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Trendler |
As Meg Trendler promotes the Eugene, Cascades and Coast region of Oregon, she likes to use the phrase Hub and Spoke to describe her city’s appeal to visitors.
TravelAge West caught up with her recently to find out what she means by that term and how it translates into a great vacation.
What is a Hub and Spoke vacation?
Hub and Spoke refers to the combination of city and country attributes available to visitors in a single destination. Eugene is perfectly situated for clients to enjoy day trips out of town while taking advantage of its urban blessings.
What does the heart of Eugene have to offer visitors?
Eugene is a college town. The beautiful tree-filled University of Oregon campus is really an arboretum in its own right, with access to world-class speakers, performers and exhibitions. The city plays host to a thriving art scene with wonderful museums, monthly art walks, performing arts venues and resident companies. Festivals and special events fill our parks, concert halls and event facilities year-round. For decades, our restaurants have been connected to our local farmers, and fresh farm-to-table cuisine is not a new fad but a chosen lifestyle. In fact, at our farmer’s market, visitors often see chefs picking out what’s in season for their culinary creations.
What can outdoor lovers do during day trips from Eugene?
Eugene is just one hour away from the mountains and one hour from the coast. Along the way there are multiple spots to take in a breathtaking waterfall, go on a hike through an old-growth forest and enjoy a picnic by a babbling brook or the roaring rapids of a glacier-fed river. Whitewater rafting, fly-fishing, mountain biking and snow sports are all removed from Eugene’s urban core and yet within easy reach. Clients can explore the great outdoors all day and then relax with a fabulous dinner back in town in the evening.
What are other ways in which Eugene calls to visitors?
Wine Country is close by, with vineyards from 10 to 25 miles away, and we have two tasting rooms in town. Our brewpubs and standalone breweries make it easy to drink local. In fact, three new breweries and tasting rooms — Hop Valley, Ninkasi and Oakshire — just opened last year.
Eugene is also known as Track Town, USA. As the birthplace of Nike and home to running legends of the past and present, it presents many major track and field events at historic Hayward Field. The NCAA Track Championships will take place here in June 2010, with the U.S. Track and Field Olympic Trials in 2012. Eugene’s Marathon on the first Sunday in May draws national and international runners.
Speaking of exercise, Eugene boasts over 70 miles of bike-friendly trails, paths along the Willamette River and lanes through town. The weather is mild and the scenery is beautiful and accessible. The people are friendly, forward-thinking and easy-going, living a clean, active and healthy lifestyle.
What’s new for visitors in Eugene?
Several new visitor accommodations have opened up in the past two years. Clients can now stay on a golf course (Inn at Diamond Woods), at a winery (Farmhouse at Sweet Cheeks Winery), on an organic fruit and vegetable farm (Lively Organic Farm), on a farm with shaggy Highland cattle (White Oak Farm), in a luxurious tepee in a small forest (Tipee Village Retreat) or in a full-service hotel (Holiday Inn). Our new glass-blowing studio has free demonstrations on Friday nights; clients can blow their own easy-to-make item for a minimal cost.
Also, we just opened our new Adventure Center in the Gateway area of the adjacent town of Springfield. It’s staffed with adventure specialists ready to help plan a getaway or help find the right activities, whether it’s making reservations for restaurants, tee times for golf outings, whitewater rafting trips and fishing guides or just suggesting where to find the perfect picnic spot. In the near future, a full schedule of informative programs will be held on-site.
Travel Lane County
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