Hey, I don't know that there's anything much greater in life than spending time with an alpaca…read more Now multiply that by, like, 2,000, and you've got an idea of how worthwhile a visit to Crescent Moon Ranch is. Or at least if you agree with my baseline assumption that alpacas are maybe one of the greatest things to ever exist. Okay, perhaps I'm being a little overzealous about the alpacas. But seriously, this is a really fun way to spend an hour or two, and it doesn't cost much. There's a cute little store where you can buy all manner of alpaca-related merchandise. You know like sweaters, hats, stuffed alpacas, magnets, dish towels, alpaca-scented candles, or whatever the hell they sell in little stores like this. It's fun to browse, but the real attraction is outside. Walk up to the counter, throw down five bucks, and they'll give you a Ziplock baggie full of little alfalfa nuggets. Then you head outside and walk next to the nine huge pens full of alpacas and feed those little bastards. And it's hilarious. They're cute in their own weird way, and they'll come right up to the fence and eat straight out of your hand. Their crazy prehensile lips take some getting used to, but keep your hand flat and they won't accidentally take a finger with the alfalfa. They're actually remarkably gentle. Although some of them are total pigs. Those are my favorites. They'll follow you around, shove the other alpacas out of the way, and basically behave like they've been waiting all day for you to show up with a Ziplock bag full of snacks. Eventually you start noticing that they all have different personalities, which somehow makes the whole thing even more entertaining. My gosh. Best five dollars I've ever spent. I took my 20 year old daughter and she had an absolute blast. It was just something we did to kill some time while we were up visiting Crooked River, but it ended up becoming one of those unexpectedly great little memories from the trip. So yeah, highly recommended. Go check them out. Give them some money. Support the ranch. And enjoy the alpacas, you crazy person.

This is a must stop for anyone traveling through Redmond. What a delightful visit (we also bought…read moresome wonderful alpaca socks--the knitted hats were equally compelling. Next time. The views are outstanding, if you're not gazing at the beautiful, sweet alpacas. I appreciated the clear mountain, butte, rock framing so I knew what I was viewing. Truly thoughtful touch. The farm is impeccable (sounds like a book title: the impeccable alpaca plateau. The service was friendly and helpful, and it's only $5 for a bag of alpaca chow. Just go--you'll likely love it.

Truffleur is a goat cheese that contains Oregon white truffles. Made by Tumalo Farms, an artisan…read moregoat cheese maker in my neck of the woods,it is only produced in years when the truffle harvest is good and in years when it is produced, it is available only for a limited amount of time. (As in January and February.) The bad news is last year there was a poor truffle harvest and so no Truffleur was available. The good news is this year the truffle harvest is good and- WHOHOO - Truffleur has not only been produced but is available by mail order too. So I'll share information about "how to" here. How to access the Tumalo Farms main page. http://www.tumalofarms.com/ How to read about Truffleur. ( http://www.tumalofarms.com/Truffleur-overview.aspx ) How to order Truffleur as part of a combined cheese shipment (of at least 2 lbs total) or by itself. ( http://www.tumalofarms.com/tumalocollections.aspx ) How to order Truffleur as part of a packaged shipment for 10% off and reduced shipping.( http://www.tumalofarms.com/truffleur-trio.aspx ) And if you order the Super Bowl selection, although it does not include Truffleur, here's how to get 10% off your order and reduced shipping with that special package too. ( http://www.tumalofarms.com/SuperbowlXLV.aspx ) I know...who would think of goat cheese and football together? In fact, who would think of football, period? I know...I know...I'm one of sixteen people in the United States completely indifferent to the game. Back to the important thing, good goat cheese, if you're ordering your own custom box of multiple cheeses, you might also want to add to the order, along with Truffleur (with white tuffles), some others like: Remembrance (with rosemary), Pondhopper (using a local beer in the cheesemaking process), Capricorns (with peppercorns), Fenacho (with fenugreek) or Classico (and better yet the Classico Reserve). And if you order the cheese now so it arrives before February 6, the date of the "big game" my husband tells me, and do watch the Superbowl (the only reason I can think of to do that is for the commercials and the food at the party), while others are eating hot dogs and potato chips, you could be eating Fenacho stuffed dates, or Pondhopper mac n cheese, or grilled Poblanos stuffed with goat cheese raisins and hazelnuts. (Recipes on the Tumalo web site.) If you live in central Oregon or in the Valley area, from Eugene through Portland, you can probably find Truffleur in local specialty markets, or even perhaps in bigger markets, like Market of Choice, that normally carry other Tumalo cheese products. (Although looks like Whole Foods may not be carrying Truffleur this year.) But if you're outside the normal range of Tumalo Farms distribution, isn't the ability to "e order" a good thing? Unlike football. :-)

Great place. Took the family for a tour. Very interesting and entertaining. Their soap, deodorant…read moreand creams are amazing and make great gifts

Incredible host, fun cooking classes. We attended their cooking class, incredible food, awesome…read morehost, fun times!

Donna is amazing! My best friend got me an Italian cooking class for my birthday and we had the…read morebest time. Learned how to make ricotta, risotto, hazelnut torte, focaccia, and more. Hope to be back for another class soon! Highly recommend.

Best produce in town! It's ethically raised and The produce and fruit lasts longer than the ones…read moreyou buy from the grocery store. Their vegetables and fruit tastes amazing and it's a fun place for the kids too. They have a beautiful flower field where you can cut your own stems. The people there are wonderful and service is great. It's a wonderful place.

Such a cute place to pick fresh produce. Also great for kids. The staff seemed genuinely happy to…read morehelp and answer questions. Great variety in melons. Would recommend closed toe shoes.

Our family signed up for the Lavendar wreath making event. The event page says 10:00-11:30am. We…read morebrought our kids very excited to make a wreath with them at the end of summer. We showed up at 10:30 thinking that it was any time we could arrive to make a wreath the event page did not specify a 10:00 strict start time. As we arrived I felt like I just showed up to a mean girls table in high school. The instructor said the event started at 10 and when I shared that the event page was a big confusing as we thought it was an open arrival time. A woman at the table mumbled "well it wasn't confusing to me" and the instructor said nothing. Not welcoming acted like we were not welcome. We said we would like to have a refund and didn't appreciate the unwelcoming rudeness when we just drove 20 minutes to bring our kids to this event. Whoever is in charge at this farm should probably never have this woman work an event again. I've never met an ADULT woman act that way toward a customer? Completely disappointing and won't be returning or supporting again.

If you are looking for lavender infused products direct from the farm or need plants to fill some…read moreyard space this is the place to go to. Take the brief ride right outside of Bemd and enjoy this lavender farm Dog friendly of course! Lots of lavender plants selection variety to choose from.

Saw some alpacas, fed some alpacas, got some souvenirs. 10/10 experience. Wheelchair accessible, so…read moreadded bonus (power wheelchair, but if you have the man power, manual is doable).

Just called - they won't be open until the end of September 2020 as of today…read more Can't wait!

If you want a very memorable experience with wonderful people - Lysa and Jeff - who are dairy…read morefarmers and provide a very relaxed environment with a real hands-on approach to learning then this is your place. Jeff and Lysa want you to get your hands dirty, they want you to see what they do and why and explain, without frills or exaggeration, why they do what they do. It certainly doesn't hurt to provide the world's best cookies. Please visit Hope Springs Dairy - you will remember the experience forever.

Hope Springs Dairy Farm was a one of a kind experience. For a small fee you can feed animals, milk…read moregoats, and try locally sourced dairy products. The family who owns the farm is kind and welcoming. We came with a group of friends, but it would be a great place to bring the little ones!

What an amazing, beautiful, fresh breath of Oregon air! We were fortunate to attend a wedding here…read moreand were equally impressed with the wedding event and its venue/backdrop. Set among the Smith Rock State Park and monkey face rock sits this impressive ranch/development. It's a private gated community that boasts gorgeous views of Oregon's high desert combined with magnificent Tuscan style homes. The scenery here is one of a kind and it only got better as the sun began to set, colors changing and shadows enhancing the views and landscape. The wedding was held outside at "the stables", a rustic looking building with a small fountain out front and endless views of amazing, pristine natural beauty. I really enjoyed the architecture that's subtly dotted through out the community. The lot sizes are spacious and each home is so unique...no cookie cutter track homes here, lol! As if that weren't enough, there's plenty of ponds, lakes and rivers to fish... My dad pulled 14 fish in less than and hour w my kids! Needles to say they had a blast, EPIC! There's endless trails to hike in the area, both by foot or by horse. If you're looking for a wedding venue, this was an amazingly special locale. We felt blessed to be able to share such a special day with family in such a beautiful place. Props!