The water swaps direction twice a day, whipping into a frenzy of whirlpools and rapids.

Remember that scene in the Matrix, when Neo is in the big white room with all the weapons flying by? Well, this is what it would look like if he had wanted trees instead of guns.

This little slice of the Netherlands in the Pacific Northwest blooms in a rainbow of color each spring.

Two massive rock outcroppings on the Oregon coastline.

The short-lived railroad town in central Oregon has been abandoned since the 1930s.

This Oregon farm is dedicated to teaching people the professional art of tree climbing.

The second largest waterfall by volume in the U.S., Willamette Falls is outdone only by Niagara in the amount of water that is pushed northward.

Nestled between a college and a golf course, the garden is home to more than 2,500 rhododendrons.

Their motto is, "We've been bonkers for hats even longer than you have!"

Portlandia is the second-largest copper repoussé statue in the United States.

10,000 flowered plants bloom in the City of Roses.

Gigantic private toy museum featuring among finest collections of antique mechanical banks in existence.

Forever immortalized in concrete, this Simpsons etching was crafted by show creator Matt Groening.

These old stone ruins in the Oregon wilderness were once bathrooms and are steeped in legends of murder.

The magic's in the hole!

Private collection of art inspired by cabinets of curiosity.

A massive sea stack famous for its appearance in The Goonies.

Tens of thousands of tiny birds swarm into one school chimney every fall.

Lighthouse-cum-columbarium where "Nor'easters" and grandma go to die.

A midcentury ranch house hides a literal treasure trove of unique rocks and minerals.

This gorgeous beach hides behind two headlands in Oregon's Ecola State Park.

An emporium for the weird, creepy, rare, and just plain gross.

A French chateau, failed utopian community, odd museum, and Stonehenge replica in rural Washington State.

Is this the most Portland place ever?