My first suggestion would be to order our Travel Oregon Visitor Guide, Scenic Byways Guide, and Oregon State map that we can mail to you for free. (Here is the link for that.) The scenic byways guide will be able to give you some ideas for beautiful places you might want to photograph, and the…

Sounds like a fun trip you have planned. My top recommendation for a trip that has all of the above (out of the way pretty wineries, good food, interesting accommodations and a close flight) would be for you to focus your trip on the southern portion of the Willamette Valley. The entire Willamette Valley is…

You’re in luck — the Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife maintains a great map where you can view the best wildlife viewing areas all over the state. Here’s the link: https://myodfw.com/wildlife-viewing. Click “view map” to get to an interactive version where you can get more information. The closest wildlife viewing locations to Carlton are the…

What a fun travel adventure! Salem has a lot of historic sites to explore. First I recommend ordering a free Travel Salem guide, which will have loads of helpful information. In the meantime, here are some web links you can use to start your planning. The Salem state capitol building: This is a must-visit, and…

Do you like hiking? If so, Spencer Butte is a short (1.7 mile loop) hike that is right on the edge of the city. It is short but it is steep — however if you don’t mind the walk you’ll find absolutely stunning panoramic views at the top. Hendricks Park is another gorgeous forested park…

I have an easy answer to this question: yes! There are lots and lots of farm-to-table dining opportunities in the Willamette Valley. It’s one of the things we’re best at :). If you’re looking for an actual farm dinner–a delicious dinner prepared by a talented chef and actually hosted on a farm, brewery or winery–there…

The Willamette Valley Scenic bikeway is beautiful and October would be a great time of year to ride it. Here are my thoughts on each of your questions. Quaint B&Bs Salem Century House of Salem is a historic home that’s just half a mile from the bikeway route and very bike-friendly. Albany Edelweiss Manor is another…

Good question! Depends on what you define as “near.” I know lots of folks paddleboard on the Willamette River…which isn’t right in McMinnville, but isn’t that far away, either. There are multiple places to put in/take out on the Willamette. I know people paddleboard from Wallace Marine Park in Salem, which is maybe 30 minutes…

What a fun question! Here are my top recommendations. Memorial Park in Wilsonville. This would be a really easy stop for getting on and off I-5 and a great place to get out and stretch your legs. Heading south from Portland, you’d just take exit 283, then head east for 1 mile. Memorial Park is…

Have you visited the Oregon Coast? It’s beautiful, and from Eugene it’s an easy one hour drive to Florence, which has all kinds of things to do — giant sand dunes to explore, a historic lighthouse, nice beaches, some pretty hikes. Your kids might like going for dune buggy rides or going sandboarding (like snowboarding,…

That’s a big area but there are a lot of options. It’s good that you say you’re not big city people, because the Willamette Valley is short on big cities but big on quirky smallish cities and towns. Here are a few broad ideas about things you might like to see and do as you…

Public transportation to small towns in the Willamette Valley is somewhat sporadic. Some towns have regular bus service, while others have none at all. Here are some of the best resources for public transportation in the Linn/Benton county area: Linn-Benton Loop: The Linn-Benton loop will connect you from Corvallis to Albany. Linn Shuttle: From Albany, you…

Lucky for you, it’s very hard to go wrong with any wineries in the Salem area! Here are a few fun ones: Brooks Winery Brooks has a wonderful blend of elegant wines and a welcoming atmosphere. It’s an absolutely gorgeous space with great views of the Cascades and a fun outside area with picnic tables…

When I think of cities in Oregon that are highly walkable for non-drivers, the two local college towns, Corvallis and Eugene, both come to mind immediately. Others are either too large or too small or don’t have amenities like groceries, restaurants, medical facilities and housing all clustered in a central area. Here’s a little bit…

There are several wineries south of Eugene that border each other — King Estate and Iris Vineyards are backdoor neighbors, and Chateau Lorane is also very close. I have heard anecdotally that you can walk from King Estate to Iris, and last year there was a 5K/10K trail run in the area that took the…

You happened to ask a good person — I grew up near Foster Lake and my family used to walk on the shoreline trail every evening! The walking trails at Foster Lake are great, and there are lots of places where you can walk right up to the lake shore and dip your toes in the…

Of course, you’ll be deep in wine country there, and I should encourage you to stop in at one of the bajillion wineries for a drop of pinot — it is definitely worth a stop. As for beer, a couple to put on your list are Golden Valley (McMinnville), one of Oregon’s older breweries and a good one….

I happen to love local cheese, so I love that you are asking this question! I am not aware of anyone offering a pre-set cheese tour of the valley. However, I would suggest you contact Black Tie Tours; they are based in the Dundee area and offer mainly wine tours but are very open to…

My top pick would be the Eugene area for cycling to wineries. You’ll find a higher concentration of wineries in the Dundee/Newberg area, but the roads are more highly trafficked with very minimal shoulders, and not as good for cyclists. In the Eugene area there are a couple of different routes that will take you…

Vida is pretty remote but it’s in a very, very pretty spot with lots of outdoorsy things to do. It’s right along the McKenzie River which is one of the prettiest rivers in the state. From Vida, it’s about a 40-minute drive to the trailhead for an easy hike to Tamolitch, the Blue Pool–this one…