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Howard Hughes's giant wooden flying boat, the Spruce Goose, ended up in an unlikely home: a cluster of hangars outside McMinnville, the seat of Yamhill County and the busiest small town in Oregon's wine country. Vineyards roll across the hills on every side, and the city makes a natural base for Pinot Noir tasting in the northern Willamette Valley.
Founded in the 1850s, McMinnville grew as a farm market town, and its Third Street keeps a long run of restored brick storefronts now filled with tasting rooms, restaurants and bookshops under a canopy of trees. Linfield University, one of the oldest colleges in the Pacific Northwest, sits on the south side of town, and the converted warehouses of the Granary District hold wineries and cideries.
The town also has a quirky streak: a famous 1950 UFO photograph taken on a nearby farm inspired an annual UFO Festival every May. Each July, wine lovers gather for the International Pinot Noir Celebration, and the Oregon Coast is about an hour west.
A huge museum campus east of town whose centerpiece is the Hughes H-4 Hercules, the wooden flying boat nicknamed the Spruce Goose. Surrounding it are fighters, bombers and a separate space hall with a Titan II missile and spacecraft. Allow at least half a day.
An indoor waterpark on the Evergreen campus where a Boeing 747 sits on the roof and its water slides start inside the plane. Below are wave pools, splash areas and a science center about water. Book a time slot in advance on weekends and holidays, and bring towels.
The historic heart of town, a long stretch of restored brick buildings with wine tasting rooms, bistros, coffee shops and independent stores under big shade trees. It is easy to explore on foot from one end to the other. Summer evenings are lively, especially during street fairs and festival weekends.
A former grain and mill area north of downtown where old warehouses now house urban wineries, a cidery, a brewery and food spots. It is easy to visit several tasting rooms on foot. Hours vary and some are open only on weekends, so check before you go.
A 1905 hotel on Third Street restored by McMenamins, with a pub on the ground floor, a cellar bar and a rooftop bar looking over the vineyard hills and Coast Range. Hallways are hung with local history art. It is also the base of the town's UFO Festival in May.
David Lett planted the first Pinot Noir in the Willamette Valley in 1965, and his family winery still pours its wines in a tasting room in McMinnville's Granary District. Older vintages are sometimes offered, a rare chance to taste how Oregon Pinot ages. Reservations are recommended.
A seasonal market downtown with stalls of Willamette Valley berries, hazelnuts, cheeses, flowers and baked goods, plus hot food and live music. It runs weekly from late spring into autumn. Arrive early for the best fruit and bring a cooler if you plan to taste wine afterwards.
One of the largest UFO gatherings in the country, held every May to mark the famous 1950 Trent farm photographs of a flying saucer. Expect speakers, costume contests and a quirky alien parade down Third Street. Book rooms early, as the town fills up for the weekend.
A three-day July event on the Linfield University campus bringing together Pinot Noir makers from around the world for tastings, seminars and outdoor salmon bakes under the oaks. Tickets are limited and sell out, so plan early. The Sunday tasting is the easiest way to sample many wineries.
Founded in 1858, Linfield is a small liberal arts university with a leafy campus of brick halls and huge oak trees on the south edge of town. Visitors can stroll the grounds, catch a concert or a football game. Its wine studies program reflects the valley around it.
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Log in to add photosPhoto: M.O. Stevens, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0
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