Oregon's Willamette Valley - a Great Weekend Getaway

Oregon's Willamette Valley is a great place for a weekend adventure. Begin your travels in Newberg, Oregon. Newburg is a mill town at is located n the gateway to wine country. A visit to Minthorn House can be exciting and educational. Minthorn House is the location where Herbert Hoover spent his youth. If Newberg is an overnight location on this Willamette Valley trip then Hess Canyon Estate located south of Newburg from Hwy 99W on River St. then East on 4th to Wynooski. This B&B is within walking distance of Newberg's main street. Relax on the overstuffed furniture and enjoy the sound of the nearby creek as it flows downstream

Next stop on this Willamette Valley road trip is Dundee, a nice small community and a great place for lunch when on the road. Visit Red Hills Café at 976 Hwy 99W, Dundee, Oregon. A great place for an inexpensive roadside meal at Red Hills Café to make the day more enjoyable and lunch tasty. Filled with about 6 or 7 large wooden tables. Enjoy homemade sandwiches, soups and maybe even a dessert.

Down the road is Yamhill Oregon. Here in Yamhill you will find the Flying M Ranch, which is just 10 miles west of Yamhill. Flying M Ranch was rebuilt after a devastating fire burned it down years ago. The furnishings at Flying M Ranch are of course Western-style with an amazing bar made of six-ton logs. The restaurant at the Flying M serves a great breakfast to start your day and some mouth-watering steaks.

This restful ranch may be just the spot to spend a night or two relaxing in the country setting. Accommodations include several simple cabins und the trees and a primitive dude ranch style bunkhouse. The bunkhouse actually has motel-style rooms. If camping is your forte then perhaps the shaded campsites along the Hanna Creak and the North Yamhill River would be the location your family will choose.

McMinnville, Oregon located in the Willamette Valley provides the traveler with the Lavender's Blue Tea Room, just 1 block east of Hwy 99W on Cowls street. McMinnville is a farming town and may feel like an unlikely place for the English style teahouse but Lavender's Blue is an oasis of elegance. Sit in the Tea Room or perhaps the garden with its floral patterns created just for the ambience of the teahouse is the best place to spend an afternoon. Along with that fabulous cup of tea perhaps a scone, shortbread or small savory dish along with one of the great books located in the middle of your table will interest you.

Maybe Italian is what the group wants for dinner or lunch on this trip through McMinnville. Nick's Italian Café located right across from the movie theater may be just the spot for that spicy Italian meal. This untrendy café is a great place to relax and eat meals filled with flavorful ingredients. Enjoy a five -course meal at Nicks Italian Café rich in garlic and beginning with minestrone soup. Second course a green salad with French bread. Oh and don't forget the fourth course which will always be a pasta dish homemade and delicious. For dessert try one of Nick's fresh pastries and don't forget that bottle of wine with dinner.