36 hours in Pendleton, Oregon
One thing I really enjoy is exploring every corner of Oregon, the state I’ve lived in for the past 20 years. It’s a big state, and so far I have not run out of corners. So for Memorial Day Weekend 2022, I headed east to Pendleton.
Pendleton is a pleasant place to spend a day or two. For a small town in Eastern Oregon (which sometimes feels like the middle of nowhere), it has a historic downtown and there’s a remarkable number of activities to choose from for its size. I assume because of the large number of people who attend the Pendleton Round-up each year in September, there are a lot of hotels in the area, so you can pick your preferred chain for lodging or look into Airbnb for lodging.
We started with dinner at Hamley’s Saloon, a Steakhouse with ambiance. Along with a fun, historic interior, they had a blue drink on the menu that I could not resist. And the steak was good too.
The next morning, we ate breakfast at Rooster’s Country Kitchen. They had all of the expected breakfast options, and a few less expected like the cornflake battered french toast that I ordered.
Our first stop for the day was the Tamasktlikt Cultural Institute on the Umatilla Reservation. It’s pretty easy to find, as it is the same exit on I-84 as the Wildhorse Casino just to the east of Pendleton. It covers the history of the local indigenous groups in the area.
After that we headed back to downtown Pendleton for the Pendleton Underground Tour. I had booked a couple weeks in advance and they were sold out for the day, so that was a good plan. The tour goes through several basements and covers some interesting history during the early years of Pendleton.
The second stop was a brothel and the last stop was another basement that was previously an opium den and prison.
After our Underground Tour was completed, we walked along the Umatilla River on the river trail.
We finished the day with dinner at Prodigal Son Brewery and then drinks at Oregon Grain Growers Brand Distillery which has a very extensive cocktail list with their in-house made liquors.
The next morning was Sunday and almost nothing was open, so we ate breakfast at Rainbow Cafe and headed out of town.
