Autumn is prime time for country escapes with back roads winding past colorful forests and heritage farms offering crisp ciders and buckets of apples for baking pies. The bustle of harvest fills the air as grapes hang heavy on the vines, making this an ideal time to spend a few nights overlooking fields of lush crops or vineyards.
Many of these farm-stay properties welcome guests year-round, but call ahead to make sure, since each is subject to its own operating schedule. Reservations are almost always required, so it’s essential to plan in advance. Here are a few ways to make the most of a bountiful getaway.
Stay on an Oregon Vineyard
You’ll find many relaxing wine retreats across the state, but for a pinot pilgrimage, head to the Willamette Valley, home to some of Oregon’s oldest vineyards. In the Dundee Hills, check into the Black Walnut Inn & Vineyard, a nine-room villa perched above a landscape of pinot noir and chardonnay vines. The adjacent Grange Estate features luxurious rooms and lounge spaces that evoke upscale farmhouse vibes. For an exquisite 10-course feast just steps away, book into the 14-seat wine restaurant Anthology.
Closer to the town of McMinnville, soak up vineyard views and the beauty of the Oregon Coast Range from the hilltop veranda at Youngberg Hill. At this family-run winery and inn, cozy comforts include in-room fireplaces and a gourmet breakfast. You can reserve a guided tour and tasting or walk through the vineyards on your own time. Definitely say hello to the resident highland cows, goats and sheep.
South of downtown Salem, the landmark Willamette Valley Vineyards offers two distinct options for wine travelers. The Winery Suites at the Salem Hills Estate have sweeping vineyard views and include a private winery tour and tasting with your stay. For wine with a side of adventure, check out Into the Woods, a forested campground just steps away from the winery where you can either stay in your own RV or reserve a cool Airstream.
For travels in Southern Oregon, you’ll find great vineyard retreats, as well. Near Ashland the Weisinger Family Winery has a 1900s-era farmhouse turned modern bungalow with a hot tub and vineyard views. Other wine-tasting weekend options include Troon Vineyard’s three-bedroom Vineyard House in the Applegate Valley and Rellik Winery in Jacksonville, which offers three suites overlooking its 15-acre vineyard and farm, complete with alpacas, a pool and a hot tub.
Experience Life on a Farm
At Leaping Lamb Farm Stay, located between Corvallis and the Coast Range, you can vacation in a charming cottage or a historic six-bedroom farmhouse surrounded by ancient apple trees. It’s only a short walk from the picturesque barn where Chip, a miniature donkey, resides with a flock of salt-and-pepper sheep and baby lambs. Activities include feeding farm animals, collecting eggs and trying to get the perfect photo of Elton the peacock.
In Carlton combine wine with farm-life dreams at Abbey Road Farm, where beautifully renovated grain silos make for a unique place to sleep on the 82-acre property. In addition to strolling through estate vineyards, you can mingle with photogenic farm animals including highland cows, mini donkeys, goats, pigs and a flock of chickens (all named Betty). The robust culinary gardens feed both the bed-and-breakfast and 82 Acres, its newly opened sister restaurant in Portland.
At the nearby fifth-generation, family-run Durant Vineyards in Dayton, you can stay in a two-bedroom cottage surrounded by 40-year-old vines. The modern space is within walking distance of an enchanting olive grove and lavender fields. Come autumn, you can see the olive oil harvest and the state’s only commercial olive mill in action. Check the seasonal calendar for classes and the farm’s annual Olio Nuovo Festival, celebrating each season’s harvest.
Head off the grid to Willow-Witt Ranch in Southern Oregon’s high country just outside of Ashland, where the owners restored a working forest and wetland and established a regenerative farm on 445 acres surrounded by miles of hiking trails. Stay in a charming farmhouse studio or a three-bedroom passive solar house, or glamp in wall tents with access to outdoor showers. You can join the farm staff as they collect eggs and care for the animals. Or embark on an off-trail adventure with the herd of alpine goats on their daily walk.
For mountain lovers, The Inn at Wild Rabbit Farms in Milton-Freewater combines quiet luxury — rainfall shower, spa-inspired linens and stunning views of Eastern Oregon’s Blue Mountains — with the best of farm life. Enjoy quiet country evenings in a second-story retreat overlooking a creek, all within a few miles of numerous boutique wineries and brewpubs. On the working farm, you can meet horses, Highland cows, Sebastopol geese and chickens. Guests are encouraged to enjoy the property like it’s their home away from home.
Find Fruit Loops and Food Trails
The lovely Hood River Fruit Loop is a short trip from Portland by way of the Columbia River Gorge. The 35-mile meander takes you through picturesque fruit orchards, small towns and country lanes of the Hood River Valley, the state’s largest fruit-growing region. For a bed-and-breakfast experience nearby, Sakura Ridge Farm & Lodge has a luxurious five-room, alpine-style lodge overlooking an organic orchard with meandering sheep, several gardens and Mt. Hood in the distance. You can join nightly tastings of cider and perries made by the lodge’s owners and book a picnic in the organic orchard. A made-to-order gourmet breakfast includes the lodge’s own produce.
Take a spin on Eastern Oregon’s Whisky & Rocks Farm Loop, where you can visit Umapine Creamery and Blue Mountain Cider Company in Milton-Freewater. Head south along the Coast to Bandon, where you can see crimson cranberry bogs — especially vibrant during harvest around September — at Bandon Farm Stay. Surrounded by evergreens and bogs, the one-room cottage has a bohemian vibe with an adjacent 1967 vintage trailer, which serves as what is known as the glamping bathhouse. Find even more cranberries and other farm treats on the Wild Rivers Coast Food Trail.
Be a Buckaroo on a Guest Ranch
Near the town of Fossil, the seventh-generation Wilson Ranches Retreat has a 9,000-acre cattle and hay ranch in the beautiful Butte Creek Valley. Guests stay in a historic 1910 Sears Roebuck Ranch House with six guest rooms and a sprawling lawn with century-old locust and fruit trees. You can horseback ride through juniper- and sage-covered high-desert hills and venture out for birding and hiking adventures.
Pack your worn-in boots and wide-brim hat for an authentic cowboy experience at the sixth-generation Steens Mountain Guest Ranch in remote Southeastern Oregon. On this family-operated working guest ranch, once you step foot on the dusty soils of Diamond Valley, you become part of the cowboy crew. You share the home headquarters with real cowboys, staying in a hand-built pine house with a wood stove. Your days include cattle drives and cowhand detail, cow camping, and learning how to saddle and ride your horse. Bonus: You can sign up for a guided ride to see Oregon’s rare and wild Kiger mustangs on Steens Mountain.
