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Christmas Light Displays

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Yay! the holidays, the time of year where it is even more acceptable to snuggle up in a comfy pair of pajamas for the whole day. If you are feeling a bit sick of your house and you want to get out to see some beautiful twinkling lights, this year we have some great ideas for you! (You can decide if you want to take those comfy pajamas off or not). In no particular order, here are some great christmas light displays around Portland!

Zoo Lights

zoo light

Now – Jan 5th

  • Oregon Zoo
  • 4001 SW Canyon rd

5pm – 9pm advance tickets required.

  • $19-$24 for the walking experience
  • $65 for drive-thru
  • *members receive a 20% discount

Buy Tickets

Winter Wonderland

winter wonderland at PIR, Light

Now – Dec. 31st

  • Portland International Raceway
  • 1940 N victory Blvd
  • Mon – Thurs 5-10pm
  • Fri – Sun 4:30-11pm
  • advance tickets required. *wait times can be 50 min during peak days/times*

$43+ per car depending on the day

Buy Tickets

Christmas Ships

christmas ships light

Dec. 4th – Dec. 22nd

around downtown and north portland along the rivers

Varying days and times depending on the river, check the Willamette schedule and the Columbia schedule for specific times

$FREE

Festival of Lights

Now – Dec 30th

  • The Grotto
  • 8840 NE Skidmore

5pm – 9:30pm

  • $14 advance tickets
  • $18 for at the gate tickets

Buy Tickets

Peacock Lane

Dec 15th – Dec 31st

  • Peacock Lane
  • Between Belmont and Stark St.

6pm – 11pm

  • Walk or Drive is available every night

$Free

Holidays at The Belle

Weekends, starting December 3rd

  • The Victorian Belle Mansion
  • 1441 N McClellan st
  • 4 pm – 10 pm

$5 – $20 depending on the event

Buy Tickets

Christmas at the Campground

Nov 25th – Dec 31st

Corner of SE Duke and SE 52nd ave.

  • Dusk Til Dawn
  • *grounds are closed but lights can be seen from the public streets*

$Free

The Holiday Express

Now – Dec 18th

  • Rail Heritage Center
  • 2250 SE Water Ave

Rides are every 90 minutes, tickets must be purchased in advance as they sell out.

  • $28 adult
  • $23 child *2 and under are free*
  • $92 family
  • Buy Tickets

Did we miss any of your favorites? Let us know in the comments!

Christmas Tree Farms

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Ah the holidays, the time of year when we can all eat too much food, drink too many drinks, and decorate our houses with little twinkling lights. Regardless of how you celebrate, one of the high points of the holidays is having the smell of fresh pine take over your home. Luckily, we have tons of great tree farms right here in the Portland Metro area! Here are a list of some of our favorites!

Furrow Farms

furrow farms
  • Opens Black Friday
  • Trees $11 a foot
  • Hours: Monday – Friday 10-5
    • Saturday – Sunday 9-5
  • 25877 NW West Union Rd.
  • Hillsboro, OR. 97124

Thornton’s Treeland

thorntons treeland
  • Opens Black Friday
  • Tree pricing as marked
  • COUPON
  • Hours: Monday – Friday 10-5
    • Saturday – Sunday 9-5
  • 7617 NE 119th St
  • Vancouver, WA 9866

Helvetia Christmas Tree Farm

helvetia tree farm
  • Opens Black Friday, weekends only
  • U-Cut Trees $70 (first weekend only)
  • Pre-cut $60 (through December 4th)
  • 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.

  • 12814 NW Bishop Rd
    Hillsboro, OR 97124

  • 503-334-0905
    Online: https://www.helvetia-christmas-tree-farm.com

Christmas Mountain Choose and Cut

christmas mountain choose and cut
  • Opens on Black Friday – December 11th
  • Trees $10-$18 a foot
  • Reservation required – Tickets
  • Hours: Monday – Friday 10-4:30
    • Saturday – Sunday 9-4:30
  • 25470 NW Dixie Mountain Rd.
  • Scappoose, OR 97056

503-621-3169

online: www.christmasmountaintrees.com

Lee Farms

lee farms, tree
  • Open Now – Dec 23rd
  • Trees $10-$24 a foot
  • Hours: Tuesday – Friday noon-4
    • Saturday – Sunday 9-4
  • 21975 SW 65th Ave 
  • Tualatin  OR 97062

(503) 638-1869

online: www.leefarmsoregon.com/christmas-trees

Sauvie Island Farms

  • Open Black Friday Weekend ONLY
  • Trees $50
  • Hours: 9am-5pm
  • 19818 NW Sauvie Island Rd 
  • Portland, OR 97231

503-621-3988

online: http://www.sauvieislandfarms.com/

Loch Lolly Christmas Forest

  • Opens Black Friday – December 12th
  • Tree pricing varies
  • Hours: 9-5 daily
  • 28366 NW Dorland Rd 
  • North Plains, Oregon 97133

503-647-2619

online: http://www.lochlollychristmasforest.com

Washougal River Christmas Trees

christmas tree - washougal river
  • Open Black Friday – Dec. 23rd
  • Trees $49.95
  • Hours: 9-5 Daily
  • 39336 NE Washougal River rd
  • Washougal, WA 98671

Quail Creek Ranch

  • Open Weekends
  • Trees $20+
  • Hours: Friday – Sunday 9-5
  • 9949 NW Kaiser Road
  • Portland, OR 97231

Enjoy the smell of fresh cut pine in your home this year! We certainly will, and happy holidays to you and your family!

Thanksgiving Dinner

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Thanksgiving is one of our favorite holidays. You get to spend time with friends and/or family thinking about the year you had a reminiscing about all you are grateful for. Not to mention there is (hopefully) some really fantastic food to go along with it. If you don’t love to cook, this can be a very stressful holiday, but don’t worry, we have you covered! Here are some great restaurants to check out that (last we checked) still had reservations available!

Campana

  • 901 NE Oneonta st
  • 4 – 8pm
  • $80 per person

Campana will host a pre-set four-course meal: chicory salad with maple vinaigrette and hazelnuts alongside an autumn vegetable soup with tomato, lentils, and Parmigiano; tortelli di zucca with sage, brown butter, and amaretti; roasted and braised turkey with traditional gravy, cranberry sauce, chanterelle stuffing, glazed autumn vegetables, and Piemontese potatoes; and an apple tart with cinnamon gelato.

Metropolitan Tavern

  • 1021 NE Grand ste 600
  • 12 – 8pm
  • $41 – $54 per adult, $17 per kid

Metropolitan Tavern will serve a four-course dinner including baked brie with cranberry relish, harvest salad with delicata squash and candied walnuts, polenta cakes with mushroom gravy, garlic herb roasted turkey, rosemary brioche stuffing, and sweet yams with charred marshmallow cream.

Brix Tavern

  • 1338 NW Hoyt st
  • 12 – 8pm
  • $39 – $55 per adult, $17 per kid

 Brix Tavern will host a four-course meal from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. The menu includes brie with apple-hazelnut relish; prime rib with horseradish sauce and mushroom demi-glace; fall vegetable Wellington with forest mushroom and cognac cream; garlic and basil mashed Yukon gold potatoes; and pecan pie with maple-coriander whipped cream, as well as themed cocktails

23 Hoyt

529 NW 23rd Ave

1 – 8pm

$55 per adult, $20 per kid

23Hoyt‘s buffet style menu includes plancha-seared Oregon Coho salmon with grapefruit beurre blanc; potato and sofrito gratin; cornbread, chestnut, and linguica stuffing; gin and lemon braised fresh cranberries; and ginger beer pound cake with citrus glaze.

Bullard Tavern

  • 813 SW Alder st
  • 11am – 9pm
  • Pricing varies – see menu on website

Bullard Tavern, will incorporate a la carte Thanksgiving favorites into its dinner menu on Thanksgiving, including smoked turkey; mashed potatoes and gravy; Brussels sprouts with bacon jam; cornbread stuffing; delicata squash with whipped goat cheese, maple, walnuts, and sage; and pumpkin pie with caramel sauce.

King Tide Fish & Shell

  • 21510 SW Harbor Way
  • 2 – 7pm
  • $65 per person

King Tide Fish & Shell, will offer a prix fixe holiday menu, dishes include; Brussels sprouts with bacon, basil, and aged balsamic; Chinook salmon with creamy farro, squash, and roasted peppers agrodolce; Walla Walla onion ravioli with escarole; and a pumpkin bread pudding with whisky caramel and pecan. 

Do you plan on making it out to one of these restaurants? Let us know how it goes!

Langbaan

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You should go to Langbaan. I will get much wordier about it momentarily, but that really is the long and short of it. We recently headed there for the first time after their move from SE Portland to NW, and were totally wowed. The food, the ambience, the service, and the wine pairings were all truly top-notch. You should go to Langbaan.

Getting In

As mentioned earlier, Langbaan just moved locations to a larger space in NW. They share the space with Phuket Cafe, who operates out of the interior and exterior during the week, but cedes the indoors to Langbaan on the weekends. They only do two seatings each day of the weekend, so plan ahead!

The Space

The decor of the new location is spot on. With exposed wooden beams and a gorgeous accent wallpaper, it somehow walks that fine line between hip and refined. The space is small enough to be cozy, but large enough not to feel crowded, and the open kitchen provides that warm feeling of really being cooked for.

The Food

The tasting menu has a simple and elegant concept: exploring different regions of Thailand’s cuisine with seasonal ingredients and the chef’s creativity. When we dined there recently, the focus was on the cuisine of Isaan in Northeastern Thailand, involving fun ferments, spicy chilis, and coconut cream. The food was all incredible, and at the end of the night when our server asked us, ‘What was the favorite of the night?” we proceeded to name basically every dish on the menu.

The Drinks

In addition to the tasting menu, we did have the wine pairings. They were wonderfully chosen, supporting and complementing the food perfectly. I often feel that tasting menus in the Northwest choose mostly reds regardless of the food, which can be frustrating. This one, by contrast, was almost entirely whites and a rose, which worked so well with the food.

The Service

One final note to mention was the phenomenal service. There were 3 folks working front of house that night, and all three were personable, knowledgeable, and went above and beyond to make our evening great. Thanks team!

Have you been to Langbaan yet? WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? Check them out Here for their current menu and to make reservations.

Sparkling Wine

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Looking for some spots that are a bit closer than France where you can enjoy some amazing sparkling wine? The Willamette Valley has you covered! There are several amazing wineries that use local grapes to make Méthode Champenoise sparkling wines that are delicious. There is even one that does exclusively sparklings (And yes, I am a member)! Here are some of our favorite places to sip some local bubbly.

Corollary

6451 NE Hilltop Ln

By appointment, Fri-Sun 11-3

Founded in 2017, Corollary’s singular mission is to explore the terroir of the Willamette Valley and it’s expression in sparkling wines. Currently developing Oregon’s first property dedicated solely to sparkling wines, they generally have around 5 offerings of sparklings they have made from grapes sourced from a variety of local vineyards.

Gran Moraine

17090 NE Woodland Loop Rd

Open Daily 11-5, reservations required

With an outstanding Blanc de Blanc (currently sold out, but new vintage releasing soon) and a delightful Brut Rose, you won’t want to miss this stop on your sparkling tour.

ROCO

13260 NE Red Hills Rd

Reservations available, Open Daily 10-4

Rollin Soles and Corby Stonebraker-Soles arrived in the Willamette Valley with a vision, and 35 years later are still producing wonderful and award-winning wines. Order the Diamond Experience to sample 5 outstanding sparkling wines, including a vertical of past vintages.

Sokol Blosser

5000 NE Sokol Blosser Ln

Open Weds-Mon 10-4, Reservations required

Susan Sokol and Bill Blosser planted their first vines in the Dundee Hills AVA (American Viticultural Area) of the Willamette Valley 1971, and make wines of world class quality that are produced sustainably, mindful of the environment, and express the distinctive flavors of their hillside vineyards.

Bonus: Sparkling Wine in Portland

Not all of our favorite spots to sip bubbles are in wine country. There are some really stand-out spots in the city as well!

Arden

417 NW 10th Ave

Open Tues-Sat 5-9

While Arden’s sparkling list may not be the largest in town, it is incredibly well-curated. It doesn’t hurt that the food is also incredible!

Muse

2264 NW Raleigh St

Open Weds-Sat 4-10, Takeout Tues 2-6:30

Muse has a wonderful and ever-rotating collection of wonderful sparklings from around the world, served in a lovely intimate setting. The owner Christopher is super knowledgeable about all of his offerings, and always happy to help you choose the right one or even serve up a flight.

Where is your favorite place to enjoy sparkling wine? Let us know in the comments! Or if you are more interested in reds, check out our list of places to grab Pinot Noir

Pinot Noir

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Are you looking to try some seriously delicious Pinot Noir? There are so many wineries in the Willamette Valley that I doubt you could ever try them all. We have been to quite a few! We always try to make it out to somewhere new when we head down to wine country and we are very frequently pleasantly surprised by the pinots that we taste. Here are the places that we recommend you try for a nice flight of Pinot Noir in no particular order.

Bergstrom Pinot Noir

Bergstrom

8115 NE Worden Hill Rd

Open by appointment only

Since 1999, their family and team have been working towards their vision of stewarding naturally and responsibly farmed, estate vineyard terroirs that best represent the diverse appellations of our world-class Willamette Valley. Serving Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Syrah

Gran Moraine

17090 NE Woodland Loop Rd

Open Daily 11-5, reservations required

Shane Moore’s viticultural and winemaking choices shine a light on the monologue of Gran Moraine Vineyard, lifting its voice through precise early picks, extended native ferments and careful extraction. These choices bring to life the vineyard’s clean, vibrant energy, crunchy toothsome tannins, and perfumed character marked by citrus, heady floral notes, and herbs de Provence.

penner ash, pinot noir

Penner Ash

15771 NE Ribbon Ridge Rd

Open Daily 11-5pm, reservations required

In 1998, Lynn and Ron Penner-Ash founded Penner-Ash Wine Cellars in the Northern Willamette Valley’s Yamhill-Carlton AVA. Bringing to life their shared vision, through years of hard work unyielding commitment, the pair built a reputation for lush, layered Pinot Noir, and community leadership throughout the valley.

Patricia Green

15225 NE North Valley Road

Open by appointment only

Located on a 52 acre property in the Ribbon Ridge AVA, Patricia Green Cellars is a unique winery because of our fervent dedication to particular sites in the Willamette Valley, and our truly collaborative approach to all aspects of the business.

alexana pinot noir

Alexana

12001 NE Worden Hill Rd

Open Daily 11-5pm, reservations required

Under the guidance of Bryan Weil as Winemaker and Evan Bellingar as Vineyard Manager, our farming practices are certified sustainable, are focused on elevating the quality, and telling the story of each vintage from the Revana Vineyard and top vineyards in the Willamette Valley in Oregon. 

Archery Summit

118599 NE Archery Summit Rd

Open Daily 11-4, reservations required

Gary Andrus launched Archery Summit in 1993, infatuated by Pinot Noir and the capacity the Willamette Valley seemed to have for it. The Dundee Hills in particular caught his eye, because it shares similar growing conditions with Burgundy, France, and some of the most acclaimed Pinot Noir vineyards on earth.

Winderlea

8905 NE Worden Hill Rd

Open Daily 11-4, reservations required

Crafting elegant, sensuous and age worthy wines for those who view the pairing of wine and food essential to their happiness and well being. Our focus is on making small lots of Pinot noir and Chardonnay that show the best characteristics of each vineyard.

Domaine Drouhin

6750 NE Breyman Orchards Rd

Open Daily 11-3, reservations required

Our estate winery in the Dundee Hills creates elegant, fine Pinot Noir and Chardonnay wines forged from our family’s tradition of fine winemaking in France. For more than 30 years, the Drouhin Family has brought a wealth of hard-earned experience to their vineyards in the Willamette Valley, just southwest of Portland, Oregon.

Which Winery has your favorite Pinot Noir? Did it make the list? Let us know in the comments if there is anything we should be adding!

Scotch Lodge

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Hot Spot of the week is sultry speakeasy-style lounge Scotch Lodge! We recently stepped through their somewhat hidden entrance to sample the wares and were thoroughly impressed!

The first thing to note about Scotch Lodge is that the entrance isn’t obvious. Other than the sandwich board on the corner, there isn’t much indication that you should be opening the barred doors nearby. Once you do give the doors a shot, you will find yourself descending a dim staircase. This leads down to a cool and moody vintage-vibe space. The manner of entrance along with all of the decor gives the whole space the feel of a speakeasy in another era and I am obsessed!

Decor

To start, we ordered cocktails from the creative and well-curated list. I tried the Loch Stock, a super rich and smoky blend of scotch, mezcal, and lapsang souchong – infused sweet vermouth with a touch of Ancho Reyes. My dining companion went with the Lotus Espirit with Japanese whisky, lotus orgeat, Genmaicha, and egg white. Both were delightful and went down a little too easily…

Cocktails

Everything on the menu sounded amazing, so we went with the time-proven technique of asking our bartender to guide us. We ended up with some very delicious food and two very full bellies. The Arancini were crispy on the outside and gooey inside, with a lovely avocado crema. The Stone Fruit salad was a perfectly refreshing moment and with the thinly sliced coppa, felt like an Italian summer day. The pappardelle was fresh and perfectly cooked, and the duck breast on top was crispy and rich, the seaweed butter providing an unexpected layer of flavor. The NY strip was a lovely way to round out the meal, cooked beautifully and accompanied by enoki mushrooms and anise.

The Food

In all, Scotch Lodge was a lovely experience and I cannot wait to go back. The combination of great food and cocktails with the sexy and moody decor make it a great spot for a date night or a treat-yourself dinner.

Have you been to Scotch Lodge yet? What should we try out the next time? Let us know in the comments below!

September Events

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Can you believe we have made it to the final stretch of summer? Us Either! We do hope that September stays warm, especially for these great events! There are quite a few fun and free things to choose from this month. Here are our top picks!

First Thursday

Stroll through the art galleries in the pearl for an evening of art, music, and wine! Parking is difficult so public transit is recommended

The Pearl District

Free

  • September 1st
  • 5pm – 10pm though gallery hours vary.

Art in the Pearl

  • Fine Arts and Craft Festival celebrates 26 years of bringing art to the community. The distinctly artist-run event has long been a favorite in Portland, and it’s the perfect Labor Day destination to gather and celebrate the end of summer.
  • Northwest Park Blocks

Free

MORE INFO

September 3rd-5th, 10am – 6pm

Rose City Comic Con

  • While its primary focus is on comics, comic creators and the creative process, Rose City Comic Con also provides its attendees access to gaming, sci-fi, cosplay, anime, fantasy and everything in between. Its goal is to provide you with a rewarding, fun, family-friendly event experience.
  • Oregon Convention Center

starting at $45 – TICKETS

MORE INFO

  • September 9th: 1pm – 8pm
  • September 10th: 10am – 7pm
  • September 11th: 10am – 5pm

Chapman Swift Watch

Join the community for one of Portland’s favorite events. Every year as many as 16,000 birds swarm the old smoke stack at chapman elementary as the migrate from Canada to South America.

Chapman Elementary School

Free

MORE INFO

Evenings in September

Dahlia Festival

  • Stroll through almost 40 acres and a beautiful display garden of stunning dahlias featuring over 370 varieties. You can take home a bouquet, order flowers for spring plantings, or just enjoy the food carts and live music.
  • Swan Island Dahlias

MORE INFO

  • Open everyday except Wednesday
  • 9am-5:30pm

Dragon Boat Festival

  • Enjoy Portland’s annual Dragon Boat Festival, featuring dragon boat racing along with food vendors, a beer garden and more. The event features as many as 96 dragon boat teams from all over the world who race in Taiwan-style dragon boats. 
  • Tom McCall Waterfront Park – (riverplace Marina)
  • *Free*
  • MORE INFO
  • September 10th – 11th

Grand Prix of Portland

  • Every fall since 2018, Portland International Raceway has hosted the celebrated open-wheel racing. Held from 1984–2007 under various names, the race is back at Portland International Raceway as the only Verizon IndyCar Series race in the Pacific Northwest
  • Portland International Raceway
  • Starting at $70 – TICKETS
  • MORE INFO
  • September 2nd-4th

We hope to see you at some of these awesome events!

Looking for something else to do? Check out our best of lists!