Winter in Wilsonville encourages the slow savoring of experiences with the people closest to you. Whether it’s a shopping excursion with friends, sipping a local wine with visiting family, or wooded walks with a sweetheart, you can base yourself for a couple nights in the heart of it all. Explore the best of the Willamette Valley and Portland with pre-planned itineraries that mean less time spent planning and more time spent doing. These bite-sized trips have outsized payoff in terms of building memories, and spending quality time together during a magical season.
Relaxed Shopping Excursions for Holiday Gifts
Get your holiday shopping done right, and on a tax-free budget. When you’re on the hunt for that chic new thing (Bridgeport Village in Tigard), the right gear at the right price (Woodburn Premium Outlets) or that quirky vintage, one-of-a-kind something (possibly in the antiques-rich town of Aurora), you’ll find a recommendation on the Shopper’s Trip.
‘Tis the Season for Family Togetherness
Family time is at a premium in the winter, when loved ones come a-visiting, schools are out for winter break, and parents are scrambling to use that last bit of PTO from work. And as the old saying goes (or should go) the family that bowls together, meets goals together. So alongside bowling, laser tag and arcade gaming at Bullwinkle’s Entertainment, family quality time is never far in Wilsonville. Ice skating at Sherwood Ice Arena in Sherwood, inner-tubing (or nighttime cosmic tubing) at Mt. Hood’s Skibowl, as well as Portland’s zoo and museums are all on the agenda with the Family Fun Trip.
Winter Wine and Dine
If you ask oenophiles or grammarians, they’ll confirm that four-sixths of winter is actually just wine, so this winter, bring a friend or the whole (21+) family on a wine-tasting adventure in one of the most celebrated vino areas in the world. Within just a few minutes’ drive, you’ll be sampling Lady Hill Winery’s Rhône-style blends, sipping Wooden Shoe Vineyards estate-grown Pinot Noir Rose, and savoring Terra Vina Wines’ zesty and fruity Carménère at their winery in Wilsonville, or their tasting room in McMinnville. All that and more are on the Wine Country Trip. (And don’t forget that when you fly Alaska Airlines to Wilsonville via Portland, wine flies free.)
And if you’re ready for a respite from the ravenous relations, let the professionals handle the cooking while you do the chatting and connecting. A whole itinerary dedicated to delectable bites includes 26 stops of international flavors, craft beers and spirits and farm-fresh fare before a sweet finish. Without ever needing a travel visa, you’ll experience a culinary tour of Morocco (Dar Essalam), Mexico (Juan Colorado Mexican Restaurant), China (New Hunan Kitchen) and more. Bring an empty stomach, and don’t miss the Foodie Trip itinerary.
Experiences at a Trail’s Pace
Winter’s slower pace lends itself perfectly to relaxed strolls through some of the forested areas just a stone’s throw from Wilsonville proper. So bundle up and buckle up, and then start off at one of Wilsonville’s 15 public parks. We recommend Coffee Lake Wetlands’ fish and wildlife habitat, Graham Oaks Nature Park’s three miles of trails, and five natural resting points to watch native birds and squirrels. These are just the beginning, and you’ll find more seasonally scenic spots on the Outdoorsy Trip.