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 Some people call it "togethering." You know…where you and your extended family find the perfect spot (rich recreation choices, a caboodle of kids' activities, fabulous food options and strong value for your dollar) to create a vacation that allows you to re-connect and still exercise independence in your daily activities. Vacation rental flexibility can become the star of your family reunion story. The wide choice of overnight options in Oregon's Mt. Hood Territory simplifies life for your group, with choices ranging from rustic to chic. Your family's preferences in shaping the big annual gathering can be easily accommodated.
Biking, hiking, rafting and fishing are just a few of the ways your family can enjoy Territory time together. From a cozy, historic cabin to an oversized home where the whole troop can be under one roof or from a creekside getaway to a golf-course view, rest easy that there is something for your bunch. If your tribe lives for outdoor time, plan a night under the stars, your campfire right outside the door of your yome, tent or 5th wheel. For a full-service RV resort, check out the Mt. Hood Village RV Resort.
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Let's hear it for summer's arrival! An added calendar bonus are the two new June celebrations that present one excuse after another to be up early, out late, and sampling a bit of all things "new" in between. On July 25 and 26, the East Willamette Valley Wine Fest rolls out 50 miles of vines with eleven artisan vintners, family owned vineyards, hard to find wines, meet the winemakers events and a Friday Winemaker's Gala Evening. On Saturday, settle in for wine tasting, food and music.
On June 27, the Singer Hill Café celebrates summer with the opening of their Art Garden. Live music, art and craft vendors and a bumper crop of short gardening seminars conducted by the Vertical Garden Institute, the Singer Hill Demonstration Garden and NW Hydroponics are on the menu.
Bring in the Summer Solstice at Tollen Farm, with its century-old farmhouse, mature orchards and too-cute-for-words Mediterranean Miniature Donkeys. This eco-friendly working farm offers everything from plants and livestock to art. Feed carrots to the critters, and take home one of those cute oil-cloth aprons that Toni has in her gift shop.
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 Lake Oswego incorporates art into many elements of its public spaces and parks on a year-round basis, but June marks the 47th year of the Territory's largest annual celebration of the arts. The Lake Oswego Festival of the Arts runs June 25 - 27 at the Lakewood Center for the Arts and in George Rogers Park. The family-friendly venue holds a juried craft faire with over 100 booths featuring fine arts and crafts, regional food vendors, a wine and beer garden and live entertainment as well as a dedicated "kid's day" on June 25. More than 1,100 pieces are submitted by well-respected artists. This year's Festival theme is "Luminous Layers: Exploring Contemporary Encaustic."
Lake Oswego celebrates a big birthday this year, as she turns 100. Make a weekend of it in this smart Greater Portland neighborhood. Shop at Lake View Village and stroll the downtown, view the public art displays in the "Gallery Without Walls" curbside exhibits, soak up lakeside views while noshing on a Croque Madame and café au lait at St. Honoré Boulangerie. Visit us for details on area lodging.
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 Get your vacation as you like it here in Mt. Hood Territory. Scale a wild mountain, revel in live outdoor music all summer long and travel back in time with living history celebrations. Party at Pickathon's Roots' Music Festival and catch some tunes on our farmers' market stages that reverberate with local talent. Take a spin on a sizzling day aboard one of the Willamette Jetboats. Boats travel to the roaring Willamette Falls between West Linn and Oregon City and leave from the boat launch near OMSI in Portland.
If living history teas make your cup overflow, call Oregon City's Ermatinger House to schedule a visit. The McLoughlin House operates as a unit of the Ft. Vancouver National Historic Site and offers free Victorian handcraft demonstrations one Saturday each month from noon - 4 p.m. Summer marks the return of historic trolleys in Oregon City, First Friday Artwalks and a new self-guided mural walking tour provide a glorious reason to meet downtown with friends. Treat your dad to father's day at historic Philip Foster Farm, where you can share BBQ and talk barn-raising with the pioneer experts. Pick up a Barlow Road Driving Tour CD to guide you along the path of history-making pioneers.
Check out our calendar of events for additional activities and contact information.
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Ever wanted to spend a sunny morning meandering through fragrant fields of misty-hued lavender? Bristly wand tips brush your fingers, bright bees hum in the distance, tart lemonade and sweet shortbread call your name from a little cottage down the lane. That's the experience I had one summer day at West Linn's Lavender at Stonegate. Completing the picture is an entire series of "How Does Your Garden Grow" videos that invite you to visit the farm and meet the people who make the magic. From demonstrating how to create a lavender wreath to how to build your own lavender farm, owner Sarah offers tips to visiting lavender-lovers. After a day in the country, return home and crank out this Lavender ice-cream as a flavorful reminder of how inspiring an herb can be.
Be one of the "Who's Who" at Barn Owl Nursery's Lavender Days, sample lavender treats and collect recipes at the festival June 23 - 27 and July 7 - 11 in Wilsonville. The Oregon Lavender Farm also hosts a Clackamas County Lavender Festival with 10 acres of u-pick Buena Vista English Lavender, wine and beer tasting, and lavender distillation demonstrations - all enjoyed against the backdrop of Mt. Hood. The 2010 Oregon Lavender Festival will take place at various gardenspots throughout the Willamette Valley the weekend of July 10 - 11. At Oregon Lavender Destinations, you will find maps that outline routes to all participating growers. |
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