Tillamook Cheese Factory in Oregon

Tillamook Cheese Factory

If you’re visiting the Oregon Coast, a main attraction besides the ocean is the Tillamook Cheese Factory.  Daniel had been to the factory once before, so he already knew how awesome it was.  But I had never been, and it just so happened to be on the way to Rockaway Beach.  Clearly we had to make a stop!

Tillamook Cheese has a long history in Oregon, and the factory is the perfect place to learn more.  They have historical facts and videos all over the place, and you can also learn more about the cheese industry itself with a self-guided tour.  Plus, you can see how it’s made and packaged as there are multiple viewing areas.  Tip:  If you really want to see the full production in action, don’t go on a Sunday.  That’s when we went, and although it was nice that it was less busy, the production line was all but shut down.

Tillamook used to only be accessible by water, and this is the original ship that brought their cheese to Portland.

Tillamook Cheese Ship

While the history is incredibly fascinating, the real attraction is the cheese!  Here you can see Tillamook provides a bunch of cheese samples.

Tillamook Cheese Samples

This, of course, leads you into where the cheese for purchase is!  Here is just one small case of what they have to offer.

Tillamook Cheese Case

But they don’t stop with just cheese.  They also have fudge!  We came home with far too much cheese and a slice of pumpkin fudge.  So good!

Tillamook Fudge

And don’t forget to get a scoop (or two) of ice cream!

Tillamook Ice Cream

We saw a couple of fun photo opportunities throughout the factory, and this one was the best (we thought).  Be sure to get a picture in the Tillamook Van!

Daniel & Michele in Tillamook Van

This is dairy heaven, I tell you!  The Tillamook Cheese Factory is definitely worth a stop!

Fat Dog PizzaWhile we later found out that the cheese factory also serves food, we didn’t know that at the time, so we stopped for lunch in the main part of town.

We ate at a really small, but really amazing place called Fat Dog Pizza.  If you’re looking to explore more of the town, there are a variety of restaurants in the area.  If you’re in the mood for pizza, check this place out!

If you already read my Rockaway Beach post, then you know if you’re staying in town, there aren’t that many food and activity options there.  Luckily, Tillamook is only about a 20-minute drive from Rockaway, and can easily add variety to your getaway if you’re looking for more restaurants and excursions.


Rockaway Beach Romantic Getaway in Oregon

So my boyfriend works for this great vacation rentals company called Vacasa Rentals.  You can rent amazing vacation homes, often for the same price (or less) as a hotel, but with a lot more space and privacy!  And if you’re a homeowner, Vacasa manages your property and takes care of housecleaning, so you can easily make some extra cash when you’re not using it!

Well, obviously since he works for a vacation rentals company, we wanted to utilize this great service and take a vacation ourselves!  So… Right before Halloween, Daniel took me to the Oregon Coast in Rockaway Beach, OR for a romantic getaway.  Lucky girl, right?!

David Hill VineyardWe were super excited to finally see the coast, but we were also excited to make some stops along the way.  A friend of ours gave us the idea to stop and do some wine tasting, which was right up our alley.  When we used to live in LA our weekend getaway spot was Santa Barbara, and our favorite activity was bicycle wine tasting!  I had heard that Oregon had great wine and vineyards, but I had no idea HOW MANY!  Seriously, go to Google Maps and search “vineyards near Portland, OR” and then zoom out a bit… I was not expecting all of those red dots!  We stopped in Forest Grove because it was the closest to our route to Rockaway.  You can read about the vineyards we stopped at here.

Tillamook Cheese FactorySide note:  while on the way to the vineyards, I totally saw a sign for Roloff Farms!  Umm, has anyone else watched Little People, Big World?!  I used to watch that show when I was younger, and I maybe got a little too excited when I saw that…

Ahem, anyway, another stop we made on the way was at the Tillamook Cheese Factory.  This is a must!  If you love all things dairy, this is heaven.  Read about what we did in Tillamook and the cheese factory here.

After our last stop we finished our journey to Rockaway, which is about 20-30 minutes away.   Read more »