The Willamette Valley is a region in Western Oregon known for its fertile soil, stunning scenery, and world-renowned wine production. The valley’s cool climate and rich soils make it an ideal place to grow grapes, particularly Pinot Noir, which is considered one of the finest wines in the world. The region is also home to a thriving farm-to-table food scene, with local chefs incorporating fresh ingredients from the valley’s farms and orchards into their dishes. Visitors to the Willamette Valley can enjoy wine tastings, farm tours, and outdoor activities like hiking and cycling. The area’s picturesque small towns, including McMinnville and Newberg, offer charming accommodations, quaint shops, and a welcoming community.
There are two kinds of pizza eaters in this world. The first happily eats every last bite, crust included. The second works their way around the pie and leaves behind a sad little ring of abandoned crusts like the aftermath of some tiny carbohydrate massacre. (I'm not...
There are normal fall festivals. You know the type. Apple cider. Corn mazes. Hayrides. Maybe somebody puts on a flannel shirt and spends twenty minutes choosing a pumpkin that somehow costs more than lunch. And then there's the Oregon fall festival where grown adults...
The first cool morning that makes you dig out a flannel is basically Oregon’s official invitation to fall. After that, the to-do list writes itself: a cider donut still warm enough to fog the bag, a hayride that smells like cut grass, a corn maze that takes longer...
Water Street gives you plenty of reasons to slow down, but Mac’s Place has a particularly good one waiting behind its green storefront. At this downtown Silverton restaurant, a meal can come with a seat beside Silver Creek, where the view draws your attention away...
Long before Dolly Parton became one of the most recognizable voices in American music, she arrived in Eugene as a young country singer who was tired, homesick and struggling to make it through the road. It was February 1972, and Parton was touring with Porter Wagoner,...
If your October calendar currently consists of pumpkin patches, football, and wondering why Oregon suddenly decided it was winter at 7 a.m., we have something considerably louder to add to the schedule. Yelawolf is coming to Eugene. The Alabama-born rapper, singer,...
Wine gets most of the attention in this part of the Willamette Valley, but there's another kind of treasure to be found here. Instead of pinot noir, this place deals in things that are millions of years older, considerably harder, and, depending on who you ask, every...
The U.S. Navy Blue Angels are returning to Oregon this August, bringing their unmistakable blue-and-gold fighter jets, tightly packed formations and thunderous aerial maneuvers to the Oregon International Air Show in McMinnville. This year’s show is shaping up to be...
There are many perfectly good reasons to visit an Oregon farm. Fresh fruit is one. Wandering through an old orchard is another. Browsing antiques, garden art, cowboy boots, and curious little treasures can easily occupy an afternoon. But let’s be honest. At Tollen...
It started with a million dollar hamburger. Now they sell some of the best steak in Portland. Portlanders have never struggled to find great places to eat. New restaurants open every year, longtime neighborhood favorites continue to thrive, and food lovers will...
While Portland has changed dramatically over the years, Goose Hollow Inn still feels wonderfully familiar. Before Portland became known for trendy food carts, craft breweries, and ever changing restaurant concepts, there were neighborhood taverns where regulars...
If you've spent much time driving between Eugene and Springfield, chances are you've passed this colorful little building more times than you can count. It doesn't necessarily scream for attention. There aren't giant flashing signs or trendy marketing campaigns trying...