Greetings from Southern Oregon.

Many attractions in this region depend on the season and how active visitors are. The Grants Pass area is renowned as the gateway to the wild and scenic section of the Rogue River. As such, it is a destination for whitewater rafting and fishing. For those who prefer to see the river from a motorized craft, there is Hellgate Jetboat Excursions.

Grants Pass also is very near Oregon Caves National Monument, the state’s oldest and one of the region’s top attractions. The city’s downtown is popular with antique collectors, and there are lots of wine-tasting opportunities in the nearby Applegate Valley, as well as a Saturday farmers market downtown.

Wildlife Images in Merlin and the Bear Hotel Artworks Museum are popular with kids and adults alike. Here are recent stories from the Mail Tribune’s Joy magazine about those attractions: http://www.mailtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20101020/JOY/10200347&cid=sitesearch and

http://www.mailtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110921/JOY/109210348&cid=sitesearch

Just south of Grants Pass in Gold Hill is the offbeat and quirky Oregon Vortex House of Mystery. Here’s another story about that: http://www.mailtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20120415/OURVALLEY/204150329&cid=sitesearch

Medford is the headquarters of Harry & David and home to its Country Village. The city of Jacksonville, just west of Medford, is an Old West-style town designated as a National Historic Landmark.

Most tourists come to this area for activities in Ashland, which has the region’s highest concentration of art galleries, live music, restaurants and the popular Oregon Shakespeare Festival and Oregon Cabaret Theater. The city’s beloved Lithia Park, which extends for miles into woodland above downtown should not be missed.