July is a glorious month in Portland. You know where else it's a beautiful month? In just about every other inch of this state. So listen to what's luring you out of town, whether it's seabirds in Cannon Beach, lavender mazes in Newberg, or cowboys chasing eight seconds of glory in Joseph.

Great Cannon Beach Puffin Watch

July 1–4, Cannon Beach

Puffins! Need we say more? The nonprofit Friends of Haystack Rock sets up birding scopes on the beach near their favorite sea stack from 8–11am each day of the long holiday weekend to give beachgoers a closer look at the breeding colony of birds who make Haystack Rock their home for the spring and summer. The group hopes to raise awareness of threats to the species, who have been returning to Haystack Rock in smaller and smaller numbers in recent years.

Newberg Lavender Trail

July 1–31, Newberg

Lavender lovers convene in Newberg for the Willamette Valley town's monthlong celebration of the fragrant flower. Stop by a U-pick farm to harvest your own sprigs, take a wreath-making class, or get lost in a lavender maze. Local restaurants and shops get in on the action, too, with an abundance of lavender-focused treats on offer, pastries to ice cream to cocktails. Level up July 13 and 14 at the annual (and free) Willamette Valley Lavender Festival & Plein Air Art Show, which features art and craft booths, food trucks, and paintings by artists created “en plein air” during the Northwest Lavender Paint Out.

Oregon Country Fair

July 12–14, Veneta

A little hippie, a little woodsy, a little witchy, and a lot Renaissance fair, this very only-in-Oregon weekend campout/concert/party/consciousness-raising circle is now in its sixth decade.

Lost River Bluegrass Festival

July 12–14, Merrill

Bluegrass bands and aficionados descend upon tiny Merrill (population under 1,000), located just a few miles north of the California border, for a family-friendly weekend of picking, camping, and quilting.

Donald Daze Hazelnut Festival

July 13, Donald

Oregon's state nut gets the star treatment in Donald (a 30-minute drive south, between Wilsonville and Woodburn), which revives its annual festival after a four-year absence. Expect a parade, a classic car show, skate park demos, live music, and kids activities.

Oregon Coast Music Festival

July 13–27, Coos Bay & Charleston

Coos Bay's own Aaron Johnson, a New York–based woodwind jazz and blues triple threat, is among many artists making music in stunning coastal locations including Mingus Park, the Oregon Institute for Marine Biology, and Shore Acres State Park.

Toledo Summer Festival & Logging Show

July 19–21, Toledo

The little town of Toledo, which sits just inland from the central coast, goes big with parades, fireworks, carnival rides, and a karaoke contest (they've been holding elimination rounds since May). The logging show, meanwhile, promises impressive displays of timber skills: events include "choker set" and "hot saw," and the all-around champion gets crowned "Bull of the Woods."

Dory Days

July 19–21, Pacific City

A celebration of dory boats, the flat-bottomed beach-launched fishing boats that have been a staple of the fishery around Pacific City, this three-day event features a parade, a fish fry, live music, and kids activities.

FairWell Festival

July 19–21, Deschutes County Fairgrounds

Central Oregon hosts a robust lineup of performers—among them Kacey Musgraves, Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, Billy Strings, Camp, Colter Wall, and LeAnn Rimes—for a weekend of music and camping.

Tamkaliks Celebration

July 19–21, Wallowa

Descendants of the area's first inhabitants gather in the Nez Perce Wallowa Homeland the third weekend in July, with camping, social dance, a horse procession, and a potluck.

Miners Jubilee

July 19–21, Baker City

The Eastern Oregon town celebrates its gold mining history and heritage with a parade, sidewalk fair, mining demos, live music, and kids activities. Also on deck: bronc riding and bull riding.

Chief Joseph Days

July 23–28, Joseph

The rodeo is the main event in this annual small-town fest near Wallowa Lake in Eastern Oregon, but there's also a parade, a junior parade, live music, and a Nez Perce gathering with a Friendship Feast and traditional dance contest.

Corvallis Celtic Festival

July 25–28, Corvallis

The fledgling fest, which celebrates all the cultures that comprise Celtic heritage, returns for a second year. Expect harps, bagpipes, flutes, and whistle—as well as plenty of singers and dancers—alongside craft vendors selling Celtic clothing and jewelry. Celtic cornhole, anyone?