Years back, we lived in Morocco, where many streets were bordered by high walls pierced by nondescript doors. These doors inspired no interest whatsoever in what lay on the other side. On the rare occasion one stood open, however, we were startled to discover something beautiful beyond it: tiled courtyards, murmuring fountains, shaded rooms designed for lingering rather than passing through. The contrast between what was visible from the street and what existed just beyond it was striking.
That same sensation returns when you take the Wilsonville exit off Interstate 5. From the road, it is easy to assume there is little to attract you. The freeway keeps moving, the signs pass quickly and nothing insists that you slow down. Step off the exit, though and something changes. The pace eases. Spaces feel more human in scale. During cozy season in particular, Wilsonville reveals itself as a place built not for spectacle, but for comfort, restoration and unhurried pleasure.
Cozy season is when Wilsonville comes fully into focus. This is a town that understands retreat in its many forms: a welcoming house meant for gathering, a winery where time stretches gently, a bookstore that functions as refuge as much as retail and a spa devoted to genuine restoration. None of these experiences shout for attention. Together, they form a quiet but persuasive invitation to stay.
OUR Sweet Retreat: A House That Heals
We arrived at Our Sweet Retreat, a beautifully restored home available on Vrbo, Airbnb and Hipcamp. Built in 1910, and once the residence of the superintendent of the former Dammasch State Psychiatric Hospital, the house still carries a sense of calm purpose. Staying there feels quietly therapeutic, not because anything dramatic happens, but because nothing demands that it does.
The home has been refurbished with care and restraint, retaining its country charm while offering modern comforts where they matter most. It has exposed beams and wide-plank floors. The chef’s kitchen is generously equipped and genuinely pleasurable to cook in. The bathrooms are spacious and thoughtfully designed, including a cast iron soaking tub with heated floors that seems custom-made for rainy afternoons. Upstairs, adjoining the main bedroom, is a bathroom with a capacious shower. The living room, centered around a fireplace, gently encourages you to sit down and stay put.
A custom dining table seats ten, making shared meals feel ceremonial in the best way. It is easy to imagine conversations stretching long past dessert. It has an engrossing belt-driven ceiling fan system the likes of which we’ve never before seen. It might even be classified as “steam-punk.” For this alone, it’s worth staying here. Owner Noelle Craddock has created a space that feels less like a short term rental and more like a house with a memory.
The property works especially well for groups. There is room to gather, room to wander and just enough separation to breathe. As a basecamp, it is ideally situated for exploring Wilsonville and the surrounding area. In cozy season especially, the house rewards unhurried mornings, days spent out exploring and evenings that bring everyone back together under the same roof.
The fenced property includes a small additional home, like an enlarged dollhouse, and a trailer which are the quintessence of cozy.
Lady Hill Winery: Where Time Slows Down
Set amid vineyards, orchards, pastures and gardens, Lady Hill Winery feels deeply rooted in its landscape. The property has been farmed by the same family for five generations and that continuity shows in the way the land is tended and the wine is made. Owners Jerry and Elaine Owen have raised their family here and all of their children (eight out of nine, daughters) have, at one time or another, helped with the work of the winery, from tending vines to bottling wine, to welcoming guests. Elaine designs wine labels. The place carries the easy assurance of something built to last.
The wines are expressive and approachable. The 2021 Procedo Sangiovese, with notes of violet, chocolate, and dark cherry, is particularly memorable and well-suited to cooler months. A glass in hand, it is easy to lose track of time while looking out over the property, watching light shift across the fields. They also craft Cabs, Merlots and Cab Francs, among others.
The farm – vineyards, pastures, orchards, organic gardens – grows other crops to keep company with the grapes. Their motto is, “what grows together, goes together.”
Lady Hill is as much a gathering place as it is a winery. Live music, Saturday concerts, winery dinners from homegrown ingredients (Jerry is a famous pizza maker) and even Oregon Ballet performances bring people together. It is a place where you can sit quietly if you wish or be drawn into conversation with those around you. Either way, the hours seem to move more gently here.
The Book Nook: A Bookstore as Antidote (in nearby Canby)
Every bookstore is, in its own way, a declaration of hope, a refuge for our finer angels. The Book Nook, owned by Megan and Paul Waterman, whose very first date was at a bookstore, makes that declaration with warmth and generosity. Light filled and thoughtfully curated, the store balances discovery with comfort. Mysteries and fantasy are among the top selling genres, but the shelves invite wandering well beyond any single category. There is a particularly strong children’s book section.
The Watermans have shaped The Book Nook into a true community space. They host multiple book clubs, including a quarterly cookbook club whose members share potluck meals inspired by their reading. There are speed puzzling competitions, craft nights, game nights and frequent author events. It is the kind of place where people come for a book and leave with a fond memory. Megan says, “A locally owned, independent bookstore has the unique opportunity to curate and cater to their own community, becoming a reflection and heart of their community. This is always our goal!”
During cozy season, the appeal deepens. There are few pleasures as reliable as stepping in from the cold, browsing unhurriedly and leaving with something new to read and the feeling that you have been somewhere that values thoughtfulness and connection.
SOak Box Spa: Salt, Fire, Ice
Spas are founded on a simple premise: care for the body and the mind will follow. Wilsonville’s Soak Box, run by longtime friends Sally and Katie, approaches this idea with clarity and focus. Rather than traditional massage, the spa centers on salt therapy, infrared heat, cold plunges and compression therapy, each chosen for its restorative effect.
Floating in an Epsom salted isolation tank, free from sound and light, quiets the internal noise that accumulates over time. The infrared sauna warms the body deeply, while the cold plunge provides a bracing contrast that many guests find unexpectedly refreshing. Compression therapy, which gently massages the legs using controlled air pressure, is grounding and soothing, particularly after long days or strenuous activity.
Guests leave feeling lighter, clearer and better rested than when they arrived. Many return often enough to become members, folding these practices into life’s regular rhythms. Some bring their teenage children with them, a soothing remedy for the aches of high school athletics.
Wilsonville and the surrounding area understand the value of pause. In cozy season especially, the town reveals its strengths: warm interiors, good wine, thoughtful spaces and experiences that restore. Whether you are soaking, sipping, reading or simply being still, this is a place that meets you where you are.
Take the exit. Slow down. Let the cozy season do what it is meant to do.
About the Authors:
David and Susan Greenberg are food and travel writers whose work is rooted in deep curiosity about place, culture and cuisine. They spent five years writing restaurant reviews for FoodieHK, Hong Kong’s premier online culinary magazine, covering everything from humble neighborhood dives to Michelin-starred destinations. In 2022, they returned to the Pacific Northwest and began publishing travel and food stories in outlets including Northwest Travel & Life magazine, where they were named Best New Travel Writers of the Year, as well as Eater; Food, Wine & Travel; and the Tillamook County Pioneer. Their work is informed by years of living and traveling throughout Oregon, Washington, Morocco and Hong Kong, always in search of memorable meals and meaningful local experiences. Selected articles can be found at ArdentGourmet.com.
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