Understand
Ashland is a small town, home of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival (http://www.orshakes.org), one of the largest and oldest regional theatres in the country. Southern Oregon University (http://www.sou.edu/) balances the tourist population with students throughout the year. The weather is relatively mild, with a few days of snow in the winter, several days of 100F weather in the summer. Some believe that the town resembles northern Italy or Switzerland, with snow covered peaks in the winter, a lake not too far away in the valley, and a nice, small-town, community feel that is oh-so-rare these days in the States.
There are two main business districts: one downtown, centered on the Plaza and running southwest along Main Street toward the library. This old-fashioned boutique shopping area is home to many amazing restaurants. In fact, you'll have a hard time finding a bad meal. Connected to this area is 93-acre Lithia Park (http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/...) which was designed in part by John McLaren also the designer of San Francisco's Golden Gate Park in 1914. The other business district is around two miles to the southwest along Siskiyou Boulevard where it meets Ashland Street/Highway 66, near the Southern Oregon University campus and the Ashland Shopping Center. Ashland has a limited number of drive-through permits, and thus fast food joints. Wendy's, Taco Bell, Subway and other chains are still open in Ashland.
Outside of the business districts, Ashland offers a host of outdoor attractions. The famous Pacific Crest Trail (http://www.pcta.org/), Crater Lake, rafting, biking and Mount Ashland (http://www.mtashland.com/) ski slope are all nearby.
Many public places, including most hotels and B&Bs, coffeehouses and even pubs offer free wireless Internet access.
