Fall Fun at Pumpkin Patches & Orchards in Willamette Valley, OR
Stay Local and Enjoy a Harvest Weekend Adventure
This Fall, plan your “nearcation” for a harvest adventure weekend in the Willamette Valley. A drive into Oregon’s Wine Country will have you visiting abundant orchards, colorful pumpkin patches, and farms brimming with nature’s bounty. Make a whole weekend out of it by indulging in a pampered stay at Newberg’s Chehalem Ridge Bed & Breakfast, just 25 miles outside of Portland. The folks at Chehalem Ridge B&B (that’s us – Kristin and Liz!) would love to host you while you pick pumpkins, get lost in corn mazes and enjoy harvest picnics at these fun nearby farms and orchards.
A Tisket, A Tasket, A Green and Yellow Basket…
In the middle of Willamette Valley’s wine country, right off Scholls Ferry Road, Smith Berry Barn Farm and Garden Market will have you filling basket after basket of fall goodies. Open February through Christmas, this country market supplies a wonderful array of homegrown goods for all seasons. From late Summer through Fall, visit Tuesday through Sunday 10 – 5pm for U-pick apples, pears and winter squash. You’ll need a reservation for U-pick so be sure to check out their website for reservations and to see what’s available to harvest. Besides orchards and gardens, their picture-perfect farm store is also filled with a range of eclectic, must-have home decor items and their culinary selection will have even the most amateur cook heading to check-out with a basket full of spices and adorable, of-the-moment kitchen accessories. If you get a bit hungry while you’re perusing the cookbook section, no worries! They have gourmet popcorn, ice cream, espresso and homemade seasonal milkshakes.
A (Caramel) Apple a Day...
Scholls, Oregon, known for its wide open spaces of rich farmland, is also home of the four-generation family farm Oregon Heritage Farms. Starting small in the 1980’s with 10 acres and a small apple orchard, the McLennan family now owns 400 acres, four farms and grows 12 different varieties of apples. Whether it’s sifting apples, frying apple cider donuts, or wheeling out pumpkins from the fields, there’s a great invigorating feeling of a working farm here. Due to the farm’s size, U-Pick isn’t available but there are plenty of activities and shopping to be had in and around the old milking parlor repurposed for its use as the farm’s store. Besides grabbing apples from their stalls and choosing a gourd from their pumpkin patch, you can visit with all the farm animals and have a fall picnic on-site. The homemade apple pies, apple cider slushies, and those crunchy and sweet caramel apples make for perfect picnic treats! Open daily 10-5 mid-August through mid-November. Don’t miss their CiderFest beginning the first day of October and their AppleFest the starting the second Saturday of the same month.
Oh My Gourd! Which Pumpkin to Pick?
In the Fall, it’s pumpkins galore at the Willamette Valley’s Red Berry Barn where you can pick your very own from the 15 different varieties of gourds and squash grown on the farm. This year, from September 19th – October 31st, folks can also enjoy activities ranging from corn mazes to barrel trains and then shop for locally made products like jams, honey and unique home-goods that make great holiday gifts! Plus, for those of you who can’t visit a pumpkin patch without a hot beverage in hand and some apple cider donuts, Red Berry Barn also doubles as a cafe and bakery delivering home-baked pies (savory Chicken Pot Pies or sweet apple and berry pies), freshly-churned ice cream and, yes, glorious donuts! Open daily from 9 to 6pm, in Sherwood off of 99W.
The Great Pumpkin and Old St. Nick – Under One Roof
Visiting Sleighbells of Sherwood marks the beginning of the holiday season for many folks living in the Portland metropolitan area. From July 1st to December 23rd, people drive from all around Northwestern Oregon to visit this homestead-turned-holiday wonderland in Willamette Valley, Oregon. It’s a magical place children and adults alike can enjoy once the summer draws to a close and the spirit of the holidays inches closer. In the Fall, pumpkins surround the farmhouse and inside you’ll find all sorts of Halloween tricks and treats and decorations (both fun and creepy). Come November, Halloween takes a backseat and the Christmas side of Sleighbells takes over. Head to Sleighbells to find the tree ornament you can’t find anywhere else (they have thousands!), explore the remarkable selection of small decorative Christmas villages, and indulge in homemade fudge and hot cocoa. When it’s time for a tree, there’s a farm for U-cut or pre-cut Douglas, Noble Fir and Grand trees. Located just up the road from Red Berry Barn off of 99W.
Celebrate Fall with a Harvest Adventure Weekend
As summer fades from sight in our rear-view mirror, we invite you to look ahead to the fun and exciting adventures an Oregon Fall brings with it. Come visit the Willamette Valley’s orchards and pumpkin patches to kick-start the holidays and all the exciting activities that come along with the fall season. And if you’re also looking to wear snuggly sweaters while enjoying cozy fireplaces and hot, comforting food, look no further than Chehalem Ridge Bed and Breakfast. As a five guest-room mountain-top retreat in the heart of wine country, it’s the ideal location for your harvest adventure weekend. For more ideas of how to enjoy autumn in Wine Country, check out our recent blog post for a great 3-Night Getaway itinerary.
By Liz Bethell
