McMinnville: Best Small Towns in Oregon to Visit

Enjoy the summertime pull of Oregon’s small towns – McMinnville made the list!  Thanks, Thrillist, for the mention. “McMinnville’s well-preserved brick structures built between 1885 and 1912 add an element of small-town charm not found elsewhere. And the Historic District will be your go-to for all of your said charm finding needs…” Read the full…

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Where Will You Be on August 21?

On the morning of August 21 at 10:20am, you’d better be ready for a trip to the dark side.  Oregon will be treated to a once in several-lifetimes event – a total solar eclipse.  During this rare event, the eclipse can be seen through the entirety of North America, which it will travel through in…

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Tiny Travels: Southwest McMinnville is a day date sweet spot

Date nights are overrated. The dinner prep for the kids, the meticulous primping, the guilt of staying out somewhere even though it’s 8:37 p.m. and I am begging to go home already. You know what’s better? Day dates. Actually doing something with long-term partners that doesn’t involve sitting. Working alongside each other. Being out together,…

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Tiny Travels: The best travel guide in Oregon wine country has four legs

Most horses can sense your relative ease or total incompetence and will carry you accordingly, but Gracie isn’t one of those horses. A chestnut-colored, flat-shod Tennessee walking horse who has been carrying visitors into the Dundee Hills AVA for over a decade, she’s got the breed’s trademark calm, its sure-footed legs and smooth stride. In other…

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The McMinnville AVA: A detective mystery

It just so happens I’m in the travel detective business. It’s bad business to have an American Viticulture Area (AVA) right in your backyard that you don’t know. It’s like a clue hiding in plain sight.  From what I’m hearing on the streets it’s the stuff dreams are made of: Sloping hills ripe for trodding,…

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Planning a Dreamy Wine Country Wedding in McMinnville Oregon

If you’re looking for a romantic setting for a wedding, then one in wine country makes perfect sense. I’m planning my wedding abroad in the fall but being so far away from where all your wedding vendors are can sometimes lead to missing out on learning about the little details. I spent the day with…

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McMinnville featured in Sunset Magazine

“Even serious enophiles describe Oregon wines with one word: Willamette. And one grape: Pinot Noir. It’s understandable. The Pinots produced in places like McMinn­ville and Dundee are among the very best in the world. The beauty of the Willamette Valley is that you can get lost on the backcountry roads but always find a good…

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Family Winemakers Tasting Loop: Tasting for a Cause

Special tasting experiences where the fees are donated 100% to a local charity Willamette Valley, Oregon: Who are we and what is this tasting loop? We are a small group of wineries where the family are both the owners and the winemakers, who have joined together to offer special ‘in the loop’ tasting experiences to benefit…

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Recipe for a Family Spring Breakation in Oregon Wine Country

This recipe has been in my family since my kids started going to school. I tend to whip it out a few days before the fortuitous calamity of Spring Break takes hold: one week of no-school, with its free-form days, lingering cabin fever and dreary, unpredictable Oregon weather. I’ve tweaked the recipe a bit over…

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Travel and Art: Connecting to the Larger Whole

Art is often thought of as stationary – paintings, sculptures, statues.  But of course, it is often much more experiential (think literary readings, dance, or live theater), and can be more of a direct interaction between the artist and the individual experiencing the art. Travel and art share a lot in common.  Traveling to a…

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