Summer Budget Travel Tips from Gadling
For the couple looking for a true romantic getaway -- somewhere off the beaten path, but still with plenty to see and do -- Ashland, Oregon is the perfect place to honeymoon. The small town is full of its own charms, but it's also convenient to Crater Lake National Park, which is probably the most beautiful place on Earth. Really.

Fed only by rain and melting snow, Crater Lake is the deepest lake in North America at almost 2,000 feet, and it has some of the cleanest water in the world, which provides absolutely breathtaking reflections of the surrounding mountains and clouds. Miles of hiking trails around the lake give you thousands of views you won't want to leave behind -- take a camera and be prepared to get a lot of pictures.

Back in Ashland, nearly everything in the town is within walking distance of any of the charming bed and breakfasts where you can stay. The Peerless Hotel is one of the nicest B&B's in Ashland, with intricately decorated rooms full of romantic charms -- a great place to start your marriage off right, or to revisit for the perfect second honeymoon.

Ashland is most famous as home to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, where you can catch dozens of plays -- Shakespeare and otherwise -- on each of the town's three main stages, including the beautiful outdoor Elizabethan Theater.

Between shows, take a relaxing walk in the peaceful Lithia Park, where you can drink Lithia Springs mineral water from a fountain. It's an Ashland tradition, but not a pleasant one -- the water is rich in sulfur and tastes as bad as it smells. To wash that taste out of your mouth, try Kobe, a fantastic Japanese restaurant on Main Street.

For such a tiny town, there's so much to see and do in Ashland. Give yourself time to experience it all, and don't even think of coming so close and then skipping a trip to Crater Lake. You won't regret this vacation decision.

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