A BLONDE VINTAGE

There’s just nothing like spending quality time with your girlfriends. Whether celebrating a bachelorette party, a milestone birthday, or just a weekend away for no reason at all, and taking time for a girls weekend in Oregon Wine Country? Well, that just has all the elements for a definite good time! Now, I can hardly begin to tell you how excited I was when the stars aligned and me and my girlfriends were finally able to schedule a weekend girls trip in wine country! Honestly, the hardest part of the whole decision-making process was what weekend? We already knew we wanted to stay at The Independence Hotel, a new boutique retreat located right along the Willamette River and situated in the heart of Oregon’s Willamette Valley Wine Country. It was the perfect hotel for our weekend away, and the best part? We were able to book their brand new Indy Squad Suite! It was perfect!

Day 1

A WARM WELCOME + SETTLING INTO OUR ROOM

The Independence Hotel definitely knows how to make a first impression. From the moment we pulled up and entered the lobby, we were warmly greeted by staff. We chose to stay in the Indy Squad Suite, which was absolutely amazing! The layout provides for a large patio overlooking the city’s amphitheater, an expansive six-bunk bedroom with two bathrooms, a kitchenette, wet bar, plenty of closet space and a spacious lounge room. The Independence Hotel knows that the difference is in the details, so we could not help but appreciate the little touches in the Indy Squad Suite that made it stand above the rest. From the dual vanity’s in each bathroom and the high end local bath amenities to the quality bedding and row of lit vanity mirrors for getting ready, there was no shortage of amenities that made our stay as comfortable and luxurious as could be!

And let’s not forget to mention how much they absolutely spoiled us! When we walked into the room it was already set with a cheese and charcuterie plate, local sparkling wine and sweet gift bags stuffed with local goodies.

As soon as we unpacked, we settled right in with a glass of Eola Amity sparkling wine and read through the itinerary that the hotel’s concierge services put together for us for the entire weekend! This complimentary service made for such an easy, stress free weekend – exactly how a Girls Weekend should be! Everything was completely planned out for us from dinner reservations, to wine tasting appointments. We were ready for the best weekend ever!

DINNER + A NIGHTCAP AT TERRITORY RESTAURANT

For our first evening, we decided to enjoy dinner and cocktails at the The Independence Hotel’s onsite restaurant, Territory. I already knew that this was a MUST because not only was the food delicious (the hubs and I ate there during our couples weekend in early June!), but they seriously serve some of the BEST margaritas in Oregon! Inspired by the bounty of the Pacific Northwest, with a focus on fine artisan cuisine and fresh, local ingredients, Territory offers its guests a top-notch, one of a kind dining experience on the banks of the Willamette River. Aside from the food, my favorite part is their brand new atrium, which offers guests a large skylight covered space with views of the river. It’s stunning.

I’d also love to mention how delicious their cocktails are! Being my second time eating at the restaurant, we could not help but order multiple rounds of these delicious made-from-scratch Margaritas – easily some of the best in Oregon!

Not sure what to order? Some of our favorites included the Territory Sprouts, Blistered Shishito Peppers, Northwest Salmon and the Rib Eye! And do NOT forget about dessert! We stayed late, and along with our cocktail nightcap, ordered the cheesecake. Our server raved about it, and it definitely lived up to the praise!

Day 2

A QUICK VISIT TO THE LOCAL FARMERS MARKETS

There are two markets you will not want to miss when staying at The Independence Hotel over a weekend. First is the Independence Farmers’ Market  which features an array of fresh, locally-grown produce, flowers and hand-crafted products. The second market is the Riverview Market which is located in the Riverview Park Amphitheater Plaza on Main Street and features fresh, local produce, plants, and other products, as well as music and entertainment. Both markets run from April through November on Saturdays from 9 am to 2 pm.

COFFEE + SHOPPING IN NEARBY MONMOUTH

Before we headed out wine tasting, we decided to pop over to the nearby town of Monmouth (about 10 minutes to the west) to grab coffee and do a little boutique shopping. We had heard about this adorable spot called The Sippery, a coffee and wine bar that had rave reviews on their cozy aesthetics and crafted coffee drinks. In fact, it’s owned by four sisters, who believe whole heartedly in community and bringing people together. It felt like the perfect place to kick off our ladies day!

Once we arrived, we were pleasantly surprised to see they had a ton of options from custom crafted coffee drinks to matcha, chai, protein smoothies and even delicious breakfast options! It was easy for us to all find something to enjoy despite having various diet restrictions. Not one to generally stray from my routine coffee and cream, I couldn’t help but indulge in one of their signature drinks and selected the Pendleton, a delicious combination of chai and two shots of espresso. We even splurged and got a few rounds of mimosas to kick off the morning! Looking around the table at all my girlfriends, it was easy to see that we all loved our beverages and breakfast items of choice. So definitely mark The Sippery as a high priority stop on your next trip to the area!

Afterwards we popped next door to this adorable boutique shop called The Find. A beautiful combination of home goods and dècor, women’s clothing and accessories…we were even pleasantly surprised to find out that this cute shop was owned by small business owner who was local to Monmouth. As big supporters of shopping locally (everyone knows shopping locally is a good way to support small businesses!), we loved the designer and brand name clothing, purses, jewelry, shoes and unique finds. Let’s just say, none of us left empty handed! For a complete list of all the boutique shopping in downtown Monmouth, click here!

WINE TASTING 

For this weekend, we took advantage of the local, expert concierge at the hotel to book our tasting appointments and we were not disappointed with her selections! Both wineries we visited were exceptional.

Varnum Vintners  Owned and operated by a husband and wife team, this boutique winery makes delicious, small production wines with a focus on quality and vintage. It’s a wonderful stop along the Eola-Amity route if you’re looking for sparkling, old vine Rieslings or unique Pinots and I love how ready to drink all their wines are. No need to wait three years before opening a bottle, you can enjoy their wines right away!

During our visit to Varnum Vintners we were taught the art of sabering! If you’re new to this concept, sabrage is a technique for opening a sparkling wine bottle (traditionally Champagne) with a saber. A saber is a type of backsword with a curved blade associated with the light cavalry of the early modern and Napoleonic periods. To open the bottle, the wielder will take the saber and slide it along the body seam of the bottle to the lip to break the top of the neck away, leaving the neck of the bottle open and ready to pour. If you’ve never ever seen it done, it’s FANTASTIC! However, I will warn you, this should only be performed by a trained individual. No one wants a party pooper heading to the emergency room for a missing finger.

Bryn Mawr was our second winery stop and is easily one of our favorite wineries in the valley. In fact, in the beginning, wine was made between the owners basement and a former wedding tent for 8 vintages until in 2018, when they were able to open their new winery facility closely followed by a new tasting room in 2019. The new tasting room boasts sweeping views of the Van Duzer corridor all the way to the Cascades and Oregon Coast Range, with rolling hills inbetween. It’s simply breathtaking. They offer whites and pinks which are nervy, acid-driven, and refreshingly crisp even in the hottest of vintages, and reds which are bold, edgy, and dense. Their wines are easily some of the best I’ve had in Oregon and it’s a hands on family affair, which is noticed in every detail, including the quality of their wines. Our favorite during this trip was their Rosè sparkling wine!

During our tasting we enjoyed a cheese and charcuterie board and fresh made paninis they offer to guests. It was delicious and the perfect way to leisurly enjoy the afternoon, view and company.

WALK TO DINNER AT GILGAMESH’S THE RIVER

A five minute walk from The Independence Hotel is downtown Independence, it’s relatively small, but the charming main street has cute shops, restaurants and features a handful of local breweries, including The RIVER.

The RIVER is the newest spot from Gilgamesh Brewing featuring hand tossed pizzas, sandwiches on handmade bread, delish craft beers and even craft cocktails made from local spirits! Founded by brothers Mike, Nick, and Matt Radtke, Gilgamesh’s first location–called The Campus–is located on Madrona Avenue in South Salem and the second location The Woods is located in West Salem, The RIVER is their third location.

We decided on this spot because of their amazing food, beers and expansive outdoor patio and started our meal with an order of their famous fried pickles and Stoney Fries – handcut fries loaded with peppered bacon, chipotle sour cream, and shredded cheese. Personally, I washed it all down with 20 oz of their Doug Firocious IPA, one of my favorite beers of all time. Bold statement, I know. However, ever since we moved from the Salem area…I’ve been craving this beer non-stop!

ROOFTOP NIGHTCAP

Once we got back to the hotel, we brought the evening to a close with one last nightcap on the hotel’s rooftop. Complete with comfy couches and a firepit, we leisurly enjoyed watching the final rays of light escape the sky while we cozied up around the fire. It was the perfect end to the most perfect day together.

Day 3

CHECKING OUT

Sunday morning we ordered from the complimentary breakfast menu which featured several delicious options. We all agreed we loved how you simply called down your order (including breakfast beverages!), and pick it up once the restaurant staff indicated it was ready. We were then able to enjoy one last breakfast all together in our Indy Squad Suite before checking out and heading home.

I am so happy we decided to treat ourselves and enjoy our girls weekend in Oregon Wine Country at The Independence Hotel, it was the perfect way to recharge and reconnect!  In fact, The Independence gave me a special promo code to share if you would like to book your own romantic weekend or girl’s getaway, simply use coupon code “Marissa10” for 10% off your future stay! Such an amazing deal!

If you’re looking for more girls trip destinations in Oregon, definitely check out this recent blog post covering all of  the top spa resorts in the area. All you will need to do is call up your best girls, choose your favorite spot, pack a bag or two, and get ready to make some incredible memories.

XO,

M

p.s. Looking for other wineries in the area of The Independence Hotel? Check out this blog post on the Wine Tasting in the Eola-Amity Hills of Willamette Valley!

Thank you to The Independence Hotel for sponsoring this post Girls Weekend in Oregon Wine Country!  
All opinions are honest and my own and I truly appreciate your support that makes this blog possible! As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases as well as other affiliate links found in this post. Please see my Disclosure for more information. Girls Weekend in Oregon Wine Country Girls Weekend in Oregon Wine Country

Best Girls Trip Destinations in Oregon! Girls Trip Destinations in Oregon Girls Trip Ideas Oregon girls trip itinerary Girls trip Oregon Girls Trip Willamette Valley Wine country getaway Girls Weekend in Oregon Wine Country Girls Weekend Oregon Oregon Girls getaways Oregon Girls Trip Ideas oregon wine Oregon Wine County Oregon Wine Travel Willamette Valley Wine Country Itinerary