by Visit Walla Walla
Welcome to the unofficial capital of Washington wine country – Walla Walla.
Once regarded as a sleepy agricultural community with not much more than a fledgling wine industry, there’s no question Walla Walla is enjoying some hard earned and much deserved time in the spotlight. Just this year, some of the country’s largest and most respected media outlets have bestowed great praise on Walla Walla, including the following highlights:
Travel + Leisure: The 50 best Places to Travel in 2018
Sunset Magazine: Best Wine Town – 2018 Sunset Travel Awards
Expedia: Best Destination for Wine Lovers
Architectural Digest: The 30 Most Beautiful Main Streets Across America
Travelocity: #1 Small City Road Trip Destination
Vogue: Why Walla Walla Should be Your Next Wine Region Vacation
With more than 120 wineries, Walla Walla has come a long way since first being designated as an AVA in 1984 – when the valley’s wine industry consisted of Leonetti Cellar, Woodward Canyon, and L’Ecole No. 41. Today, Walla Walla is a place where scenic beauty, incredible wineries, enticing restaurants, cultural inspiration, outdoor adventures, and small-town friendliness come together to create a unique and memorable experience.
A vibrant blend of the past and present, downtown Walla Walla is where you’ll begin to discover what makes Walla Walla unique. A walk down tree-lined streets reveals a mix of tasting rooms, restaurants, vintage shops, boutiques, cafes, bookstores, and more. Add in the numerous pieces of public art and special events, like Feast Walla Walla, the seasonal Farmers Market, and outdoor concerts, and you start to see why downtown Walla Walla has been recognized time and again as one of the best small-town Main Streets in America.
Walla Walla wine country offers the rare and welcome opportunity to experience not only world-class wines, but to meet the winemakers, vintners, and family members carrying on the wine tradition. No one is in a rush. Conversation is relaxed. And tasting rooms are charming and uncrowded. Here, tasting wine becomes a truly distinct experience. Recognized in 2015 and 2016 by Sunset Magazine as a runner-up for “Best Food Town” in the West, Walla Walla is known for its casual, yet sophisticated, year-round dining experiences. Walla Walla’s fresh, locally sourced ingredients are complimented by exquisite local wines.
A beautiful natural landscape rests at Walla Walla’s doorstep with outdoor adventures just a few minutes from town. Whether it’s cycling through vineyards or rolling farmland, golfing at top rated public golf course, or hiking in Walla Walla’s Blue Mountains. Walla Walla is an easy and scenic four-hour drive from Seattle, Portland, or Boise, and can also be accessed via Alaska Airlines’ daily non-stop flights from Seattle.
We hope you enjoy your time in Walla Walla at the 2018 Wine Bloggers Conference. To learn more about Walla Walla, visit www.wallawalla.org or check out our short destination video HERE.