We had a wonderful experience spotting whale spouts and. riding along side some of these amazing…read moreanimals. Highly recommend!

Well, I love a chance to get out on the ocean and this excursion did not disappoint. We saw some…read more"local" whales, but no breaching. Captain Gary was informative and polite. My only negative comment is that I'm not sure he had sonar, or he could have found more whales. But I could be wrong.

We're newly relocated to the Pacific Northwest and decided to make this holiday about…read moreexperiences--not gifts. With our college kid home for three weeks, we searched for something fun and different and found Santiam Excursions in Lebanon, Oregon. We chose the Brunch Train and had an absolute blast. From the moment we arrived, the staff was genuinely warm and professional (even on the phone when we called with questions). That kind of thoughtful hospitality feels rare these days, and it set the tone immediately. We were seated in a vintage parlor car at an assigned table with sweet holiday décor, a table number, and a quick orientation from the team. There were also a couple of simple activity sheets at the table--an easy, surprisingly fun way to get us talking and laughing together. The 2.5-hour ride was scenic, mellow, and wonderfully unique, with vintage holiday music in the background. The owner even visited every table to check in--an old-school personal touch that made the experience feel extra special. We'll definitely be back to try their other excursions (especially the Portland/Columbia River options). Helpful hints for first-timers (based on our experience) ...GPS may take you to the wrong side of the tracks. We couldn't cross because the train was blocking access, so we had to drive several blocks to cross over and double back. ...No confirmation email with arrival tips. It would be helpful if they emailed GPS/parking guidance, but don't stress--parking is plentiful near the tracks and station. ...The office opens 30 minutes before departure. When doors open, it's a bit of a rush and not very organized. ...Seating seems to vary by group size. Larger groups (especially with kids) may be placed in a charming car with folding tables/chairs. Smaller adult groups seemed more likely to be seated in the quieter parlor-style cars. ...Bar service comes to you first. After you're seated, a staff member offers drinks (alcoholic and non-alcoholic) before dismissing tables to the buffet. My Bloody Mary was great; my daughter loved her holiday mocktail. Beverages are additional to buffet/train ticket price and staff have mobile devices for your bar tabs (and tips) ...The buffet is a walk through multiple cars. Food is simple--eggs, sausage, pancakes, and basics. More "breakfast" than "brunch," but served hot and the catering staff was friendly. ...Explore the train. You can wander through the cars, including an outdoor car (brisk and fabulous). The bar car was crowded and very warm, so we skipped it, but plenty of guests loved it. A lovely final touch: after breakfast was cleared, staff invited everyone for complimentary hot chocolate back in the meal car. If you're looking for a meaningful, memorable way to connect with the people you love--this is worth it. Highly recommended, and we're rooting for their continued success.

My new husband and I really enjoyed the Father's Day BBQ train ride. The food was plentiful and…read moredelicious! The train ride itself wasn't very scenic, but that is beyond the control of the train management. Seating was very limited for the amount of tickets sold. Fortunately, we brought our own folding chairs and just set them up on the train. Otherwise, we would have ended up sitting on very uncomfortable cheap folding chairs in a boxy metal old cattle car with no windows. For something out of the ordinary to do, I would recommend this train ride. Just bring your own folding chairs.

Visited this location while touring police stations to determine needs for planning to build a new…read morepolice station. The facility is well taken care of and the staff was professional and accommodating.

Call me a cab they SUCK the left me at the wound care clinic they left me stranded I had just…read morerecently had surgery on my foot, I had to call a different cab company and they showed up within 10 minutes I definitely would not recommend call me a cab I would call this company the leave me stranded cab company

Call me a cab is a uninsured company in albany 1 the drivers ran a stop sign on kennel rd and I was…read moretraveling on Spicer going west towards albany when the driver ran into me I was driving 55 mph when hit and caused me to roll the dodge Dakota I was in 3 times or so and completely totaled the truck and recently found out they have NO auto insurance coverage And right now stuck with loss of truck about $3,000 and the tow Bill which is now well over $3,000 Plus they had a passenger when he drove into me Neither that driver or passenger was hurt And the owner and the lady that runs it as well as the driver that ran into me will return any phone calls to my insurance. And at time of wreck they give the sheriff a insurance that was canceled in the summer of 2018 the wreck was April 24 th of this year. I highly recommend people pay a little more for different cab company and be safe than to use CALL ME A CAB Which carries no auto insurance on their commercial taxi vehicles And I see them all the time blowing stop lights and signs and drive 90 mph thru town and constantly almost run into people almost daily Horrible taxi company for albany for sure

I really try hard to make sure that all of my reviews are fair and balanced. The main reason that I…read morewrite on Yelp is to try and help other people. Normally I would take off stars when things merit that, but because my overall experience here was so good and the joy I felt definitely seems to outweigh all the negatives, I just can't give the Cascades Raptor Center aything less than five stars. Let me go through the negatives with you first though because there are a few: Parking can be ... an adventure . The center sits at the top of the hill with a very small steep road leading up to a tiny parking lot. As many of the other reviews have noted, if you have anything larger than a midsized vehicle, I would not recommend attempting to use their parking lot. We tried originally and realized immediately that was a mistake, then turned around and parked at the trailhead across the street. We had to walk across a busy street and make it up that steep steep hill. I'm not going to lie, I was dying by the time I reached the entrance . But to be fair, I think most people are in better shape than I am :) so hopefully you'll be fine. They also have a very strict no dogs rule which I completely understand based on the venue. However, that means you cannot have even the smallest dog in the car or anywhere on the premises. Even the sight or sound of a dog can be stressful for the birds. So it totally makes sense to me that they're putting the animals first, but as someone who travels with her dog, it's important for you to know before coming . Lastly, I think the price is absolutely worth it. We paid $32 for two adults and I feel I got my money's worth but cost is important to a lot of people so I do feel the need to mention it. Having got all that out of the way, we had an amazing time here! We spent around an hour here at closing time and honestly I could have stayed a lot longer. Staff were very sweet and said that we could keep wandering around even after close if we wanted to because it takes them a while to get everything shut down and many of them are volunteers. There is no way I would have done that because I value people's time, but it is sweet of them to offer and they really seem to love and care for these animals deeply. I enjoyed speaking to many of them and they were all kind and informative. One of the things I appreciated most was learning about each resident and why they are there. These animals aren't on display for entertainment. They are ambassadors helping people understand and appreciate birds of prey. This organization rehabilities injured raprors, cares for many birds that to cannot be in the wild any longer and help utilize themto educate the public. The absolute sweetheart of my visit was Lethe, a turkey vulture who casually walked right up to us like we were old friends. I never expected one of my favorite interactions to be with a turkey vulture, but he absolutely stole my heart. Hans, the Eurasian eagle owl, was breathtaking. His enormous orange eyes were mesmerizing and I could have stood there watching him for hours. He is a stunning bird and to see him up close was incredible. I was also very excited to see Francis the magpie. My husband loves owls and that is why we came here, but magpies are my favorite birds so imagine my surprise when I saw her. Francis is actually not a raptor, she's a corvid, but she is a rescue and as the centers only non-rafter resident ,they also use her as an education ambassador. It was a challenge to try and get any good photos of any of the birds so although I'm attaching photos as always, you should understand that they don't do justice to actually being there. Because it was hard to get good photos and because of all of the other challenges that I have listed, if I was reviewing the raptor center completely objectively, I would probably give it three stars, maybee less honestly, but there is an element of community and learning and magic and hope and beauty here that just cannot be boiled down to an unequivocal rating. I would come here again every time, and all the time, and I highly recommend this stop if you're in the area and at all interested in birds or any kind of animal rescue and rehabilitation. .

My wife and I stopped by during the Eugene Marathon weekend. Being over 30, we understand that…read morebirds are cool. There were 31 birds with their own exhibits. Admission was $16/person, but well worth it for the experience. There are informative displays about each species and also each individual bird.

A beautiful hotel, with an even more beautiful garden. We had a king suite, which had a view of the…read moregarden. The room was very well appointed, nice features like a wet bar area, seating, separate TVs if one desired. Super comfy bed, great environmental controls (heat and a/c) were very quiet also. The bathroom was exceptional, most wonderful shower in North America. The breakfast was also darn good, lots of choices and very friendly service. In fact all the employees were very cheerful and welcoming, darn pleasant. But above all, and far so, is the Japanese garden attached to the hotel. It is worth the trip all on it's own. Spectacular for it's size, only an acre- centered around a gorgeous water feature of a huge koi pond, with many lovely spaces to just chill and appreciate the beauty of the garden.

Well it wasn't an expected stay here. It was an emergency since my front passenger tire blew on I-5…read moreon the way to California last night. And it happened just past Keizer. I was playing no games with the way the universe was talking to me yesterday. No thank you sir. We won't be driving anymore. Not going 50 on I5 for 7 hours. I pulled up hotels on Yelp, and this was the first choice. I thought OMG this has got to be expensive. Nope. Affordable. And VERY VERY nice. I'm INCREDIBLY picky and to say that this was super clean is a lot for me. It's so clean. Modern. Nice. The carpet was so clean that my socks didn't even get dirty walking around without shoes on. The service was great. When we checked in, the woman at the front desk was very friendly and helpful. The staff at the free breakfast were nicer too. I'm vegan and got an English muffin with peanut butter and jelly and coffee with Silk vanilla almond milk. Yay breakfast!! It was quiet, clean, a great price and just what we needed for an overnight stop before we figured out new tires and the long drive to N. California. Thank you Best Western for the overnight respite that was much needed.