4 Great Stops on the Mid-Willamette Valley Food Trail
The Mid-Willamette Valley Food Trail is a feast for the senses, offering a bounty of flavors and experiences in the rural treasures surrounding Albany and Corvallis. Taste, sip, and explore your way through bustling farmers' markets and farm stands to welcoming tasting rooms, favorite restaurants, and charming gift shops. Every stop invites you to celebrate the richness of the Willamette Valley.
With so many sights to discover and flavors to savor along the Food Trail, here are four must-visit stops to add to your adventure.
Iron Water Ranch in Albany, Oregon
If beautiful wool is what you're after, Iron Water Ranch is your place to visit. They sell wool, raw wool, gorgeous yarns, and more. You can plan a visit, or take classes in various fiber arts. Meet their sheep (and ranch dogs), see their lovely ranch, and learn while you're at it. Check their event calendars for seasonal sheepy shenanigans!
Iron Water Ranch is located at 35179 Riverside Drive SW in Albany. Learn more about them at their website, and on Facebook and Instagram.
Lilliputopia Farm Store, Monroe, Oregon
Lilliputopia's Farm Store, a tiny eco-farm, offers 100% seasonal locally sourced products, specializing in gift items and produce. Browse dozens of different items handcrafted by local artists, while filling up your kitchen with organic fresh fruits and veggies, eggs, honey, and more. The store is open for business on weekends April through October.
Lilliputopia is located at 301 N 10th Street in Monroe. Learn more about them at their website, and on Facebook and Instagram.
Midway Farms, Albany, Oregon
Midway Farms' farm store offers an assortment of homemade goodies, like fresh fruits and veggies, homemade jams, salsa, pickles, gluten-free baked goods and more. Midway Farms is the only dedicated gluten-free farm in Oregon, which includes feeding their animals gluten-free diets. The farm offers a variety of events and store hours change seasonally, so check their Facebook for the latest updates.
Midway Farms is located at 6980 US-20 in Albany. Learn more about them on their website, Facebook, or Instagram.
The Thyme Garden, Alsea, Oregon
The Thyme Garden is a fragrant paradise open April through August, inviting you to wander acres of themed display gardens, from Moon, Culinary, Medicinal, and more. Browse their gift shop for herbal treasures, honey, seeds, and their new Thymes in the Kitchen cookbook. From June to August, enjoy herbal tours and luncheons, or visit during one of their signature events, such as Earth Day, Art in the Garden, or the Fall Salmon Celebration. With 30+ years of cultivating rare herbs, they showcase dozens of unique thyme, lavender, rosemary, oregano, and sage you won’t find anywhere else.
The Thyme Garden is located at 20546 Alsea Hwy in Alsea. For the safety of their plants and your pups, they ask you to leave dogs at home. Learn more about them on their website, Facebook or Instagram.
The Mid-Willamette Valley Food Trail highlights the agricultural treasures you'll find in Linn and Benton Counties: farms that grow the fresh and delicious produce that fill our restaurants, the hops, grapes, and more that go into our wines, craft beers, and distilleries, the wools that go into clothes, fiber arts, and more. Find farm stands and farmers markets, restaurants that specialize in farm-to-table dining, Oregon wine, craft brews, ranches, and so much more along the Mid-Willamette Valley Food Trail.
Photo Credit: Iron Water Ranch in Albany, Oregon, by Kristi Crawford, courtesy the Albany Visitors Center. Keep up with Corvallis news, events and happenings by signing up for our email newsletter.
