(I wish this was my photo! Please visit here for the original)
I've had family in Portland for quite some time and the husband and I have been fortunate enough to visit at least once a year, usually around the holidays. However, several special events took place this past October: my nephew was turning four and a good friend of the family was getting married. We took this as the perfect opportunity to travel to the Pacific Northwest. Normally when we travel, we stay with family for the entire visit. However, this time we decided to spend one night on our own and at the same time cross one item off my bucket list.
I have been in love with McMenamins Edgefield for years. McMenamins is known for taking old historic buildings (schools, railroad stations, ballrooms, etc.) and turning them into amazing hotels, pubs, and theaters. The locations still maintain strong ties to their past with both beautifully preserved architecture and with fantastically painted murals and artwork throughout the property. You can explore the history of all of the McMenamins properties on their website.
Sitting on 74 acres of land, Edgefield was originally built in 1911 as the county's Poor Farm, slowly transitioned into a nursing home and rehabilitation center after WWII, then was closed for good in 1982. The vacant property was on the verge of being demolished before being purchased by the McMenamins Brothers in the early 1990s. Now, Edgefield boasts over 100 guest rooms, a brewery, distillery, golf course, gardens, spa, theater, outdoor concert area, and more! For a map and aerial view of the property, you can click here.
The majority of the rooms at Edgefield are "European-style," which means they don't have attached bathrooms, but instead have communal men's & women's washrooms/lounges. I was hoping to book one of the rooms that had its own bathroom, but it was not to be. I told the husband that we were just going to have an adventure! To sweeten the deal, I also added the "Beer 101" package to our stay which included two brewery sampler trays and a growler (which we could fill with the beer of our choice).
Once our flight landed, we took a taxi from the airport to the hotel, but we were still too early to check-in. So we left our bags at the front desk and went for lunch at the hotel's main restaurant and bar, The Black Rabbit. I decided to try the decadent-sounding grilled cheese: a hardy sandwich filled with roasted butternut squash, guava paste, Gruyere cheese, and truffle mayo. Of course, I opted to add bacon as well! I also figured I'd start my stay properly with my first beer sampler flight.
A whimsical mural overlooked our table as we ate. (While I would find a lot of rabbits in the artwork around the property, there were also a lot of cats tucked here and there)
After lunch, we decided to take a walk around the property and see the sights.
Even though it was fairly overcast, it was so beautiful and green everywhere. I love living in North Texas, but I miss the wild explosion of nature that you find in Oregon.
We passed the spa and soaking pool. Bringing a swimsuit is never my first thought when traveling, but I certainly would the next time we visit. We wandered through the gardens, past the brewery and theater, and up to the distillery where we caught a tour "behind the scenes."
Edgefield makes their own whiskey, brandy, rum, and gin. The building itself used to store vegetables during the property's life as a poor farm. Our tour guide was one of the few people who do the actual distilling and was quite knowledgeable.
After the tour we headed back to the hotel and hung out in the bar until our room was ready. After hearing about the Edgefield spirits, I decided to try a sample flight of their whiskies. It also came with a glass of Hammerhead Ale!
Both the husband and I found the symbol on the back of menu interesting! Just one more example of the quirky and mysterious artwork found throughout the property. You always feel like you're on the edge of discovering a secret story hidden in plain sight.
Finally, our room was ready! We were on the second floor, so we gathered up our luggage and headed towards the elevator. The elevator was hands-down the strangest (and creepiest!) I have ever been inside. It was an old fashioned design, so once it arrived at your floor, an outer door would unlock. After pulling that door open, the actual elevator door would slide open to let you inside. It was a pretty tiny space, made even tinier by the enormous-eyed women staring at you from every wall. The husband tried not to make eye contact.
All of the rooms at Edgefield are named and that name influences the artwork and decor contained inside. We stayed in the Frankie Baker room, the Ms. Baker of the famous song, "Frankie and Johnny." She actually was a resident of the Poor Farm briefly in the 1950s.
Our room was gorgeous with little painted details everywhere!
After the early morning flight and all the walking around, the husband decided to take a short nap. I decided to explore the hotel a bit, especially the third floor of the hotel. I had heard that the murals on that level were spectacular. It's really impossible to do justice to the artistic design of Edgefield without actually being there in person. Everywhere you look, you find yet another detail that you missed the first time. And it's not just the walls that are decorated, even the exposed pipes have faces painted on them. Here are a few of my favorite discoveries:
After a bit of a nap myself, the husband and I went downstairs for a leisurely and lovely dinner. We decided to stop off in the bar before heading back up to our room so that we could fill our growler with the seasonal Black Widow Porter, which was delightful!
Soon it was time for bed and it was a bit odd not being able to brush your teeth in your own room! I set our alarm for early in order to spend as much time as possible enjoying Edgefield before we had to leave ... but also to make sure I didn't have any competition for the Ladies Lounge. On our wing of the second floor, the Lounge only had two private bathrooms (each containing a shower, sink, and toilet). The Lounge itself had plush seating for you to wait until a bathroom opened up, but I wanted to get in and out without delay!
Operation "Early to Rise Gets Free Reign of the Bathroom" did turn out to be a success! After both the husband and I were showered and dressed, we went downstairs to the dining room to obtain breakfast. I felt compelled to try the Blood Mary once I saw that it came with a slice of bacon. (I truly think almost anything is better with bacon!)
We then decided to explore the parts of the property that we missed the previous day.
I also wanted to find the Jerry Garcia statue which was down a walking path and tucked into a small clearing. It was very serene!
The flowers and foliage were spectacular even in October. (I swear the husband is standing next to Devil's Club, the bane of many a summer camp experience)
Even outside, you could find small artistic details throughout the property!
We still had some time until checkout (and my sister came to pick us up), so we rested in lounge chairs under one of the huge covered porches that ran along the second floor of the hotel. It was so peaceful and relaxing in the morning air. I could have sat outside for hours!
Soon, though, it was time to leave the magic of Edgefield. I don't know when we'll get another opportunity to stay at this magnificent hotel, but I certainly plan to return!
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