Oregon Truffle Festival finds celebration with 20th anniversary
The Oregon Truffle Festival will mark a milestone in 2025 as it celebrates its 20th anniversary. Held this year from 8 February to 1 March, the festival is a highly anticipated event in the Pacific Northwest each winter. The Oregon Truffle Festival includes beloved, long-held events like The Joriad North American Truffle Dog Competition in Eugene, but will also have some new offerings this year. A truffle immersion on the North Oregon Coast will take place at the beautifully restored Liberty Theater (including a fungi film night!) as will a Valentine’s Day weekend event series, both in Astoria. 14th February also just happens to be the state of Oregon’s birthday. Workshops like truffle farming and truffle dog training will round out the month along with a gala truffle dinner with Willamette Valley Vineyards.
Dark skies reach high five
Home to the Oregon Outback International Dark Sky Sanctuary, the largest in the world, Oregon has recently added new dark sky accreditations for a total of five throughout the state. With a population of less than 50, the rural town of Antelope has become Oregon’s first International Dark Sky Community and the Oregon Caves National Monument and Preserve is now an International Dark Sky Park, the second in the state, both certifications awarded by DarkSky International. The designation for the Oregon Caves has come after a multi-year effort by the National Park Service to improve natural darkness and reduce light pollution in the 4,554-acre (1,843-hectare) system of marble caves and formations beneath the Siskiyou Mountains. Protected within the monument are old growth forests, subalpine meadows, glacial cirques and alpine rock gardens offering visitors a unique blend of natural and celestial experiences highlighting conservation. Prineville Reservoir International Dark Sky Park and Sunriver International Development of Distinction are the other accredited dark sky places in the state.
Sauna sojourns offer winter wellness
Visitors to Oregon looking to warm up this winter will find several sauna hotspots across the state. Astoria’s history as a hub for Finnish immigrants makes a visit to the sauna at Cannery Pier Hotel & Spa, a converted cannery turned resort on the North Oregon Coast, a must. In the Tualatin Valley, the newly opened Sosta House by Nico and Mia Ponzi Hamacher, siblings who grew up in the house next door to their grandparents’ renowned Ponzi Winery, is a bed and breakfast that includes an outdoor sauna. Gather Sauna House offers mobile, wood-fired saunas rotating locations throughout Central Oregon. In Portland, Loyly offers two distinct options: a social sauna, where visitors can chat while they steam, and a silent sauna, where guests can enjoy quiet contemplation in the heat, while Cascada is a new underground thermal springs spa, and cited as a reason why Travel + Leisure named the city as one of the Top 50 Places to Visit in 2025.
