Sign in with Facebook"Move over Napa" Walla Walla by karenincalifornia
Walla Walla Travel Guide: 51 reviews and 83 photos
When I was a college student traveling in between my college town in the Rockies and my home town of Federal Way, Washington, Walla Walla was just a place along the way, near the Umatilla Bridge, a crossing over the Columbia River in the midst of wheat, hay and onion fields. Back then, no one went there unless they lived there. And hardly anyone lived there to begin with.
Little did I know, while I was making those trips to and from my college town and home town, an entrepreneurial young man by the name of Gary Leonetti planted his first vineyards near Walla Walla and produced his first wine in 1978. The wine was a hit and he expanded his vineyards. Today, Leonetti Cellars wines are next to impossible to come by if you are just a regular person like me, and if you do find them, they cost over $100 per bottle.
Other vintners followed suit, with a few vineyards being established in the 1980s. The new wineries proliferated in the 90s, and the 00s. Yearly, more wineries are releasing their first vintages - for good reason. The terroir is conducive to producing amazing red wines - primarily cabernet sauvignon, merlot, syrah and signature blends.
For the past several years, my husband and I have made it a tradition to celebrate our anniversaries somewhere in the wine country. We live so close to Sonoma and Napa - it is such an easy thing to plan. However, after several years of Sonoma and Napa, we wanted to branch out. Last year we went to wacky Santa Cruz. Emboldened by that trip, this year we selected a wine country even more off the beaten path. Walla Walla definitely fit that bill.
In California, we rarely come across Walla Walla wines. They simply are not available at restaurants here, and frankly wouldn't sell at this time because Californians don't know where Walla Walla is. Very few wine stores carry them. I would have continued on in this blissful ignorance, but fate nudged me in the other direction.
Earlier this summer we traveled to Tacoma, Washington for a wedding, and I saw Walla Walla wines on a couple of wine lists. I laughed. That is kind of like seeing wine from North Dakota or Utah. But we tried them, and they were out of this world. I stopped laughing. I just HAD to see what had transpired in this land of wheat, hay and onion fields which a few years ago was nothing more than a boring stretch of road on my way home from college.
It's not Napa yet. The area hasn't been transformed into vast vineyards yet. The wineries are small boutique wineries focusing on "hand crafted" wines. (Wine-speak for "Our wines are not mass produced and besides we have a small staff.") I'll be keeping my eye on these Walla Walla wines from now on.
In addition to producing outstanding wines, the Walla Walla area turned to be a fun place all around for a three day weekend.
- Pros:Few crowds, excellent wines, nice wide streets for cycling, pleasant dry weather, interesting history
- Cons:Infrastructure doesn't fully support tourism - yet. E.g., great bicycle paths, but difficult to rent bikes; beautiful mountains but little information available on hiking trails, no outdoors stores
- In a nutshell:A rising star among wine countries
Reviews (25)
By Covered Wagon
Transportation
(2)
If I were writing this tip 160 years ago, I would be telling you this is how you get to Walla Walla. Follow the Oregon... more travel advice
Whitman Mission National Historic Site
Things to Do
(8)
The Whitman Mission National Historic Site is a moving memorial of the life of Marcus and Narcissa Whitman from the time... more travel advice
Local wines and delicious food
Restaurants
(4)
Luscious by Nature is a casual eatery near downtown featuring fresh ingredients and creative dishes. I had a caprese... more travel advice
Fort Walla Walla Museum
Things to Do
(8)
Fort Walla Walla isn't really a Fort. It's a museum of the history of Walla Walla. It's actually a good little museum... more travel advice
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Hiking and WalkingLatest Walla Walla hotel reviews
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Latest: Oct 29, 2012 - Holiday Inn Express Walla Walla
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Latest: May 14, 2013 - Inn at Blackberry Creek
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Latest: May 6, 2013 - Budget Inn
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Comments (8)
Walla Walla sounds just my sort of place (the name could be Australian) - good wine, a great place to stay, a bit of history, proper shops ... I could happily spend a few days here. Thanks for the tipoff. leyle
Nice look at Walla Walla and some of its wines. Sounds like the Whitmans could have used some of that barbed wire! And smoke does get to be a problem in August!
Bonjour! Interesting comments about wine. I'll look for it on our travels to Washington state.
good walla walla pages, the goods and the bads.
Since the folks in Walla Walla sound very enterprising, I'm sure they will soon open an outdoor store and a bicycle shop with rental service. Great that your B&B had free bicycles! I have never heard of Walla Walla wines but will be on the lookout.
A great page on a city everyone has heard of, and nice to see it has restored its downtown! That's beautiful scenery in the Blue Mountains and I also liked the sound of your winery visits. Congrats on your anniversary and the delicious meal to go with it!
Wella wella, you finished your Walla Walla page. Splendid as always KCC. I loved the classic Chevy pickup in the aMaurice photo. And the barbed wire museum seems pretty sharp, too. Do they offer free tetanus shots?
Great tip on Walla Walla and how its downtown has been rejuvenated -- nice place!