By Vicki and Vanessa Ng
Since moving to Portland, we’ve felt right at home in this beautiful scenic state of Oregon. Born and raised in British Columbia, we are no strangers to the beauty that the Pacific Northwest has to offer! However, what’s interesting about Oregon’s landscape is that the mountains, ocean and vineyards are all within close proximity to downtown Portland - so you can truly feel like you’ve gone on an escape vacation without actually needing to get on a flight.
When Travel Oregon invited us to help highlight the magic of Oregon and be a part of their Only Slightly Exaggerated Spring 2019 campaign, we were SO excited to say YES! Even as avid explorers, we’re not sure we would’ve come across some of these places on our own accord. Over the course of 3 days, we road tripped across Forest Grove, Albany, Molalla and Mount Angel - and what we quickly came to realize is that while the Willamette Valley is well-known for it’s vineyards, there’s a plethora of other great activities and places to visit.
Below you’ll find all of the highlights from our trip and hidden gems to check out next time you’re itching to get out of Portland and explore!
We stumbled upon one of the seven #OregonisMagic murals from the Oregon Mural Trail in Forest Grove, OR!
BG’s food cartel, beaverton
Beaverton’s first food cart pod BG’s Food Cartel definitely rivals the ones you’ll find in Portland (RIP Alder Street and Tidbit Food Cart Pods). While technically in the suburbs, this food cart pod is only 15 mins away from the downtown Portland and boasts much more variety in one space. Thanks to it’s expansive 4,500 square footage, you’ll find 31 diverse food carts to choose from, with ample room to sit, sip and enjoy. There is a kid-friendly lawn seating area, perfect for a picnic blanket with family on a warm day. There’s also a brick-and-mortar speakeasy bar with indoor and outdoor seating AND…real bathrooms! No porta-potties is a game changer!
Hot tip: Take a 5 minute walk to Curiosities Vintage Mall afterwards and find vintage goodies there! They also host the Beaverton Flea Market in their parking lot every FIRST Sunday, 9-4pm from May - October!
Afterwards, we drove to Apolloni Vineyards in Forest Grove, OR. This family-owned Italian-style winery features excellent Pinot Noirs, a charming tasting room, pet-friendly outdoor seating area, and a neat barrel cave area to peek through.
mcmenamins grand lodge, forest grove
For our Day 1 overnight stay, we checked into the McMenamins Grand Lodge in Forest Grove. If you’ve ever been to a McMenamins, you’ll know what we mean by “it’s so Portland”. The Grand Lodge is no exception, with quirky artifacts sprawled throughout the establishment. What we love about McMenamins is their creativity in restoring old properties throughout Oregon and Washington, and turning them into nostalgic destinations. The Grand Lodge is a former Masonic property with hotel rooms, many restaurants, a spa, bars and a soaking pool (which we made sure to enjoy!). The one thing we enjoy about staying at the Grand Lodge and other large McMenamins’ properties is that you can buy and carry your drink anywhere on the property. Bring your drink to the soaking pool, or back to your room, or to another bar, or outside in the gardens - some freedom at last! Also don’t miss out the Attic and try to find their secret wall panel (that is actually a door) entrance that leads to a trippy glow in the dark stairwell. There are so many fun (and creepy) finds here!
The next morning, we strolled through downtown Forest Grove and stopped Kama'aina for lunch. Families from O’ahu started this restaurant so you can expect authentic comfort Hawaiian foods such as poi, lau lau, haupia, lomi-lomi salmon and more! We definitely recommend coming here for great (and affordable!) Hawaiian food if you’re in the area.
durant olive mill + vineyards @ red ridge farms, dayton
Durant Vineyards holds a special place in Vicki’s heart. Back in October 2016, her now husband proposed to her on a surprise helicopter ride over the Willamette Valley. Afterwards, they drove to the nearest open vineyard to celebrate, and enjoyed a glass of wine while taking in the beautiful Fall sunset. It was the most memorable day, except with the spur of the moment they never recalled the name of the vineyard. It wasn’t until our recent trip that we realized it was Durant Vineyards! This turned out to be one of our favorite stops of our trip. The Red Ridge Farms property boasts Oregon’s first olive mill, a lavender field, greenhouses, and the cutest gift/cooking supply/nursey shop! Fun fact: they produce our favorite EVOO varietal Arbequina Olive Oil, which is the key ingredient in a classic Salt & Straw ice cream flavor!
historic carousel + museum, albany
We were immediately charmed away by the historic and beautiful downtown center of Albany. It’s quaint enough to feel like a small town but big enough to have the amenities and comfort of a large city. As we took an evening stroll along their waterfront park, we noticed Albany’s Parks & Recreation office and joked that there is a “Pawnee” feel to Albany (for the Parks & Recreation TV show fans out there). This was immediately confirmed when we learned about the town’s 14 year (so far) historic community project: the Albany Historic Carousel. a labor-of-love of eventually to be 52 handcrafted wooden animals on the carousel! We fell in love with the exquisite detail in each carving and the stories behind each quirky design. It’s 100% driven and funded by local volunteers, our wonderful tour guide had been volunteering every Sunday for the past 9 years!
We finished the evening in Albany with a memorable meal at Sybaris, which served seasonal greens sourced from local organic farms just minutes away including the popular chef favorite Spring Hill Organic Farm. We enjoyed meeting their down-to-earth and innovative Chef and Owner Matt Bennett, who has been nominated twice for a James Beard Award! For brunch, we crushed delicious chicken and waffles and fresh fruit crepe at Brick and Mortar Cafe. Make sure to try their coffee frappucino at their front cafe if you end up having to wait (which is most likely!).
alpacas at marquam hill ranch, molalla
One of our favorite stops were the Alpacas at Marquam Hill Ranch. Only 15 min. away from Mount Angel (and 45 min from Portland!), we met owner Jennifer Cameron and her husband Bill who have more than 80 alpacas on their 18-acre ranch. Jennifer was an incredibly gracious host. We got to feed the alpacas and learned so much about them! Do you know how to spot the difference between an alpaca and a llama? (Because let’s face it, everyone gets them confused.) Look for their ears! Llamas have long banana-shaped ears, while alpacas have straight ears and are generally smaller in size. To book a tour, just call to make a reservation. If you simply want to stop by and meet the alpacas, there’s no charge and they don’t mind at all. Do keep in mind that end of May is when they shear off their fleece in preparation for summer. Make sure to visit soon if you want to check out the fluffiest alpacas around!
Close by the ranch is Benedictine Brewery at the Mount Angel Abbey. We stopped by their taproom for their awesome craft beer and cider. In chatting with the local monks, we learned that their brewing techniques go as far back 1,500 years of tradition, now that’s commitment to a craft!
We hope you enjoyed our highlights! Please tag @foodbellypdx on Instagram if you make a visit to any of these places or comment below with any questions…we love hearing from you all!
Edit: article alert!
Thank you Daniell Centoni for expertly capturing the essence of Foodbelly PDX and our weekend so wonderfully on Travel Oregon! Click the following link to read more: “2 food-loving sisters discover a wonderland of culinary delights in the Portland Region and the Willamette Valley.”
This trip was sponsored by Travel Oregon. This post is not sponsored and all opinions and text are our own.