Table of Contents
Overview
Walla Walla, a place so nice they named it twice! We recently traveled to Southeast Washington to enjoy a wine country weekend in Walla Walla. We didn’t know a lot about Washington wine, but we knew that we liked it. We decided to visit Walla Walla because we wanted to learn more about the wine and where they were growing it.
In this post, I am covering everything you need to know for a wine country weekend in Walla Walla. You’ll find a little bit of everything including how to get there, where to stay, where to eat, and most importantly……where to taste wine! I also included our full itinerary, so feel free to use that as a guide when planning your own trip. Cheers!
Getting There
Unless you live in Washington, traveling to Walla Walla can be a little difficult. There really isn’t a major city close by, so you’ll most likely need to drive a few hours from another airport. There is an airport in Walla Walla, but the flights are extremely limited.
We flew into Spokane and drove about 2.5 hours to Walla Walla. The drive was extremely boring, but pretty easy overall. Note: There really isn’t anywhere to stop in between these two cities, so make sure you’re prepared.
If you don’t want to fly into Spokane, you could also fly into one of the other airports listed below (all of which are longer drives):
We flew home out of Boise, and the drive was long. My personal recommendation is to fly into Spokane or Walla Walla.
Where to Stay
We stayed at the Marriott Courtyard Walla Walla, as we wanted to earn more Marriott Rewards points and nights. If you’re not a big traveler and don’t care about earning points, I’ve listed a few other options below. Personally, I’d recommend staying downtown (or near downtown) so you can easily walk to dinner after a day of wine tasting. I’ve starred(*) the hotels that would be within walking distance.
- Marcus Whitman Hotel*
- Best Western Plus*
- 51 East Main*
- Maxwell House Bed & Breakfast*
- Inn at Abeja
- The Barn B&B Walla Walla
Where to Eat
- Bacon and Eggs
- This is a great option for breakfast or brunch.
- Andrae’s Kitchen
- Amazing option for lunch. It’s in a gas station, but the food is incredible!
- Graze
- Another great option for lunch. They have tons of sandwich options.
- Hattaway’s on Alder
- This is a great option for dinner. They have tons of different options on the menu, and it is all inspired by the local ingredients of the Pacific Northwest.
- The Marc Restaurant
- This is the restaurant in the Marcus Whitman Hotel. We sat at the bar when we ate dinner here, but they have plenty of tables for seating as well. I think this would be a good option if you with a bigger group of people. The menu had everything including burgers, steaks, chicken, fish, pasta, etc.
- Brasserie Four
- We didn’t have time to eat here, but a ton of people recommended it. They serve mostly French-inspired cuisine.
- Public House 124
- This would be a great lunch/dinner option if you’re looking for something more casual. They have plenty of bar seating in addition to tables.
- Wingman Birdz + Brewz
- I’d recommend this if you’re looking for a casual lunch/dinner spot. We stopped in for a quick drink and snack at the bar. There’s tons of room inside, and it is very family friendly.
- Passatempo
- We loved the food and the atmosphere, but the employees were quite snooty. I have a hard time recommending this place because of the attitude, but they do have really good food and great cocktails.
Where to Taste
I did a full blog post on which wineries we visited, so be sure to check that out for more detailed information. I went through and rated each winery and gave a brief overview of each tasting. This post is a great resource if you are having a hard time deciding on which wineries to visit!
If you don’t care about the details, I’ll list out all the wineries we visited here:
- Garrison Creek
- Dusted Valley
- Va Piano
- Abeja
- Gard Vintners
- Revelry
- Pepper Bridge
- Sleight of Hand
- College Cellars
I’d say this was the perfect amount of wineries to visit for two full days. If you’re in town for another day, you could probably squeeze in a few more tastings. Below are a few other wineries that were recommended to us:
- L’Ecole No. 41
- Walla Walla Vintners
- Seven Hills Winery
- Dunham Cellars
- Basel Cellars
- Woodward Canyon
- Amavi Cellars
Itinerary
Day 1 (Friday):
- 7:30 PM – Arrive in Walla Walla
- 8:00 PM – Dinner at Passatempo
Day 2 (Saturday):
- 8:00 AM – Grab Coffee at Coffee Perk
- 10:00 AM – Garrison Creek Wine Tasting
- 12:00 PM – Dusted Valley Wine Tasting
- 1:30 PM – Lunch at Andrae’s Kitchen
- 2:30 PM – Va Piano Wine Tasting
- 3:30 PM – Abeja Wine Tasting
- 5:00 PM – Cocktails at Public House 124
- 6:30 PM – Live Music and Wine at Gard Vintners
- 7:30 PM – Dinner at The Marc Restaurant
Day 3 (Sunday):
- 8:00 AM – Breakfast at Bacon and Eggs
- 10:30 AM – Revelry Wine Tasting
- 12:00 PM – Pepper Bridge Picnic Lunch and Wine Tasting
- 1:00 PM – Sleight of Hand Wine Tasting
- 2:00 PM – College Cellars Wine Tasting
- 3:45 PM – Quirk Brewing
- 5:00 PM – Snacks and Drinks at Wingman Birdz + Brewz
- 6:30 PM – Dinner at Hattaway’s on Alder
If you have any other questions about traveling to Walla Walla, feel free to e-mail me or leave a comment below. It’s an amazing place to visit if you’re a wino, and there’s plenty of great wine to taste in the area. Cheers!
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