McMinnville

Willamette Valley wine town with a walkable old downtown and the Spruce Goose.

McMinnville is one of the more rewarding small towns in Oregon's Willamette Valley: close to the vineyards, but still centred on a real old downtown rather than a wine-country stage set. Third Street is the place to start, with brick storefronts, tasting rooms, restaurants, and enough local life to make an afternoon wander worthwhile.

The town's great oddity is the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum, home of Howard Hughes' enormous H-4 Hercules flying boat, better known as the Spruce Goose. Even if aircraft are not usually your thing, the scale of it is hard to shrug off.

McMinnville also works well as a base for a slow wine day. The surrounding Yamhill County hills are full of pinot noir vineyards, and the drive between tasting rooms is part of the appeal: low ridges, old farms, hazelnut orchards, and views that feel softer than the grander scenery on the Oregon coast or in the Cascades.

Guide

Getting There

McMinnville is easiest by car. Oregon Route 99W runs through town, and Route 18 links it with the coast and the Portland side of the valley. Portland International Airport is the nearest major airport; from there the drive usually takes a little over an hour when traffic behaves.

Yamhill County Transit buses connect McMinnville with Newberg, Tigard, Hillsboro, Salem, Sheridan, and Grand Ronde. They are useful if you are patient, but a car gives you far better access to wineries and rural sights.

Guide

Things to Do

McMinnville's sights split neatly between town and countryside. Spend the morning with the Spruce Goose, then come back to Third Street for a walk, a meal, and a glass of local pinot noir.