Just outside Corvallis sits the bucolic Kings Valley—a pastoral collection of farms, vineyards, and lovingly resorted cabins in the shadow of the Oregon Coast Range foothills. A lazy drive through the countryside, and an overnight stay in the area, rewards visitors with fresh fare, award-winning wines, and other laid-back thrills that showcase the small-town charm of the Willamette Valley.
If you're looking for an under-the-radar overnight getaway to the Corvallis countryside, we've put together a guide to some of our favorite stops—where you'll sip wines on sun-kissed patios, savor some of Oregon's only homegrown moonshine, and feast on fare whose ingredients were grown just a few feet from the restaurant.
You never know when you might meet Odin, one of the resident red setters, at Airlie Winery near Corvallis.
From Corvallis, head north for about a half-hour to start your wine-tasting tour of the Heart of the Willamette Valley.
Your first stop is Airlie Winery, which is certified sustainable and Salmon Safe. The dog-friendly winery has been women-owned-and-operated since 1986 and pours a wide range of blends and varietals—including a dry Pinot blanc, barrel-fermented Chardonnay, Müller Thurgau, Maréchal Foch, and Oregon's famed Pinot noir.
After enjoying time on the patio at Airlie, head south on Highway 223 toward the city of Philomath—and the tasting room at Cardwell Hill Cellars. The Salmon Safe-certified winery opened is tasting room in 2004 and has since garnered numerous awards for its rosé, pinot gris, pinot noir, and more. On Friday evenings in July and August, Cardwell Hill Cellars routinely hosts local musicians for live performances.
Up for another tasting? Head to Harris Bridge Vineyards, whose tasting room sits alongside the Marys River and at the foot of its namesake covered bridge.
The winery's tasting room and riverside patio is open Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays between May and November, and original poetry—inspired by the location—adorns every bottle. Harris Bridge's wide-ranging selection include pinot gris, pinot noir, dessert wines, vermouth, and more.
The riverside patio at Harris Bridge Vineyards is a popular stop for cyclists riding the backroads and byways around Corvallis. (Photo by Joey Hamilton)
Lumos Wine Company hosts a converted cabin for overnight stays on its Wren Vineyard near Philomath.
If you're getting hungry, savor the eclectic dinner dishes at Woodsman. The name, decor, and type of food all seem to contradict each other in this former logger bar—but when Nong Sisovahn bought the establishment, she introduced a Thai menu to the standard American fare and made it all work. The result is a perfect blend of burgers, beer, pasta, pad thai, and pinot gris.
Unwind after a full day with an overnight stay in a 1930s renovated cabin at nearby Lumos Wine Company. The dog-friendly cabin, one of the unique overnight getaways in the Willamette Valley, offers sweeping views of nearby Marys Peak and comes with a wood stove for getting cozy on the area's cool evenings. Make time for a tasting in the winery's tasting room, which sits in a converted barn and offers views of the nearby Oregon Coast Range.
Park your car: Today's adventures showcase a handful of chefs, makers, distillers, and vintners within a few blocks of each other in downtown Philomath.
Start your day with breakfast at the Dizzy Hen in the heart of downtown. The cozy breakfast nook serves a variety of creative takes on down-home dishes—such as omelets, French toast, and biscuits and gravy. Chances are good that you passed some of the farms that supplied the ingredients on the first day of your tour.
Just down the street is the Softstar Shoes showroom and workshop. For roughly 30 years, owners Tim and Jeannie Oliver—along with their team of shoemakers—have crafted minimalist shoes that prioritize foot health and safety. Find a pair that fits your foot, and see how they're made, inside the Softstar showroom—housed inside an old roller skating rink.
Break your new shoes in by walking about two blocks to Compton Family Wines. The family-owned-and-operated winery prides itself on practicing regenerative farming with minimal intervention—which, among other benefits, puts the grape's flavors front and center in every sip.
A few blocks away, enjoy another kind of tasting at Marcotte Distilling Company—one of Oregon's first flavored, small-batch moonshine producers. In recent years, the Marcotte team has created more than 20 creative flavors of moonshine—such as mango, watermelon, and apple pie—as well as whiskeys and sweet creams. Learn more about Marcotte's moonshines in Philomath.
Ready for dinner? Before ending your trip, get a feel for the flavors of the Willamette Valley at Gathering Together Farm. Just five minutes south of town, Gathering Together hosts a restaurant that serves Pacific Northwest-inspired lunch and dinner dishes crafted with farm-grown ingredients—as well as an on-site market if you'd like to bring a few items home with you.
Gathering Together Farm is part of the self-guided Mid-Willamette Valley Food Trail—a self-guided "trail" that comprises nearly 60 businesses around Corvallis, Philomath, and Albany that showcase the fresh, seasonal flavors of the regional food scene.
Marys Peak offers wide-open views and colorful wildflower displays just outside Philomath and Corvallis. (Photo by Caleb Wallace)
If you're continuing onto the Oregon Coast or your schedule has a little wiggle room, consider a visit to Marys Peak—whose main day-use area sits just 35 minutes west of Philomath. Marys Peak is 4,097 feet tall—making it the tallest point in the Oregon Coast Range mountains. In late spring and early summer, wildflower blooms near its peak blanket hillsides in colorful tapestries; views, meanwhile, extend west toward the Pacific Ocean and east toward the heart of the Willamette Valley and the Cascade Range.
Challenge yourself with a thigh-burning hike to its summit (where a picnic table awaits), drive to a popular day-use area just below the peak, savor a cotton-candy sunset, or spend the night on the forest slopes of Marys Peak; there's plenty of memorable things to do at Marys Peak.
