20 | Willamette Valley Travel Guide McMenamins UFO Festival Downtown Newberg Dusky Goose Winery, Dundee Imagine floating through the clouds in a hot-air balloon, gliding over vineyards (Vista Balloon Adventures) high above wine connoisseurs trotting along rows of ripening grapevines on a horseback tour (Equestrian Wine Tours). That’s the essence of Yamhill County, which draws visitors from around the world and nearby Portlanders alike for a full immersion in Oregon wine country. It may be only an hour’s drive southwest of the city, but this is far more than a mere day trip. More than 250 estate wineries, vineyards and tasting rooms dot the landscape, which encompasses the walkable towns of Newberg, Dundee, Dayton, Carlton, McMinnville and Amity—all popular jumping-o points for wine tours, as well as arts and culinary destinations on their own. In addition to locally sourced fare from restaurants such as Earth & Sea, Carlton claims the most tasting rooms per capita in the United States, with nearly two dozen in the town alone. Restaurants, breweries, antique stores, galleries and tasting rooms pack historic downtown cores in Newberg and McMinnville (especially along Third Street, McMinnville’s main drag). In Newberg, the upscale Allison Inn & Spa sits on 35 groomed acres (14 hectares) with a state-of-the-art spa, the renowned JORY Restaurant and a sculpture garden presenting 500 original works from Oregon artists. Pick up provisions for a vineyard picnic at the Red Hills Market in Dundee, or cap a day of tasting at the Joel Palmer House in Dayton, a multigenerational family restaurant famous for cooking with wild mushrooms. Yamhill County
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