Spring adventures: McMenamins Edgefield

 

We are still sorting through photos from our adventures in Oregon over spring break.  One of our first stops and perhaps my new favorite find was McMenamins Edgefield. We were just off of the plane and a little tired since we had a very early start to the travel day.  The first order of business was lunch.

We decided that we would search for a local place.  A sign caught our eye - McMenamins Edgefield. We thought we would take a chance, but we felt pretty confident because we were familiar with the McMenamins name.  On a previous trip to Oregon, we learned about two brothers - the McMenamins - who bought historic properties and renovated them into bars, restaurants, hotels and other great places that people could enjoy.  In fact, we planned to stay in one of the McMenamins properties later in the trip.  (I think I want to be the McMenamins when I grow up.  What better mission than renovating historic properties and offering wonderful food and places to gather?)

We discovered that McMenamins Edgefield has a restaurant - The Black Rabbit.  We not only enjoyed our first lunch of vacation, but also went back for dinner that night.  We enjoyed delicious food and a great environment.

The story behind the property was really fantastic.  It was built in the early 1900's as the county poor farm.  There is now a working vineyard, brewery, gardens and a little golf course.

After we enjoyed lunch, we walked around the gardens.  I was really excited to see that the daffodils were in bloom.

 We spent a little time walking through the wine production area and loved looking at the vines in their vineyard.

 I am really fascinated by the wine making process and loved seeing all of the equipment.

 Our visit was a little too early in the spring to have the gardens in full bloom.  It was still really easy to imagine the beauty.  We found the place to be peaceful, quaint and magical.  This little garden cottage was adorable with the vines draping over the side. This would make the perfect backyard studio.

I am a huge fan of great local food and places with a story.  We hit the jackpot with this find!