I spent a couple of days in Pendleton and stumbled upon this on Yelp. Just a heads-up, you'll need to book a reservation because the groups tend to fill up quickly--we had 17 people in our group! This was definitely more than we were expecting! The tour was about 1.3 hours long, and you'll need to climb and descend stairs and squeeze into small spaces. If any of that sounds like a challenge, it might not be the right fit for you. Our tour guide was "BRAD," and he was amazing! He's practically "been there, done that." He grew up exploring these tunnels with his friends and has all sorts of stories to share. You'll learn a lot about the history and some simple sayings that will make you laugh and give you a deeper understanding. For example, there's a "Shoot" of whiskey! From the outside, you have no idea how huge this place is, and we only get to see a small part. Don't miss out if you get the chance. We'd definitely go back and bring a friend who hasn't seen it before. read more

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We signed up for the adults (21+) only tour which was $30 a person. It started in the shamrock underground bar. The price of the ticket included a free drink token, 3 shots during the tour, and a sample of a local meat company. The tour was led by Matt and is meant for mature adults who don't get upset or offended by certain language. It was such a fun tour. Matt told us the history while making it fun throughout the whole 2 hour tour. I would definitely recommend this tour to anyone who wants to add a little bit more fun to the tour. read more

Pendleton Underground Tours - Underground bar - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Pendleton, Oregon

The Pendleton, underground tours is a great experience if you'd like to see the old west and how they used to handle staying out of the extreme heat in the summertime And out of the extreme cold in the winter time by using the underground tunnel systems. The tour Director was excellent and was very knowledgeable about how people lived back in the 1800s and how they dealt with the harshness of the gold rush era and then coping with the hard times of World War I and World War II. The tour was reasonably priced at around $20 per person and lasted about 3 hours, it even included a very interesting part of the tour which was how cat houses used to be widely excepted back in the early 1900s. It also showed how speakeasies came about and how they operated during the times of prohibition. read more

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Very interesting history! Really enjoyed it. The guide was very knowledgeable. Learned a lot.

Do this tour if you're visiting Pendleton!! We visited our friends who live nearby and they suggested we all do this tour. It was the perfect way to spend a few hours! I loved learning about the history of the town during this step back in time! Our guide was a Pendleton native & was so knowledgeable. My favorite part was touring the Cozy Inn, a brothel that had been closed up for decades. read more

It's amazing place,you always learn something new when you go. That's fun. You would never know that this was underneath the ground in town, and it tells you about that there's other places where there could be an underground at 1 time, please, everyone should enjoy it. read more

Great 2 hour tour today, led by Nicole. Such an interesting and historical area. We loved all of the underground tour and bits of info she shared. read more

Pendleton Underground Tours - Underground jail - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Pendleton, Oregon

Amazing place!!! You have to visit and take a tour!! You won't be disappointed!! definitely something you have to do when you visit Pendleton Oregon read more

I do have to say that my wife and I really enjoyed this. It was very interesting knowing that not far from where you grew up, was a hole different life style (culture),(world). When we went for 4 days in October warm in the sun but getting really cold by 5ish and windy. It's good to hear and good to know. read more

Excellent underground tour with lots of history & information. The best part was seeing the brothel house with original wallpaper, paint & flooring. It was like stepping back in time to see the place as it was back in the day. read more

Pendleton Underground Tours - brothel house - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Pendleton, Oregon

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Very interesting tour that details a lot of the town history. Liz was a great guide! read more

Our guide was a local who had grown up in Pendleton and was not only knowledgeable, but very proud of his hometown. I learned so many little tidbits, where the term shot glass came from, how the bartenders, working gals and bath house collected gold dust to make a little extra $, the heroic efforts of The Triple Nickles, and so much more. Wear good shoes for uneven surfaces. read more

A great tour that explores the underground world from the 1800's through 1940's. Unique understanding of culture in the old west times. A must see and do if you have the time. read more

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Just go. Don't think about it, slap the money down, which IMO is an incredible price, and get over to Pendleton and enjoy this delightful tour. So informative, very entertaining, and quite enjoyable. Our guide Matt was easy to understand and had a good flow for the tour. Yes there are stairs and uneven paths a bit but they take their time to ensure all in the group gets through safely. read more

Pendleton Underground Tours - Gamblers in the saloon - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Pendleton, Oregon

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Miss Holly took us on a wonderful journey of the Pendleton underground. Miss Holly was definitely full of all kinds of play the whole information great history. I highly recommend Portland underground tour and if you can get Holly grab her. read more

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This was a terrific tour! An absolute must for everyone coming/staying in Pendleton! Kricket is a fantastic tour guide...friendly, quick-witted and so knowledgeable! Tremendous value!! read more

The one who did the tour for us, Liz King, was so knowledgeable, friendly and fun it was so worth the time and money. I would ask for her as a tour guide. read more

I would recommend this to anyone in the area. Definitely worth the time and walking to learn about the history of the area. Matt is a fantastic guide! read more

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Had an amazing time! Guide was very knowledgeable about the history of Pendleton and really made it a fun experience! Even the girls at the shop where we bought our tickets were a hoot! You can tell these folks really know their stuff and love what they do. I would definitely recommend this tour to anyone looking for something unique and fun to do in Pendleton. 5 star experience! read more

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Probably now the most famous and recommended tourist activity in the area - and maybe the only one still actually open to the public. Masks are required, as are tour ticket reservations/purchase in advance. read more

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If you are on the fence and reading this review to make up your mind , I have just two things to tell you - Go and definitely go . we had the best time on this tour and would recommend it to everyone who has the slightest bit interest on discovering old secrets from such a culturally rich town. We walked here on a whim but since they were sold out , the lady at the counter suggested a bunch of other things to do around the area . When we came back from the museum across the street and were walking towards our car , she recognized us and called out and said that there were cancellations and she could accommodate us . We were thrilled and the timing worked out really well for us as the tour was just about to start . Our tour guide was highly knowledgeable and fun at the same time . She had us laughing every few minutes with her witty jokes and history puns .The story telling takes on a very real form as you do not have to imagine much because the depiction underground as well as upstairs ,is pretty great . The tour covers parts of time between 1800s to 1940s and transports you to a different time altogether and the way a few of the things have been preserved is pretty phenomenal .The prices are very reasonable for the amount of work these guys have put in and you wont even realize that you have spent a couple hours here . They also have a gift shop upstairs where you can buy cute souvenirs , which are also very reasonably priced. Highly recommended . read more

Great tour, incredibly friendly staff, very knowledgeable tour guides and fantastic local recommendations for other areas and businesses to check out like the air museum and chocolate/wine store! read more

The Pendleton Underground Tour should be on your "must-see" list when you're visiting this area. The restoration of the little-known underground town, and re-creation of life from that past is excellent. Our guide was Mari Jo, and she shared an enormous amount of history with us, all the while keeping it light and funny. That being said, she also did not shy away from telling the truth about unsavory bits of history, such as the inhuman treatment of Chinese residents. Walk around Pendleton for a while before the tour, because during your walk, the guide will tell you where you are, such as "under Alexander's Chocolate Shop", and it's fun to try to picture them carrying on business right above you. The Underground Tour is run out of a shop in the ground floor of The Working Girls' Hotel, and be sure to leave time to look around the shop. They have nice items for souvenirs, and the bookcases of local and Western history have some very good books. You can buy tickets in advance, and they also sell tickets in the shop. read more

Outstanding and informative experience all around. I'm grateful to the prior reviewers who highlighted the importance of securing reservations in advance to ensure the tour would be running the day we were in town. The tour was so much more than I expected and a bargain at $15/person. However, I am a history nut and able bodied so I loved every minute. Others may not want to allocate as much time to travel back in time to learn about cowboys, gamblers, Chinese immigrants, opium dens, cozy rooms, Madame Stella Darby, soldiers, a Prohibition speakeasy with bullet holes, and frontier butchers. Some essential things to know: ** Absolutely get reservations by calling (541) 276-0730. It doesn't run every day, times vary, and tours sell out. ** Our tour lasted over 2 hours (we were warned by the guide at the beginning) and there are no bathroom stops during the tour. It is guided, so you need to keep up with the group and it would be difficult to leave early during the underground portion of the tour. ** There are many stairs, low lighting, and uneven floors. No strollers and this is not a good tour for those with mobility issues. ** Photos are permitted, but no videos. [1] ** Based on the length of the tour and some of the subject matter, I wouldn't recommend it for children under 10. After hearing about the Portland underground for years and hearing about the limitations of current tours, the Pendleton experience is really impressive and expansive. It isn't one small empty room underground. You travel from room to room to experience different eras and types of life that were conducted underground as well as the bawdy antics of Madame Stella Darby's girls upstairs. Our guide was a former middle school teacher and provided such detailed information about the different eras and uses of the underground tunnels which delved into the economy, social structure, and culture of the region. You start with frontier cowboys in the Shamrock Card Room, move to Chinese immigrant labor, and touch on Prohibition, The Great Depression (Pendleton had their own currency), Black & Gruesome butchers (English translation of their German surnames), and the how and why the tunnels were built. While we heard many stories about cowboys, ranchers, and local big wigs, but the most interesting history for me was about the Chinese immigrants and working girls at Madame Stella's Brothel. At times there was probably a little too much information given. For example, we must have heard that, "Madame Stella treated her girls REALLY well" about a dozen times. But, that is a mere quibble. Locals have donated many artifacts to the rooms so they aren't empty, but many items help you visualize the history. You can taste a horehound candy drop (quite mild) in the old Candy Works and hear about the 10 cent vs. the 2 cent bath in Hop Sing's Chinese bath house and laundry. And how the largest attended funerals in Pendleton's history were for the sheriff and the madam. The tour begins with a quick video, then you are off to the Shamrock Room and spend the next 90 minutes learning about a colorful group of characters that inform how the West was quite wild up through the 20th century. At the end of the tour, there are more historical artifacts and information about Native Americans and saddle making which really wasn't part of the main tour. [1] Complete set of rules are posted here. https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/pendleton-underground-tours-pendleton?select=mT8Wr_jQpe0To8gxq59-nw read more

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So cool! Highly recommend if you're looking for a neat attraction in the area. My friend is from the Washington area and it took us about an hour to get here. Parking isnt bad and the price of 15.00 to enter is so worth it! I was pleasantly surprised how long the tour was. I wish I remembered our tour guides name.She was awesome! She is from the area who is retired but loved the history and museum so much she decided to be a tour guide. I really wanna go back during the Spring when the tour comes to life. Highly recommended! read more

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The staff was so friendly and enlightening. I had a wonderful time on the tour. I would definitely go back! I came to pendleton for the weekend with my family during the off season but the staff still welcomed us to the tour graciously. Our tour guide was very friendly and welcoming the whole trip and made our experience feel unique and personalized. Thank you for making our trip memorable! read more

I have never been lucky enough to go to the live event. However I have been on the tour 3 different times. Each time was educational and full of facts and stories I found that touched my heart. The facilitator was amazing. read more

Great stories and history of the local characters and buildings that made the community.

This was a great tour! Brad was our tour guide and his knowledge of the community and it's history was very informative. The tour was 1.5 hours and it went by quickly. The history of the Chinese who created the tunnels and built most of the city was fascinating and the stories about both thecowboys and "working girls" was amusing. Who knew that Pendleton had an operating Bordello into the 1960's? (I do mean 1960's NOT 1860's) The cost is 15 per person and well worth it! read more

Pendleton Underground Tours - Shamrock Room where the tour starts. - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Pendleton, Oregon

This is a FANTASTIC tour - full of fun historical information. Some would have wanted this part of history forgotten, but even though some of it is sad, it shows the strength of people able to survive and thrive in a parallel world. The tour is very affordable all year round, but if you can spare the extra cash, they offer a weekend in May of re-enactment with actors and music. I believe yo need reservations, Here are their website: http://www.pendletonundergroundtours.org/ read more

Pendleton Underground Tours - Chinese Bath house - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Pendleton, Oregon

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our tour guide was Nicole. this $20 per adult tour was a bargin. this 2 hour tour of the underground downtown along with the history lesson as we went from room to room was so amazing. A must see if you come to Pendelton Oregon. read more

Love what Pendleton has done to preserve western history! This tour is definitely worth it!

For $15 this is an awesome tour. My tour lasted 2hrs. Which was a little longer than average. My guide was great she has been doing the tours for almost 30 yrs. and as a young girl she used to explore the tunnels. I went on a cool October day and most of the tour is underground. I didn't need a jacket which is nice. This is a walking tour not a lot of places you can sit on this tour and the flooring is uneven in places. And there are stairs to climb a few times. So if you have issues with walking with other than a cane this tour may not be for you. read more

Pendleton Underground Tours - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Pendleton, Oregon

We decided to check out this tour on our most recent trip to Pendleton. I was expecting a few antiques and some old photos but was blown away by the sheer volume of historical artifacts and exhibits we were able to see on the tour. Mari Jo, our tour guide, was phenomenal! It's definitely worth stopping in. read more

This tour was interesting and informative. Yes they do talk about the injustices of the past but it was phased in a respectful way. Warning there are stairs and no other way to get down or up rather than climbing stairs. I went slow and hung on to the rails and successfully avoided any mishap. I wasn't the slowest climber but we all made it. However be warned there is a 37 step climb. However it was well worth it. read more

Very, very interesting. The best fifteen bucks I have ever spent. Our guide, Brad, truly knows his stuff (I'm sure the other guides do too). This is a slice of Western and Oregon history. Do not miss the opportunity to take this tour. You will not be disappointed. read more

Visiting? New in town? Bored local? You have GOT to take the Underground your! Reasonably priced for such access to "secret" history and locations. Do not miss this taste of Pendleton's sorrid past! read more

We took the 3pm tour and had a large group. Watched an informative 8 minute video and then started our tour of the underground - gambling dens, prohibition, Chinese laundry/bath as well as sleeping space and an opium den. Our guide was great - I was so impressed and thankful for such a great tour. read more

Pendleton Underground Tours - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Pendleton, Oregon

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So much to see, do and learn ALL while having fun. The underground tours really had me feeling like we went back in time. Traveling solo allowed me to get in on an afternoon tour. They had room for just one more. Wow, our tour guide was friendly and very knowledgeable. There was an entire community that happened underground. Check it out. This is NOW my favorite small town. read more

We made a trip from Boise to take the underground tour. When I called to make reservations I was told that the floors were wet and needed to be squeegees and they were not going to open. Very disappointed. In fact every thing was closed inc the Pendleton factory, Pendleton store, road 2 winery and many restaurants even tho websites said they were open read more