Unique things to do in Willamette Valley

HEY. Do you want to see Portland through the eyes of its BIGGEST FAN? Are you curious about communities that prioritize PEOPLE, CREATIVITY, and CRAFT BEERS? Are you ready to embark on an ALL YOU CAN PORTLAND BUFFET through a walking tour featuring LOCAL HOTSPOTS and COOL STORIES? Then I’ve got the adventure for you: THIS TOUR. This walking tour explores where the locals go for Portland's nightlife! I show you the soul of the city by immersing you in its neighborhood culture. This means checking out a neighborhood district, drinking taps from neighborhood breweries, and getting the neighborhood perspective by interacting with someone who lives here! By the end of the walking tour, we’ll have made a mildly-inebriated adventure from seeing why the people of Portland are the attraction of the city. People who find this tour meaningful: 1. People who prefer a Drink, Eat, Drink night rather than a Drink, Drink, Drink night. 2. People who prefer to explore with welcoming friends rather than alone. 3. People who enjoy open-minded discussions and appreciate collecting new perspectives. 4. People with no time to grow roots in the city, but want to know where they'd hang out if they lived here. "I could see myself moving to Portland." - Every Person, from Everywhere Don't see a time frame that works? Message me for special arrangements! LET'S GET WEIRD.

We’ll introduce you to the process and materials that comprise fragrance creation. We'll spend about half the workshop smelling our way through a selection of over 30 raw ingredients, while discussing fragrance and blending techniques. You'll spend the remainder of the workshop developing and blending your own fragrance, with tips and pointers along the way. After this, you'll turn your fragrance into an oil-based roll-on personal fragrance. You’ll take home your very own scent creation compounded and mixed into a 10mL roll-on bottle of perfume. Other things to note: Avoid wearing strong fragrances to this workshop as it may disrupt yours' and others' olfactory experience.

We'll start out at my house for espresso & homemade whole-grain toast that uses locally-grown and milled flour. Next we'll get to mixing and baking your own loaves. You will leave with a vigorous sourdough starter, plus a loaf of whole-grain, naturally-leavened bread. Not only that, but you'll have the knowledge to go home and start making your own bread regularly! While we wait for your bread to rise, we'll visit some of Portland's best bakeries. This is a lesson and tour in one. Check out @1000bitesofbread on Instagram. Other things to note Arrange transportation to and from my house, but I will provide complimentary transportation to the bakeries we will visit. We'll have breakfast together and there will be plenty of snacks.

Meet downtown and head to the Columbia Gorge to enjoy 3 amazing waterfalls. All of the waterfalls are located in the Columbia Gorge which is about 30 mins outside of Portland. Each of the hikes will be about a mile or less. We will have the opportunity to get as close as you like to the falls and learn about this amazing part of the world. This experience is appropriate for all fitness levels. Other things to note It might be a good idea to bring some shoes with decent traction but it's not absolutely necessary. We will be traveling through the Historic Columbia River Highway, which was completed in 1915 and is now considered a National Historic Landmark. We will see 3 amazing waterfalls all within the Columbia Gorge. We will also stop by the Vista House. -Latourell falls- At 249 feet, it is a .4 mile hike roundtrip. -Bridal Veil falls- At 118 feet, it is a 1.4 mile hike roundtrip. -Multnomah Falls- At 620, is is a .4 miles hike roundtrip.

POP QUIZ: Are you here to absorb authentic Portland culture? BONUS CREDIT: Are you trying to live like a local while you are? Because Portland is a MILLENNIAL PLAYGROUND best understood when explored like someone from here. How do we do that? Here are the locals' favorite pastimes: picking up cannabis from the neighborhood dispensary, grabbing drinks at a cozy cafe, eating plant-based food done right, and sipping crafts at an eclectic bar! So for starters, we'll sniff around a CANNABIS DISPENSARY to kick things off on a high note. Second, we'll sip tea inside a LIVING ROOM CAFE that's been converted from a Pixar-esque residence. Third, we'll grab meals from a VEGAN EATERY featuring meat and cheese alternatives that are as tasty as they are innovative. And lastly, we'll drink beers at a SEVEN STORY BAR that used to be a hidden back room of a live theater. To explore the city like a true Portlander, I’ll be your guide to show you where you’d go and how you’d do it. Along the way, I'll enlighten you to the community's culture and provide custom recommendations on how to live like the locals! "I would've never found these places on my own." - Every Person, from Everywhere Don't see a time frame that works? Message me for special arrangements! LET'S GET WEIRD.

HEY. Do you want to see Portland through the eyes of its BIGGEST FAN? Are you curious about communities that prioritize PEOPLE, CREATIVITY, and CRAFT BEERS? Are you ready to embark on an ALL YOU CAN PORTLAND BUFFET through a walking tour featuring LOCAL HOTSPOTS and COOL STORIES? Then I’ve got the adventure for you: THIS TOUR. This walking tour explores where the locals go for Portland's nightlife! I show you the soul of the city by immersing you in its neighborhood culture. This means checking out a neighborhood district, drinking taps from neighborhood breweries, and getting the neighborhood perspective by interacting with someone who lives here! By the end of the walking tour, we’ll have made a mildly-inebriated adventure from seeing why the people of Portland are the attraction of the city. People who find this tour meaningful: 1. People who prefer a Drink, Eat, Drink night rather than a Drink, Drink, Drink night. 2. People who prefer to explore with welcoming friends rather than alone. 3. People who enjoy open-minded discussions and appreciate collecting new perspectives. 4. People with no time to grow roots in the city, but want to know where they'd hang out if they lived here. "I could see myself moving to Portland." - Every Person, from Everywhere Don't see a time frame that works? Message me for special arrangements! LET'S GET WEIRD.

We’ll introduce you to the process and materials that comprise fragrance creation. We'll spend about half the workshop smelling our way through a selection of over 30 raw ingredients, while discussing fragrance and blending techniques. You'll spend the remainder of the workshop developing and blending your own fragrance, with tips and pointers along the way. After this, you'll turn your fragrance into an oil-based roll-on personal fragrance. You’ll take home your very own scent creation compounded and mixed into a 10mL roll-on bottle of perfume. Other things to note: Avoid wearing strong fragrances to this workshop as it may disrupt yours' and others' olfactory experience.

Enter the winter wonderland of the Mt. Hood Wilderness. Our guides will take you among the frozen pines and firs blanketed in snow as you gaze up at the night sky. On some nights, the moon is bright enough to light the way without the aid of a headlamp! What's Included -A professional guide -Transportation -Snowshoes -Trekking Poles -Headlamp -Hot beverages -Trail snacks Itinerary Meet at our office at 4:00pm, and expect to return to Troutdale at 9:30pm. This adventure includes transportation to and from the trailhead (a little more than an hour each way). Please contact us if you are staying on the mountain and would like to meet us at the trailhead instead. Once ready to go at the trailhead, hike for an hour up to a spectacular view of Mt Hood (when cloud cover and weather allow), where we break for hot drinks and snacks. The hike will be 2-4 miles roundtrip, depending on group pace.

Come and spend a day at a farm and make art! We are a woman owned organic farm located near the Sandy River. We have converted a century old dairy barn into a ceramic studio. Let’s spend the day playing with clay and learning together. Here we have options based around your skill level and interests. I can lead you on the potters wheel or in hand building techniques. For an additional cost of $25 per person I will fire your projects in my kiln and you can choose a glaze color for your finished piece and I will ship them to you. After finishing our projects we can walk around the farm, say hi to some animals and I can offer tips to find great nearby river spots! Please have a look on my IG for more pictures of this experience @sandyriverstudio Please note: For a private experience of just you and your group, please book the group rate. When booking the individual rate there may be other guests in your class. For party’s larger than 5 please contact me about pricing!!

Walking tour of Mt. Tabor that will be customized for my guests. Options include 1, 2, or 3 mile hike in the Mt Tabor Nature Park. After the hike I will take them to a local restaurant for a cold beverage. We can drive or take public transportation. This experience will be CUSTOMIZED for the guests based on their time and fitness levels.

Forge a Knife! Guests will forge with Host Gordon to hand-hammer and grind out a lifetime artisan knife. We will forge in a high temperature propane forge, use epic European anvils, and use 1095 (high carbon steel) to shape memories and a functional piece of art. The whole process takes around 8 or 9 hours. We will heat, hammer, normalize, and quench our steel. We will feel the steel move under the hammer blows. We will see the steel take form. Gordon will guide you to keep your blade steel straight and flat! You may choose to accept his help or not - this is part of the fun. Grinding, creating a handle, and other finishing touches come after the hammer work. We offer two styles with 1095 high carbon steel: an every day carry and a utility kitchen knife. If you have your own steel, or want to upgrade steel to what I may have on hand, or create a customized design --- please inquire --- before booking for additional costs and additional time estimate to complete the piece! If additional time is necessary after the scheduled experience time, then shop rates will apply. New Experience Added- "Forge a Knife Demonstration" where guests can come watch Gordon forge a knife from start to finish in 4 hours. Note: We also host an AirBnB "Tiny House Farm Stay". If you book a stay along with your "Forge a Knife" AirBnB Experience then we offer a 15% discount on your stay!

We'll start out at my house for espresso & homemade whole-grain toast that uses locally-grown and milled flour. Next we'll get to mixing and baking your own loaves. You will leave with a vigorous sourdough starter, plus a loaf of whole-grain, naturally-leavened bread. Not only that, but you'll have the knowledge to go home and start making your own bread regularly! While we wait for your bread to rise, we'll visit some of Portland's best bakeries. This is a lesson and tour in one. Check out @1000bitesofbread on Instagram. Other things to note Arrange transportation to and from my house, but I will provide complimentary transportation to the bakeries we will visit. We'll have breakfast together and there will be plenty of snacks.

Meet downtown and head to the Columbia Gorge to enjoy 3 amazing waterfalls. All of the waterfalls are located in the Columbia Gorge which is about 30 mins outside of Portland. Each of the hikes will be about a mile or less. We will have the opportunity to get as close as you like to the falls and learn about this amazing part of the world. This experience is appropriate for all fitness levels. Other things to note It might be a good idea to bring some shoes with decent traction but it's not absolutely necessary. We will be traveling through the Historic Columbia River Highway, which was completed in 1915 and is now considered a National Historic Landmark. We will see 3 amazing waterfalls all within the Columbia Gorge. We will also stop by the Vista House. -Latourell falls- At 249 feet, it is a .4 mile hike roundtrip. -Bridal Veil falls- At 118 feet, it is a 1.4 mile hike roundtrip. -Multnomah Falls- At 620, is is a .4 miles hike roundtrip.

POP QUIZ: Are you here to absorb authentic Portland culture? BONUS CREDIT: Are you trying to live like a local while you are? Because Portland is a MILLENNIAL PLAYGROUND best understood when explored like someone from here. How do we do that? Here are the locals' favorite pastimes: picking up cannabis from the neighborhood dispensary, grabbing drinks at a cozy cafe, eating plant-based food done right, and sipping crafts at an eclectic bar! So for starters, we'll sniff around a CANNABIS DISPENSARY to kick things off on a high note. Second, we'll sip tea inside a LIVING ROOM CAFE that's been converted from a Pixar-esque residence. Third, we'll grab meals from a VEGAN EATERY featuring meat and cheese alternatives that are as tasty as they are innovative. And lastly, we'll drink beers at a SEVEN STORY BAR that used to be a hidden back room of a live theater. To explore the city like a true Portlander, I’ll be your guide to show you where you’d go and how you’d do it. Along the way, I'll enlighten you to the community's culture and provide custom recommendations on how to live like the locals! "I would've never found these places on my own." - Every Person, from Everywhere Don't see a time frame that works? Message me for special arrangements! LET'S GET WEIRD.

Multnomah Falls and other waterfalls and vistas of the Columbia Gorge are astonishing icons of geology, the sort that have inspired mythology and lore of warriors, gods and passions in every world culture. Meet the tallest waterfall in the state, and a few of the shorter but even more stunning ones, too; falls which could only be the daughters and sons of legend. In this half-day experience, we will explore wonders with some short hikes (totaling less than 2.5 miles/4 km) and visits to overlooks and vistas that will have you gasping in awe. While Multnomah Falls and its iconic Benson Bridge are together the most-visited tourist attraction in the Portland area, they are only a part of our experience. We will meet at our shop in inner SE Portland, where we'll ride in our comfortable Sprinter and Transit vans to the nearby gorge. Depending on weather conditions, we could visit a few small hidden waterfalls or spectacular plunge-style falls whose columnar basalt has us learning words for "amazing" in other languages. We'll also tell you stories, geology, botany and oft-repeated tales of pioneers and road-builders, but also the old stories we've learned, of gods and wild spirits and about the oldest North American civilization, forever altered by “manifest destiny." Please note we book directly as well as through AirBNB, and your group may be up to 10.

Explore some of Portland's most iconic sites, including the swank Pearl District, historic Pittock Mansion, idyllic Washington Park, the picturesque International Rose Test Garden, and more. Your tour guide will share stories and insights on this gem of a city, including the history, industry, architecture, and landscape along the way Combine with our "Waterfalls and Wonder" tour for a full day of sightseeing!

Travel a historic highway and view spectacular sights along astounding Columbia River Gorge; visit the famous Vista House; feel the spray of majestic Northwest waterfalls, Latourell and Multnomah. Your tour guide will share stories and insights on this beautiful region along the way. Combine with our "City of Roses" tour for a full day of sightseeing!

Travel a historic highway and view astounding Columbia River Gorge, where we will visit 1-2 boutique wineries, depending on timing. Feel the spray of majestic Multnomah falls, and marvel at the unparalleled craftsmanship of historic Timberline Lodge on Mt. Hood. Lunch is included. Wine tastings can be purchased for an additional fee during your visit, if desired.

Travel in comfort through beautiful Willamette Valley with it's quaint villages and rolling landscape. Your tour guide will share insights on the Oregon wine industry, Oregon history, and point out interesting sites along the way. We'll stop at some of the most unique, boutique, and family-owned wineries. Lunch is included. Wine tastings can be purchased at each winery and are not included in the tour fee. I pick up at Director's Park in downtown Portland, but if you have a preferred location for pick up, I can try to accommodate you. Please indicate this when booking.

Book your Valentine's Day Dinner today! Experience finer courses, special dessert, champagne, roses, and more. The Tasting Spoon of Brightwood is hosting Oregon's dynamic culinary culture in a multi course dinner you'll never forget in your home, vacation rental, or venue. Allow for at least 2 hours so you can dine leisurely and fully immerse yourself in this culinary journey. Our Chef will guide you through the production, source, and origins of each course in a dinner that leaves no farm undiscovered. Many different diets can be accommodated including: vegan, vegetarian, keto, gluten free. A red and white wine will be included in the meal.