Back to the Fifties cruises back in to Grants Pass on July 27, 2010

Pre-1975 classic cars will parade down 6th & 7th Streets. Celebrating the 20th Annual Back to the 50's Celebration with one of Oregon's largest and best organized car cruises. The cruise is limited (per State Law) to 550 vehicles and the vehicles must be registered to participate - so register quickly as this event sells out every year! 

Get a registration form online by visiting the Towne Center Association website. You can also get them from the TCA office located at 220 SE "H" St or by phone at (541) 476-5773.  You can also contact the Rogue Valley Classic Chevy Club website.

*NOTE: Late registration is NOT guaranteed. They strongly encourage you to register early.  The last several years they have had to turn away some beautiful vehicle entries. 

They are offering a simple, joint registration with the Rogue Valley Classic Chevy's Club (RVCC) Classic Car Show. The form may be used for one, either or both events and is part of the registration packet.  


Art Along the Rogue heads back to Downtown Grants Pass.  Look for the "animal" theme at this years event!

The City of Grants Pass celebrates Art Along the Rogue 2010! In it's 8th year, Art Along the Rogue will feature dozens of national, regional, elementary and high school student artists creating huge pastel chalk drawings on “H” Street in Downtown Grants Pass. The theme for this years event is “animals”. New to Art Along the Rogue in 2010 is a Pub Crawl. For $25, participants over 21 years can taste the regions best micro-brews in eleven locations in the downtown area. Restaurants and pubs will also feature delicious foods to accompany the micro-brews . Pub crawlers will receive a commemorative pint beer glass. Tickets will be available August 1, 2010 at Elegance, 321 SE 6th Street in Grants Pass or by calling (541) 476-0570. Another new addition to Art Along the Rogue this year is a “Doggy Art Walk”. Sponsored by the Rogue Valley Kennel Club. At 11:00 a.m. on Sunday, October 3, 2010 dogs of all shapes and sizes will be artistically costumed and paraded through the festival on “H” St. Prizes will be awarded to the most artistic doggy.


Do you remember this cute little Bearfest Baby Bear named "Jazzy the Classical Cub", made in 2005 by artist Janet Higgins? At Art Along the Rogue 2010 you can buy a raffle ticket to win this adorable cub  (pictured right). Tickets to win this  cub will be sold at various locations starting on or about September 1, 2010. Look for the announcement in the Daily Courier or this website. For more information, please call (541) 476-5510.

Grants Pass' Outdoor Growers' Market is in full swing

In all seasons the Outdoor Growers' Market is a sensory extravaganza: spicy petunias, roses and chives, thyme and lavenders, fresh peaches and blueberries, ripe tomatoes, coffee brewing and donuts frying, wind chimes, hand made soap and lotions and candles.  There are fresh eggs and honey, natural meats, and seafoods, cakes and pies, cookies and specialty breads.  Here, in season, are the ripest and freshest local fruits, vegetables in 500 miles; from asparagus to zucchini, they round out a constantly changing variety of products.  Over 150 members attend from Southern Oregon and Northern California serving from three to five thousand visitors per Saturday.

The Outdoors Growers' Market is open every Saturday morning, mid-March until Thanksgiving, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the corner of 4th and ‘F’ in Downtown Grants Pass. A favorite with residents and tourists, the Growers’ Market is second only to the Rogue River as an area attraction. It showcases the finest fresh fruits and vegetables growing in the Southern Oregon region, as well as secondary wood products, gourmet specialty foods, artists and crafters.  Be sure to check out the Market at Riverside Park every Wednesday from June through September. 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

The World of Wine Festival - The Rogue Valley's premier wine event! Tickets are on-sale now.  

Showcasing outstanding wines made exclusively with Southern Oregon grapes. The World of Wine showcases the expertise of local wine grape growers and the creativity of regional winemakers with a delicious array of gourmet foods and live music prepared by Southern Oregon’s premier restaurants and artisan producers.

This year’s event, which is sponsored by the Rogue Valley Winegrowers Association (RVWA) and the Southern Oregon Winery Association (SORWA) will be held outdoors under a festive and spacious tent in the middle of picturesque Del Rio Vineyard near Gold Hill, Oregon. Cooled by evening breezes, festival guests will be able to sample the finest wines from over 40 Southern Oregon wineries, while enjoying a delicious assortment of artisan foods, cheeses and desserts from the many outstanding restaurants and artisan producers throughout Southern Oregon. Attendees may also dance to live music or relax under the stars in an alfresco seating area outside the tent.

Once again, a silent auction will be held to benefit the continued efforts of our “non-profit” organizations to build awareness for Southern Oregon wines, while preserving the unique agricultural heritage of our small-family vineyards and wineries.

Only 500 tickets are available and WOW always sells out. Tickets are $70 each and are on-sale now at the following locations:  Elegance Fine Wines in Grants Pass, (541) 476-0570; RoxyAnn Winery in Medford, (541) 776-2315;  Del Rio Vineyard, (541) 855-2062;  Schmidt Family Vineyards, (541) 846-9985 or Pacific Wine Club, (541) 245-3334.  For more information, please visit the World of Wine website.

The Great Cats World Park - A place for the whole family to enjoy!

Cave Junction, Oregon is a small place with many fantastic and heart pounding places to visit. Just west of Grants Pass on Highway 199, Cave Junction is easy to find. When visiting Cave Junction Oregon one of the best places to visit is the Great Cats World Park.

Great Cats World Park is a different sort of experience for the traveler. Most animal parks allow you to view the animals from a distance. Great Cats World Park allows visitors to be up close with over 35 cats and 18 species of wild cats this majestic park gives the visitor a different sort of experience. 

What sets the Great Cats World Park apart from other wild animal exhibits and parks is that the visitor is up close and personal with each and every cat within the park. Animal trainers work with these big cats and use them for movies and presentations throughout the world. All the cats are filmed and photographed off lead and free in settings in the wilderness for whatever the movie or picture shoot requests. The Great Cats are taught to watch and respond only to the trainer and therefore the photo shoots are set up so that the camera person is between the cat and the trainer and the cat is focused on the trainer only.  This can become a heart pounding experience, but this is how the Great Cats of the World Park has become a one of a kind place.

For more information about the Great Cats World Park, please visit The Great Cats World Park website.  Take a tour today. 


USA Today Travel section - 10 great places to ride the river rapids - The Rogue River makes the cut!

Read the full article on USA Today's website. Start planning your next adventure now!  

The Grants Pass Tourism Bureau wishes everyone a safe and happy summer. Get out there and enjoy yourself!