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Oregon - Eugene to central Oregon
Hello all! I am struggling to put some details into an itinerary I have for an upcoming Oregon vacation. My husband and I have been to Oregon before and did the coast, as well as Portland, Mt. Hood, and the Columbia River Gorge. This visit we will be flying into Portland, driving to Eugene to visit family for a few days, then on to Bend for a few days, and then finishing out our vacation in the Newberg area. We like to explore nature, drinks (wine, beer and alcohol), shopping, and hiking. Below is our dates with a few restaurants and things to do. Any recommendations on restaurants, wineries, breweries, and hikes would be awesome! Feel free to provide feedback on what I've listed too. Nothing is in stone except the dates/places, because all the rentals are booked. In Bend, we are staying right downtown and in Dayton, we are out in the countryside. I forgot to mention i'm a runner too, so looking forward to exploring the Oregonian outdoor lifestyle with some running paths!
Thanks for any help you can give! Kristy
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You don't mention when this trip is. That would make a big difference with places like Crater Lake. So I will skip any suggestions on that until knowing when the trip is:)
As for Dayton, the restuarants you list are all in Dundee or Newberg. Each of those are great, but they are very different. Red hills is extremely low key and has been a favorite of ours for many years. Their sandwiches and pizzas are done in a wood fired oven and are the best around! Jory is more of a see and be seen place, although with good food. Rosmarino Osteria Italiana is very nice, although the location is a bit surprising as it is on the main strip through Newberg. But it is well regarded and a winemaker friend of mine just did a winemakers dinner there. I don't know if you narrowed down your choices to these 3 or if these are the only ones you found, but regardless there are many more very good restaurants in the area, but these are good solid choices. Still, Red Hills is my personal favorite, FWIW. For wineries, that is hard as there are over 500 wineries in this area alone. This is the area that we lived for many years, and we frequented them and still do, so my comments are based on that. I am not a fan of Adelsheim at all. Arbor Brook, Tristaeum, and Brick House are very close to there but are significantly better and better experiences, IMO. Archery Summit is good, but IMO I don't care to pay for a fancy tasting room, so that is not one that I tend to go for. I like the smaller ones that the cost of the wine is about the wine, not the building. Again, just my preference. I would skip Vista Hills as I just don't think their wine is all that good. Two very small places that I adore are Grochau in Amity and Seufert in Dayton. |
If going directly from Eugene to Bend, take the OR 242 detour for some spectacular lava fields views:
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Super helpful! I chose the restaurants based on google reviews mostly, but we love local recommendations. Regarding restaurants, we are staying in Dayton, so any close to there are preferred, but we aren't opposed to driving within 30 minutes if needed. Same for wineries. We are pretty low key people and love wineries that are a little eclectic, so recommend any you think are worth the stop.
We are traveling late September-early October! |
For Bend restaurants, you might add one called Hola in downtown Bend. It's Peruvian and Mexican food, very small place. The people in our party who got the Mexican food said it was decent. But it was the Peruvian food that really shines. And the ceviche.
There are a lot of good hikes in Bend. Smith Rock State Park up by Redmond has incredible views and it's fun to watch the climbers as well. In Bend, the ones near Paulina, the lava and obsidian are favorites. Many are in the Newberry Caldera National Forest. It's been several years since I did the obsidian flow, but it's memorable in my mind. If you do that one, proper footwear (no flipflops!) and you might consider pants in case you fall. Do not bring a dog. As I recall, with this one we needed a special permit that I bought at a visitor's center. I think we hiked also nearby before/after that section. The lava tube is fun if you like caves. I'm not afraid of caves but nor do I love them. Worth renting their lanterns as they work really well. National Forest site: https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/desc...a/?recid=66159 https://socalhiker.net/hiking-paulina-peak/ https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE...prd3827728.pdf |
In the Eugene area you might check out the Public House which is actually in Springfield. Its an old church converted into a beer hall and several food vendors. There is also a whiskey drinking room. Its become a pretty popular place.
Oakway Mall has the Sabai Restaurant which is my favorite in Eugene- Thai food. Also Sunriver Brewing and a nice bar at the top of the Hyatt hotel. Whitaker area- brewpubs and restaurants. Hop Valley Brewing, Falling Sky, Ninkasi Brewing. Heritage Distilling - whiskey tasting. Territorial winery- with music on Thur and Friday nights. Many restaurants in the area. Many visiting runners like to visit Pre's Rock- where Steve Prefontaine was killed. They leave all sorts of memorials to him at the rock. There is a walking, running, biking path on both sides of the river. Valley River Inn and the Northbank have decks overlooking the river for drinks and dinners. Sarvers winery is my favorite in the area. Maybe not the best wine in the valley but a short drive from Eugene and great views. The wine isn't bad just not spectacular. There's a start. |
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