Summer Fun In Hood River, OR
View of Mt. Adams from our table during our wine tasting at Stave and Stone
My husband and I decided to take a quick trip to Hood River to have time away from the kids for the first time in over two years. It was our first time away from them over night since before the pandemic and we wanted to make it special.
Hood River is located about 1 1/2 hours from Portland. Once you get past the town of Troutdale, the drive is stunning. You drive along the Columbia River and have stunning views of the Washington side of the river, Multnomah Falls, and the stunning river itself. It has really grown in the last several years and has become quite a tourist destination.
In the summer, you will find all sorts of water sports, wine, cider, and beer tasting, hiking, and fruit picking. In the fall, people flock to Hood River to do "The Fruit Loop," which is a drive taking you to all sorts of orchards and farm stands to get the best apples, pears, and other fall produce. You can check out more about Hood River in the fall, here!
We arrived in Hood River around lunch time. We did so on purpose so that we could enjoy our wine tasting and food pairings. We decided to try a new winery to use that had great reviews. It is called Stave and Stone. This winery was breathtaking. It was about a 15 minute drive from the main part of town, but again, the drive itself is worth it. You get spectacular views of Mt. Hood. They also have a tasting room in downtown Hood River, but I suggest going to the actual winery because the view is not to be missed!
Legacy Tasting at Stave and Stone Winery
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We had to make reservations for our tasting. We got there about half an hour early and they seated us right away at the what we thought was the best table outdoors. As you walk into the tasting the room, the large windows frame Mt. Adams in the distance perfectly. Once you step outside, you get that same amazing view, but only better. Our table was right up front so we had an unobscured view of the vineyard and Mt. Adams. Both Joe and I couldn't help but keep commenting on what a perfect view we had.
We chose to go with the Legacy Flight. For $25, we were given six different tastings, along with a food pairing for each. We also opted to get the artichoke dip, which was fantastic and the perfect accompaniment to our tasting. It was all quite filling and satisfied us for our lunch. The wines were wonderful and the hostess was informative about the wines, but also gave us our space to enjoy our time there. I highly recommend visiting Stave and Stone if you are out wine tasting! Located next door to Stave and Stone was The Hood River Lavender Farm. We didn't get a chance to stop by, but it was packed full of people. Many people were in the lavender fields picking bouquets of lavender for $10. After the winery, we headed to our hotel. We decided to stay at the Best Western Hood River Inn. We have stayed here before and loved the location, which is right on the Columbia River. Make sure to reserve a room with a view. |
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After getting checked in, we decided to head out for an early dinner. I had read several reviews of restaurants in the area, especially the ones near the water, that had extremely long waits for dinner. This is in part due to lack of staff because of the pandemic. We have eaten at the popular spots in Hood River like Double Mountain Brewery and Full Sail Brewery several times, so we wanted to try something new to us. After looking at all the menus and reviews, we decided to try Ferment Brewing.
We headed there around 4:00 p.m. It was about a five minute drive from our hotel. We could have walked, as it was a 25 minute walk from the hotel, but it was 93 degrees out at that point, and we didn't feel like getting soaked in sweat before dinner. There is parking on the street for free. We drove around for about five minutes and found a spot about a block away. This is along the river so there are a lot of people enjoying the water sports. There are also paid parking lots if you can't find a free spot on the street. |
View from our table at Ferment Brewing
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Once we arrived, we walked up a flight of stairs to a large open air dining area. There was a long line to a window, so we hopped in the line and realized shortly after that it looked like we needed to snag a table. So, I went strolling around the deck and got extremely lucky to come up to an awesome table right as a group was leaving. I snagged it while Joe stayed in line and I texted him my order.
They were so busy that when Joe got to the window to order our drinks, they took his cell number and said they would text when we were able to order food. Again, this seemed odd, but actually worked out great. We could sit, talk, drink our beverages, and enjoy the view.
I wish I would have taken a photo of our food and drinks. My husband tried out a few of their beers and I ordered their sangria. I am not a beer drinker and I really wanted to have a few drinks at dinner. We were away from the kids for the first time since before the pandemic and I wanted to celebrate! I almost shied away from this place because all of the cocktails here are made with kombucha. And if I'm being honest, seemed a bit odd to me. I had never tried kombucha and I've heard mixed reviews. But I'm so glad I decided to give it a shot and order the sangria. It was delicious! I had two! It wasn't overly sweet and on a hot day like it was, it was extremely refreshing!
After about 30 minutes after we got our drinks, we got the text to order food. I went to the second window and ordered their friend chicken sandwich. It came with fries, and since Joe and I weren't starving, we decided to split it. They gave us a buzzer and ten minutes later we had our food. The chicken sandwich had a sweet crispy coating, with the most delicious bread and butter pickles. The sandwich was quite large and it came with plenty of fries, so it was the perfect amount of food for both of us.
If your dog is along with you, one perk of this restaurant is that they allow your dogs to come up and dine with you. Since it is all outdoors right now, with no indoor seating at the moment, your furry friend is welcome! We saw quite a few people with their dogs.
After dinner, we took a walk along the path that went from our hotel down along the river by the marina. The sky was stunning that night and the temperature was still warm, so it made for a lovely stroll.
They were so busy that when Joe got to the window to order our drinks, they took his cell number and said they would text when we were able to order food. Again, this seemed odd, but actually worked out great. We could sit, talk, drink our beverages, and enjoy the view.
I wish I would have taken a photo of our food and drinks. My husband tried out a few of their beers and I ordered their sangria. I am not a beer drinker and I really wanted to have a few drinks at dinner. We were away from the kids for the first time since before the pandemic and I wanted to celebrate! I almost shied away from this place because all of the cocktails here are made with kombucha. And if I'm being honest, seemed a bit odd to me. I had never tried kombucha and I've heard mixed reviews. But I'm so glad I decided to give it a shot and order the sangria. It was delicious! I had two! It wasn't overly sweet and on a hot day like it was, it was extremely refreshing!
After about 30 minutes after we got our drinks, we got the text to order food. I went to the second window and ordered their friend chicken sandwich. It came with fries, and since Joe and I weren't starving, we decided to split it. They gave us a buzzer and ten minutes later we had our food. The chicken sandwich had a sweet crispy coating, with the most delicious bread and butter pickles. The sandwich was quite large and it came with plenty of fries, so it was the perfect amount of food for both of us.
If your dog is along with you, one perk of this restaurant is that they allow your dogs to come up and dine with you. Since it is all outdoors right now, with no indoor seating at the moment, your furry friend is welcome! We saw quite a few people with their dogs.
After dinner, we took a walk along the path that went from our hotel down along the river by the marina. The sky was stunning that night and the temperature was still warm, so it made for a lovely stroll.
The next morning we decided to check out the Riverside Restaurant that is located in our hotel for breakfast. The last time we stayed, the breakfast was complimentary at the restaurant. This time, you could either get a grab-and-go breakfast or get $5 per guest at the restaurant. The last time we were there, they had quite a selection of meals to choose from and the food was delicious. Unfortunately, this time we couldn't find anything that sounded good to either of us.
We decided to take a longer walk back to the area in which Ferment was located. This was about a 25 minute walk. We ended up getting an iced white chocolate mocha at a coffee shop called, Stoked Roasters. It was a popular little place with a cool vibe and good tasting coffee. |
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Stoked is right across a park from the river, so we walked across the park and sat on a bench overlooking the river. There were a lot of people getting out on the water. Hood River is famous for water sports and you will find kiteboarders out on the water all the time during the summer.
After checking out from our hotel, we were still hungry so we decided to check out Ground. This was highly rated on Yelp, and we had been there before to get coffee, so we thought we would grab breakfast and hit the road. Joe got the caprese breakfast sandwich and I got the bagel sandwich. It had cream cheese, fresh tomato, fresh basil, and red onion. It was delicious and something I will be trying to replicate at home. We also grabbed coffee for the road. Joe tried their special which was a huckleberry latte. We figured it would either be really odd or really good and luckily, it was really good.
After checking out from our hotel, we were still hungry so we decided to check out Ground. This was highly rated on Yelp, and we had been there before to get coffee, so we thought we would grab breakfast and hit the road. Joe got the caprese breakfast sandwich and I got the bagel sandwich. It had cream cheese, fresh tomato, fresh basil, and red onion. It was delicious and something I will be trying to replicate at home. We also grabbed coffee for the road. Joe tried their special which was a huckleberry latte. We figured it would either be really odd or really good and luckily, it was really good.