.sou.edu/sma), on the campus of Southern Oregon University, mounts art exhibits of a quality you'd expect in a museum in a major city. The museum is open Monday through Saturday from 10am to 4pm. Admission is by $5 suggested donation.
Ashland's first claim to fame was its healing mineral waters, and today you can still relax and be pampered at one of the city's day spas. The Phoenix, 2425 Siskiyou Blvd. (tel. 541/488-1281; www.thephoenixspa.com); The Blue Giraffe, 51 Water St. (tel. 541/488-3335; www.bluegiraffespa.com); and Waterstone Spa, 236 E. Main St. (tel. 541/488-0325; www.waterstonespa.com), all offer various body treatments, skin care, and massages. However, for the most unusual spa experience in town, plan a visit to the Chozu Bath and Tea Gardens, 832 A St. (tel. 541/552-0202; www.chozugardens.com), where you can experience the Japanese tea ceremony, soak in a hot salt-water pool in the bath gardens, or get a massage.
If you happen to have the kids along, you may want to schedule time for a visit to the Science Works Hands-On Museum, 1500 E. Main St. (tel. 541/482-6767; www.scienceworksmuseum.org), which is filled with fun interactive science exhibits. In summer the museum is open Wednesday through Saturday from 10am to 5pm and Sunday from noon to 5pm (other months it closes at 4pm). Admission is $7.50 for adults and $5 for seniors and children ages 2 to 12.
Wine Touring
For a map and more information on southern Oregon wineries, contact the Southern Oregon Winery Association (tel. 541/846-1039; www.sorwa.org). If you'd like to have someone else take you around to area wineries, book a wine tour with Main Street Tours (tel. 541/488-7895; www.ashland-tours.com), which has tours starting at $69 per person with a two-person minimum.
8 Results
- Winery/Brewery/Distillery
Agate Ridge Vineyard
Although this small winery is a bit out of the way, it is on the route from Crater Lake to Medford, Agate Ridge is worth a stop if you happen to be driving this way. They do a surprisingly wide range of wines, include such rarely seen whites as roussanne, marsanne, Viognier, and… - Winery/Brewery/Distillery
EdenVale Wines
This winery tasting room, beside a historic mansion on the outskirts of Medford, sells not only wines under its own EdenVale Winery label but also wines from other small wineries in southern Oregon. Between mid-June and mid-September, there's live jazz in the gardens here on Thursday… - Winery/Brewery/Distillery
Madrone Mountain & Daisy Creek Vineyards
These two wineries share a tasting room in a converted gas station in downtown Central Point. Daisy Creek produces excellent Viognier and Syrah, and Madrone Mountain specializes in ports and late-harvest Gewürztraminer. On one side of the tasting room is Rogue Creamery, and on the… - Winery/Brewery/Distillery
Paschal Winery & Vineyard
This winery produces a wide variety of wines that are made by Joe Dobbes, one of the state's best winemakers. The wines here tend to be some of the most reliable in the area, with big reds being a specialty. If you're lucky, they'll be pouring their Italian-style blend of… - Winery/Brewery/Distillery
Rising Sun Farms
Although this little tasting room is first and foremost the retail outlet for a local company that produces a wide variety of gourmet foods, the owners also produce some good wines. Stop in to try pinot noir and take home some fruit-flavored balsamic sauce, a marionberry cheese… - Winery/Brewery/Distillery
RoxyAnn Winery
RoxyAnn started out as the Hillcrest Orchard, which has been producing fruit for more than a century. Today this winery is producing some of the best southern Oregon wines. A wide variety of wines are produced here under several different labels. Although this winery is actually on… - Winery/Brewery/Distillery
Trium
Trium is a tiny winery, but with Peter Rosback, one of Oregon's best winemakers, making the wines, it produces some of the best wine in southern Oregon. Wines, primarily from estate-grown grapes, include pinot gris, Viognier, cabernet franc, merlot, and cabernet sauvignon. This… - Winery/Brewery/Distillery
Weisinger's
Just south of town, this family-owned winery has a great view over the hills and valleys. Dry whites are a strong point, though if you're looking for age-worthy wines with a lot of tannin, you may like Weisinger's merlot and Petite Pompadour, a Bordeaux-style blend of cabernet Franc,…
Ashland Shopping
Ashland has the best shopping in southern Oregon. Interesting and unusual shops line East Main Street, so when the curtains are down on the stages, check the windows of downtown.
Art galleries abound in Ashland, and on the first Friday of the month, many are open late. My all-around favorite place to check out works by local artists is at Ashland Art Works, 291 Oak St. (tel. 541/552-0100; www.ashlandartworks.com), an artists' cooperative of five separate galleries all housed in a collection of cottages on the banks of Ashland Creek. For contemporary art, check out the Hanson Howard Gallery, 82 N. Main St. (tel. 541/488-2562; www.hansonhowardgallery.com). Davis & Cline, 525 A St., Ste. 1 (tel. 877/482-2069 or 541/482-2069; www.davisandcline.com), which is located in the historic Railroad District about 8 blocks from the plaza, is another of my favorite contemporary art galleries here in town. This gallery even sells Dale Chihuly art glass. And for wearable art, stop by The Websters, 11 N. Main St. (tel. 800/482-9801 or 541/482-9801; www.yarnatwebsters.com), a knitting and weaving store carrying beautiful sweaters, woven jackets, and accessories. Between the first weekend in May and the last weekend in October, be sure to stop by the Lithia Artisan's Market of Ashland (tel. 888/303-2826; www.lithiaartisansmarket.com) on Calle Guanajuato. The location is on the banks of Ashland Creek behind the stores on the north side of the plaza. Market hours are Saturday from 10am to 6pm and Sunday from 11am to 5pm. For a well-rounded selection of wines and other gourmet treats, you can't beat the Chateaulin Wine Bar & Shop, 52 E. Main St. (tel. 541/488-9463; www.chateaulin.com), which is located next door to Chateaulin restaurant.
Ashland Nightlife
The Oregon Shakespeare Festival may be the main draw, but Ashland is overflowing with talent. From experimental theater to Broadway musicals, the town sees an amazing range of theater productions. To find out what's going on while you're in town, pick up a free copy of The Sneak Preview. If you've had enough Shakespeare or happen to be in town when the Oregon Shakespeare Festival is not staging performances, check out the performance calendars of the Oregon Cabaret Theatre, First and Hargadine streets (tel. 541/488-2902; www.oregoncabaret.com), a professional dinner theater; Oregon Stage Works, 191 A St. (tel. 541/482-2334; www.oregonstageworks.org), a small theater staging everything from classics to world premiers; or the town of Talent's little Camelot Theatre Company, 101 Talent Ave. (tel. 541/535-5250; www.camelottheatre.org), which specializes in making live theater affordable. The university also has its One World Concert Series (tel. 541/552-6461), which brings in touring musical acts and other performers.
For a glass of wine before or after a show, Liquid Assets Wine Bar, 96 N. Main St. (tel. 541/482-WINE [9463]; www.liquidassetswinebar.com), is the place to go. They serve some tasty, light meals here, too. Alternatively, you can sample and sip local wines at EdenVale Enoteca, 17 N. Main St. (tel. 541/482-3377; www.edenvaleenoteca.com), which is conveniently located right on the plaza. If you're just looking for someplace to heft a pint of local microbrew, stop by Standing Stone Brewing, 101 Oak St. (tel. 541/482-2448; www.standingstonebrewing.com). Or to keep with the merrie olde England theme of Ashland, head to The Black Sheep, 51 N. Main St. (tel. 541/482-6414; www.theblacksheep.com), an English pub on the plaza. Thursday through Saturday nights, you can do a little dancing at the Nuevo Latino restaurant Tabu, 76 N. Pioneer St. (tel. 541/482-3900; www.taburestaurant.com).
