You’ve been to Portland, now what? Consider heading up to the picturesque Tualatin Valley in the northern Willamette Valley.
The Tualatin Valley includes Aloha, Banks, Beaverton, Cornelius, Forest Grove, Hillsboro, Sherwood, Tigard, and Tualatin.
Disclosure: My trip to the Tualatin Valley was provided courtesy of the Washington County Visitors Association. All opinions are 100% mine.
Tualatin Valley: Portland Close, Willamette Valley’s Secret Gem
A short 30-minute drive from Portland, the Tualatin Valley offers so many activities. You can go wine tasting, beer tasting, zip lining, and more. There are family friendly and adult activities to keep you busy. All without any of the weirdness of the Portland scene.
And for those who are looking for a little beach action, the Oregon Coast is an easy day trip. The Oregon Coast is a short 1 and 1/2 hour drive.
You won’t find the big, bold wines of Napa Valley, California in the Tualatin Valley. You will find rich, delicious full bodied wines. Wines grown on farmlands established for decades like the Ponzi Vineyards and the Blizzard Vineyards.
You’ll find organic, farm fresh foods in the Tualatin Valley. Food that will delight and stimulate your taste buds without creating a crevice in your wallet.
The words “certified organic” might not appear on every label. Almost everything is all natural as they come. That sumptuous wine, cheese, and/or fruit has been grown without any unnatural chemicals or ingredients.
What to do
Wine Tasting
Photo courtesy: Washington County Visitors Association
With over 30 wineries in the Tualatin Valley, you can hop from one winery to the next. From award winning wineries like Ardiri Vineyards and the Montinore Estate in the Willamette Valley. You can enjoy breathtaking views of the Chehalem foothills and Mt. Hood while savoring a glass of wine from Ardiri.
Beer Tasting
Not into wine? Consider visiting one of the local breweries in the area like Vertigo Brewing or Three Mugs Brewing.
Sake Tasting
Sake One, the only sake brewery in Oregon, is in the Tualatin Valley. You’ll develop a deeper appreciation for sake. The free sake tasting tour teaches you about the process and helps you understand what sake is all about. And for a small fee, you can sample several types of sake in the tasting room.
Indoor Skydiving
Indoor skydiving: the thrill of skydiving without the risk. No jumping required! Just put one foot in front of the other and boom you’re airborne. The iFLY Indoor Skydiving is located in Tigard. You can book a 45 to 60-minute session taught by world-class instructors like Cole Fehr. Feher and his team won the gold medal in the 2017 International Bodyflight Association championship.
Read my review: iFly Portland Indoor Skydiving.
Ziplining
Oregonians and visitors love the variety of outdoor activities. With two zip-lining parks in the Tualatin Valley, you can spend time zipping through the forest. Or try your luck at an aerial ropes course at Tree to Tree Adventure Park.
Culture
For those who prefer to keep their feet on the ground, you can spend time at the World of Speed Museum. You’ll find everything from race cars, motorcycles, to boats.
Prefer something a little more sedate? Pay a visit the Rice Museum. Nope, it’s not a collection of rice. It’s an incredible collection of crystals, fossils, and other geological finds.
Conclusion
Looking for a place filled with wonder that’s unpretentious and devoid of weirdness? Consider the Tualatin Valley. The Tualatin Valley is the perfect place to bring your family, travel solo, enjoy a fun girls’ weekend, or have a romantic getaway. There’s something for everyone in the Tualatin Valley.
There’s something for everyone in the Tualatin Valley. And only a short 30-minute drive from the Portland Airport, the Tualatin Valley is easy to reach.
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Trisha
Thursday 14th of September 2017
Your first photo of the vineyard looks mystical! Tualatin Valley sounds like a place with not so many tourists but a very beautiful place with activities available for all ages and from indoors to outdoors. I love that there's a beer tasting, too, aside from wine!
Reshma
Wednesday 13th of September 2017
The Tualatin Valley looks like a great place to explore. I would love to do winery hoping! And I want to try beer as I love it, and same goes with the zip line. I am scared of heights, so I would never try sky diving, but indoor sky diving could satisfy my curiosity lol!
Kevin Wagar
Tuesday 12th of September 2017
I had no idea that Oregon had a wine region. Sounds like an awesome place to explore. Of course, I'd wait until after the indoor skydiving :)
David Meldrum
Tuesday 12th of September 2017
This sounds like a very interesting place with a great range of variety in activities. The wine and beer tasting is something I would absolutely do. Probably the indoor skydiving as well as im to much of a wimp to do the real thing and jump out a plane haha. Thanks for sharing.
Anna @ shenANNAgans
Monday 11th of September 2017
Indoor sky diving... what a brilliant idea. Do you think doing this counts as a tick off the bucket list? Love me a beer, wine and cheeky sake tasting I do. I feel like this little nook of the woods covers off on all the essentials, and its gorgeous too. :)