Newberg, Oregon (June 29, 2020) — Taste Newberg, the official travel resource for Newberg, Oregon, recently launched a consumer-facing website for visitors to the destination, providing timely information and itinerary ideas for local travel. Newberg, the gateway to Oregon’s Willamette Valley wine country, located only 30 minutes from Portland, has reopened warmly but also cautiously to local visitors, taking all possible precautions to ensure the safety of guests and residents. New businesses have opened their doors and others have renovated and refurbished during the months-long closure this spring (see “What’s New in Newberg” section below).

The summer months in Newberg promise plenty of opportunities for outdoor adventure, dining, wine tasting, gallery hopping, and more — including one of the nation’s last remaining drive-in movie theaters. Newberg’s walkable downtown is lined with independent shops, winery tasting rooms, cafés, and restaurants. The local open-air Wednesday Market hosts more than 35 vendors from Newberg and its surrounding farmland. Newberg also lies within easy access to the Willamette Valley Water Trail, one of only 20 National Water Trails in the U.S., providing canoe and paddleboard access to more than 180 scenic miles of the mainstream Willamette River.

More than 100 wineries lie within a short drive from Newberg’s Main Street, offering tastings by appointment and catering to small groups. Many wineries have expanded their outdoor options: Styring Vineyards, for example, launched BYO picnics and wine flights overlooking their expansive vineyard. Carlton Cellars, the newest tasting room in Downtown Newberg, just opened its dog-friendly outdoor patio, offering flights and bottle sales. A list of open wineries can be found in Taste Newberg’s COVID-19 Toolkit.

The Allison Inn, the luxury Oregon wine country resort, reopened to guests in early June, offering limited guest rooms and dining services at the award-winning restaurant, Jory. The hotel has extensive and detailed cleaning procedures, going above and beyond government guidelines. Other Newberg lodging options include downtown rental flats, studios and neighborhood vacation rentals, bed and breakfast inns, as well as select-service brand hotels.

What’s New in Newberg

The Allison Inn: The luxury resort in Oregon wine country reopened in early June with great care and a limited number of room reservations available each night. The hotel has extensive and detailed cleaning procedures, going above and beyond government guidelines.

Anvil Academy: The blacksmithing school reopened its forge in mid-June, offering classes and workshops for beginners and more experienced knife makers.

Chehalem Cultural Center: Downtown Newberg’s center for art and culture has reopened its free art galleries, Tuesday-Saturday from 9am-6pm.. Exhibitions focus on Oregon artists, and currently include: CACHE NINE: the hope material (how to feel not scared in a pandemic) by Sara Siestreem (Hanis Coos); and The Yaquina Exhibition: A Painted Voice for a Sacred Landscape, Thirty-five years of oil painting by Michael Gibbons.

Ewing Young Distillery: On the site of Oregon’s first distillery, and where Oregon’s first distiller, Ewing Young, is buried, the farm hosts history tours and special classes, in addition to drop-in tastings and bottle sales. In the spring, the distillery also began making hand sanitizer.

Newberg Wednesday Market: Newberg’s weekly outdoor market relocated to a more central location in the spring with new social distancing protocols, and has been met with an overwhelmingly positive reception. The market (open Wednesdays from 4-8pm) now counts more than 35 vendors and attendance numbers are growing every week.

Llamas at Rain Dance Vineyards: One of the many Newberg wineries who has reopened with new sanitation and social distancing protocols, visitors at Rain Dance Vineyards have the opportunity to interact with the Rain Dance’s friendly herd of llamas.

Pollinate Flowers: This regenerative flower farm opened a retail flower shop in partnership with Little Lavender Shop in one of downtown Newberg’s alleyways in mid-June.

See See Motor Coffee Company: The popular Portland motorcycle-centric shop and café is opening a new outpost in Newberg this summer, serving espresso drinks right on Highway 99w.

Rosmarino: The new Italian osteria is offering its five-course tasting menu on Saturdays only, but expanded their à la carte menu of house-made pastas, salads, and more.

Ruddick/Wood: The downtown farm-to-fork restaurant launched a breakfast and brunch bar, featuring pastries, pour-over coffee from rotating small-batch roasters, available Thursday through Sunday.

Willamette Valley Bed & Breakfast: This recently constructed luxury bed and breakfast features five king suites, en-suite bath with heated floors and two-person soaking tub, a private patio, and a fireplace. Breakfast is included in every stay.

Wolves & People: The award-winning farmhouse brewery on a hazelnut farm reopened their beer garden with expanded seating, all outdoor ordering and a new snack menu.

ABOUT TASTE NEWBERG

Taste Newberg is the official online travel resource and Destination Marketing Organization (DMO) for Newberg, Oregon. Newberg is the gateway to Oregon’s Willamette Valley, the first Yamhill County town on Oregon’s Route 99W driving from Portland — the famous route to hundreds of vineyards and wineries. Over 65 wineries claim an address in Newberg itself, ranging from Oregon Pinot Noir pioneers like Adelsheim and Rex Hill wineries with bucolic estate vineyard sites, to seven tasting rooms within walking distance of one another downtown. Newberg’s charming, walkable downtown is dotted with owner-operated restaurants, cafés, locally-owned galleries and shops, as well as the Chehalem Cultural Center, George Fox University, and the Hoover-Minthorn House, the only presidential site in the Pacific Northwest. Newberg’s peaceful, picturesque surroundings can be enjoyed through vineyard tours, river paddles, hikes, walking trails, golf, cycling, hot air balloon rides, scenic drives, or a simple picnic in one of Newberg’s many parks. Learn more at Tastenewberg.com and on social media: Facebook/Instagram/Twitter: @tastenewberg

Press releases are generated outside of Spirited magazine and the information contained does not necessarily reflect the opinion of Spirited or its parent company, Sonoma Media Investments.