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Pumpkin Patches

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With the leaves changing, the sweaters slowing coming out of the back of the closet, and pumpkin spice invading every part of our lives, you’ve probably realized it’s fall! That means it is time for one of our absolute favorite family activities, visiting the Portland area pumpkin patches! Whether you need pumpkins for carving or you just want cute family photos, there is much more to do than wander around the pumpkin field.

In alphabetical order, here is a list of the places that we recommend!

Bauman’s Harvest Festival

  • Open Now
  • Tues-Sun: 9am – 5pm
  • $20 Tues – Fri *Fri – 11th is $30
  • $30 Sat – Sun

12989 Howell Prairie Rd NE, Gervais

Naming this a festival isn’t an exaggeration, with more than 25 activities, you are sure to be entertained for the full day. Admission covers the cost of all activities which include: apple cannon, bounce houses, bug train, corn maze, dark maze, giant slide, jumping pillows, petting zoo and more.

Bella Organic

  • Starting September 28th
  • Sun-Thur: 9am – 6pm
  • Fri-Sat: 9am – 10pm

Free Admission

16205 NW Gillihan Rd

    All activities can either be purchased a la carte or as an all day activity bracelet. Activities include a cow train, a grain train, a hay maze and duck races, a petting zoo, corn maze and haunted maze.

    Bushue’s Family Farm

    • Starting September 28th
    • Thur-Sun: 10am – 5pm

    Free Admission

    9880 SE Revenue Rd, Boring

    Visiting the pumpkin patch and animal farm are both free, other activities can be purchased a la carte, or as a $13 wrist band. Save $2 on Thursdays!

    Lee Farms

    • Open Now
    • Tues-Sat: 9am – 6pm
    • Sun: 9am – 5pm
    • $20 on Tues/Weds
    • $25 on Thurs-Sun

    21975 SW 65th Ave, Tualatin

    Tickets include access to the pumpkin patch, farm store, animal area, giant slide, jumping pillow, wagon rides, and playground.

    Plumper Pumpkins

    • Open Now
    • Wed-Sun: 9am – 5:30pm
    • $16 when purchased online
    • $18 when purchased onsite

    11435 NW Old Cornelius Pass Road

    Admission includes access to the pumpkin patch, corn maze, hay rides, petting zoo, slides, lawn games, and ball zone.

    The Pumpkin Patch

    • Open Now
    • Wed-Sun: 9am – 5:30pm
    • Free entry
    • $9-$11 corn maze

    11435 NW Old Cornelius Pass Road

    The original Portland pumpkin patch. They offer hay rides, an animal barn, cafe and coffeehouse, gift shop, produce market, and specialty food carts! There is also a corn maze for an additional cost.

    Let us know where you end up this year and what your favorite pumpkin patch is to visit!

    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!

    Christmas Tree Farms

    by Leave a Comment

    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!

    *many farms have changed how they are doing things because of the pandemic so please check their websites for updated information*

    Furrow Farms

    furrow farms
    • Hours: Monday – Friday 10-5
      • Saturday – Sunday 9-5
    • 25877 NW West Union Rd.
    • Hillsboro, OR. 97124

    Thornton’s Treeland

    thorntons treeland
    • Hours: Monday – Friday 10-5
      • Saturday – Sunday 9-5
    • 7617 NE 119th St
    • Vancouver, WA 9866

    Helvetia Christmas Tree Farm

    helvetia tree farm

    Christmas Mountain Choose and Cut

    christmas mountain choose and cut
    • 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
    • Hours: Monday – Friday 10-4
      • Saturday – Sunday 9-4
    • 21975 SW 65th Ave 
    • Tualatin  OR 97062

    (503) 638-1869

    online: www.leefarmsoregon.com/christmas-trees

    Sauvie Island Farms

    • Hours: Nov. 27th-28th, Dec. 4th-5th, Dec. 11th-12th
    • 10am-5pm
    • 19818 NW Sauvie Island Rd 
    • Portland, OR 97231

    503-621-3988

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

    Loch Lolly Christmas Forest

    • Hours: Monday – Friday 9-5
      • Saturday – Sunday 9-5
    • 28366 NW Dorland Rd 
    • North Plains, Oregon 97133

    503-647-2619

    online: http://www.lochlollychristmasforest.com

    Washougal River Christmas Trees

    christmas tree - washougal river
    • Hours: Monday – Friday 9-5
      • Saturday – Sunday 9-5
    • 39336 NE Washougal River rd
    • Washougal, WA 98671

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

    Shalom Y'all

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    Our Hot Spot of the week is the delicious Shalom Y’all! Shalom Y’all is the Israeli street food focused offering from the wildly successful John Gorham restaurant group. It is located in a cute brick building in inner SE Portland. They serve lunch, dinner, happy hour, and even brunch on the weekends, so you can stop in and check them out any time!

    We were pretty impressed immediately upon walking in the door by the beautiful design of the space. The black accented bar was a beautiful contrast to the clean, white subway tile and the hanging plants scattered around the space added a lovely, natural feel.

    We started with drinks, as always. There was a lovely Spanish Cava on the happy hour menu that I jumped at. It was crisp and dry with nice, small bubbles. My dining companion opted for the Turkish Delight Slushy, which contained limoncello, ceylon tea, and orange blossom water. It was like summer in a glass!

    Spanish Cava and Turkish Delight Slushy

    Like most of the Gorham restaurant collective, Shalom Y’all is designed for sharing. As small plates for the table is my favorite way to eat, we happily obliged and ordered several dishes. One of our favorites was the Labneh with fried artichokes. The house made yogurt cheese was properly tangy, and the fried artichokes were crispy and tender simultaneously, and smothered in a hearty pile of garlic.

    • Labneh with fried artichoke
    • Hummus Pitryot with Maitake

    We also loved the Hummus ‘Pitryot’, which was topped with sauteed maitake mushrooms (YUMMM) plus dill and paprika. The Chard and Feta Safayech was amazing as well. It was almost like a spinach pie inside of a grilled pita with a wonderful tzatziki on the side. Both the Labneh and the Hummus were served with warm, fluffy pita that our wonderful server was happy to provide more of after we quickly devoured the first few.

    Chard and Feta Safayech

    While many of the dishes at Shalom Y’all are vegetable focused, the presence of hearty additions like fried artichoke to the dishes will leave even the omnivores satisfied. We can’t wait to come back and try so many more delicious items at Shalom Ya’ll! Check out their menus and hours here.

    Have you tried any of the restaurants from John Gorham’s restaurant group? Which was your favorite? Let us know in the comments!

    Lechon

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    Our hot spot of the week is Lechon! We headed to this fabulous wood-fired South American tapas restaurant recently to finally check it out. Located in SW Portland, this place will blow you away. The flavors, the decor, and the presentation were all spot on when we visited recently, and we are excited to go back!

    Check out this incredible jellyfish tank!

    Most of our group opted for bubbles to drink (surprise, surprise) but another of Lechon’s great drink options is the Old Fashioned bar, where you can choose your spirit, sugar type, and bitters to really customize your cocktail. We found the wine list and beer options were also well-curated, so we had many options of bottles to share.

    When it came to the food I have a confession: We devoured everything so quickly that I completely spaced on snapping many pictures to showcase how lovely and delicious the food was. That being said, the food really was wonderful! Their take on Peru’s quintessential dish, Lomo Saltado, was easily the best version of it that I have ever eaten. Considering I lived in Peru for over 2 years, that says a lot!

    Best ever Lomo Saltado

    We also loved that there were options from so many South American countries! Argentine asado, Peruvian ceviche, and even some dishes that can usually be found in Spanish tapas restaurants, like Patatas Bravas. These worldly dishes were blended seemingly effortlessly with others more familiar in the Pacific Northwest, like in the Dungeness Crab Astoria.

    Now, normally I don’t have much of a sweet tooth, but as a group we decided that we had to try the banana caramel pie and the pina colada pisco cake. They were both totally delicious and left us scraping the plates for any remaining morsels.

    Don’t skip dessert at Lechon!

    We are so excited to go back and try everything else on the menu! Their happy hour looks fantastic, and maybe next time I’ll even remember the pictures. You can check out the menus and location here.

    Where should we check out for our next hot spot? Let us know in the comments!

    Karaoke Bars

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    Not all karaoke bars are created equal. Luckily, Portland has a wide array of different types of karaoke bars for your every mood. On the tail of our Hot Spot this week, Capitol, I started thinking about all of the great places in Portland to belt out a ballad. Check out the list below for our picks for best karaoke bars in Portland, OR.

    Best Dive Bar Karaoke

    The Trap

    This no-frills, cheap booze SE Portland dive bar has nightly karaoke and video lottery to boot. 3805 SE 52nd Ave

    Best Classy Karaoke

    Capitol

    Elevated neighborhood cocktail spot with craft drinks & vegetarian bites in colorful surrounds. 1440 NE Broadway St More info here.

    Best Private Karaoke

    Voicebox

    Private rooms for up to 16 people, with a huge song catalogue in multiple languages. 734 SE 6th Ave and 2112 NW Hoyt Ave More info here.

    Best Performance Karaoke

    Chopsticks

    Want to put on a show? Check out this hopping bar offering nightly karaoke & Chinese-American fast food, plus pool tables & a patio. 3390 NE Sandy Blvd More info here.

    Best Tiki Bar Karaoke

    The Alibi

    Long-lived tiki bar with island-themed murals, tropical cocktails & nightly high-energy karaoke. 4024 N Interstate Ave More info here.

    Best ‘Only in Portland’ Karaoke

    Stripper-aoke at Devil’s Point

    Portland’s rock n’ roll strip club hosts Stripper-aoke every Sunday night at 9pm, where Portland’s finest dancers strip while you TRY to sing karaoke. 5305 SE Foster Rd More info here.

    Best Indie Karaoke

    Baby Ketten Klub

    Quirky space with off-the-beaten path song selections you won’t find anywhere else. 2433 SE Powell Blvd More info here.

    We know there are many, many more places in Portland that host either nightly or weekly karaoke. Did we miss your favorite spot for karaoke in Portland? Let us know in the comments and we’ll happily go check it out!

    Hat Yai – Belmont

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    For our Hot Spot of the Week, we decided to check out the newly opened SE branch of Southern Thai spot Hat Yai. With counter service and checkered plastic tablecloths, this casual eatery is a perfect spot to grab a bite while checking out the great bars along the Belmont strip with friends. If you want to check out the menu, or see more information, you can do that here

    As usual, we each got a cocktail to start. While the cocktail list here isn’t extensive (3 options and a seasonal special) we were both able to easily choose something that catered to our preferences. The Turmeric Sweet Tea was a lovely Thai twist on the classic, and was perfect alongside the fried chicken. The Tamarind Whiskey Smash made me seriously wish it were a hot sunny afternoon. If cocktails aren’t your thing, there is also a no-frills wine and beer list to choose from.

    For dinner, we decided to share the famous fried chicken. We opted for the half-chicken portion so we could try several different dishes. The dark meat was, of course, the winner. Even the breast was tasty when doused with the Thai chili dipping sauce. We also shared the Goong Tom Gati, a shrimp and clam curry served with sticky rice. The curry was fine, but we wished we had gone with our instincts and ordered the special Jungle Curry. With trout belly and Chanterelles, it sounded outstanding. However, the person at the counter somewhat warned us off of it saying, “It’s a 9/10 on the spicy scale.” Sometimes in Thai restaurants, that would mean inedible, but once we had tasted the other curry, we felt that we certainly could have handled it.

    Our surprise winner of favorite dish of the evening was the seasonal special pea tips. Simply sauteed and served in a light curry sauce, pea tips have been an exciting discovery for me in restaurants this year. They were my favorite of this evening, as well as another spent at delicious newcomer Eem a few months ago. After this experience, I know I will be ordering them every time I see them on a menu! Have you been to Hat Yai yet? What should we order next time?

    What Hot Spot should we try out next? Let us know in the comments!

    No Bones Beach Club

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    This week’s Hot Spot is the perfect place to chase away those winter blues, No Bones Beach Club. With fun tiki decorations and a healthy dose of tropical flavors, this all-vegan spot on N Mississippi will make you feel like you’re on a getaway, without any of the guilt.

    I brought a friend from out of town here recently in response to his query, “Where can I eat some yummy vegetarian food in this town?” and he was delighted to find out that he could eat every single thing on the menu at No Bones. The portion sizes are large though, and we were luckily saved from ordering FAR too much food by a word to the wise from the fellow at the counter when we attempted to order 5 or 6 items to share.

    As with any good Tiki bar, most of the cocktails involve some combination of rums and fruit juices, but I steered towards one that was more like a combination of a Kentucky Mule and a Julep. With bourbon, mint, ginger, and lime, it was perfectly refreshing and bright. My friend got a take on a hot toddy and said it was delightful and well-spiced.

    For food, we ended up sharing the Buffalo Cauliflower Wings, the Coastal Chowder, and the ‘Crab’ Cake Sando, all of which were delicious. The crab cake sando in particular was quite tasty and served with fries seasoned with Old Bay. I must say, I didn’t remotely miss my omnivorous ways. As I mentioned previously, the portions are quite large, so we ended up taking home most of the cauliflower, which was fantastic as part of breakfast the next day.

    I can’t wait to come back to this spot and try out their brunch! Fried avocado Benedict?? Sign me up!

    Where should we check out next? Let us know in the comments!