Hood River Oregon Downtown 2022
Hood River Oregon Downtown 2022
Great starter for getting to know the Hood River Oregon Downtown. This article covers first the parking and what to expect when you arrive with some quick tips and things to keep in mind for coming to the Hood River Downtown area. Some local tips on some restaurants and places to check out, places to shop and areas to walk.
Finding Parking for Hood River Downtown
So you have made it to Hood River Oregon! You are in the downtown area and now what? No worries!! This guide will give you a quick overview of some of the local shops, places to eat, and attractions in the downtown area of Hood River. First things first though, where to park?
Most people get here through I-84 either coming from the east or west. The best way to get here if you are coming from either direction is on exit 64. Once on the exit if you don’t want to head to the waterfront head towards downtown. Now, as a local here I need to let you know that you very well may get here during a busy season or time. If that is the case I am going to give you a heads up on the parking and where it works here.
Some things to know before you arrive, I would download the app Parkmobile before you get here. Reason being is that I have had the easiest time with that and once you get here you won’t have to deal with the machines and input your credit card to park on the street here. It is much easier to use Parkmobile and I have found that most cities are compatible with it. That is my recommendation anyway. Parking can be very tight here, especially if you are going to be here during the spring and summer months. I will usually myself use the parking lot located in front of the post office here.
The red dot there is the post office here in Hood River. Located in front of the doors and across the street is a good parking lot. Notice that nearby you have another large parking lot, the Columbia Lot here in Hood River. I also recommend that parking lot if they are open. I say that because during part of the year on Saturday mornings there is a Farmers Market that goes on there usually until about 1pm is when they finish but that is a nice parking lot usually there is good parking at either one there.
If by some chance neither of these options appeal to you or maybe you want to walk for about 10 minutes in the nice weather in the spring or early summer you can park usually free near the Waterfront here in Hood River. I recommend to check out Solstice and there is parking either behind or in front of Solstice Pizza. I mention Solstice but keep in mind that there are other nice places to eat there such as Pfriem or Ferment. All of these places along the riverfront are amazing places to eat also. So, you can usually park and find easy parking there along the riverfront and walk to downtown Hood River from there. It will be a roughly 10 to 15 minute walk to downtown from there.
Last but not least, if you really don’t want to park there but you are feeling a bit more adventurous you can park up on what we call “the heights”.
Parking near a store called Rosaurs is free and there is usually tons of parking there. Nice thing about there is you can either walk to downtown, which is about a 20 to 30 minute walk or the local Columbia Area Transit shuttle stops there and you can then take that for one dollar per person to downtown Hood River.
For times and schedules of the CAT shuttle near Rosaurs: https://www.ridecatbus.org/hood-river/
What To Do In Downtown Hood River Oregon
Lets start with with basic shopping. There are many nice places to shop here in downtown Hood River. Unique clothing stores such as Ruddy Duck, a local bookstore, shops for kids, games, and outdoor activities such as windsurfing and mountain biking.
Don’t know where to start? I admit, it can be a bit daunting for coming out for one day here if you don’t know where to begin.
Here is my recommendation for where to start. Keep in mind this is the authors personal recommendation and preferences but that in no way means that there isn’t much more to explore. I am going to assume that you parked in the previous space in the parking lot near the post office. Depending on the time I would suggest breakfast at one of two locations, either at a place at Betty’s Place Restaurant or at a local favorite called Broder Ost.
I personally would recommend Betty’s if you have a few children, they have a nice selective menu, while Broder Ost has less seating but absolutely amazing food! Broder Ost is located in the same building as our historic Hood River Hotel located in the heart of the downtown area. In this area you have many great shops to check out, places to eat and explore.
Oak Street: Downtown Hood River Oregon
While we are on the subject of Betty’s and Broder Ost and the Hotel Hood River, this is all on a street called Oak Street. Oak Street I believe has the majority of your shops, places to eat and things to do here in Hood River if you are coming in for a day. The other street being a parallel street called Cascade Ave. The majority of your downtown businesses to check out are on these two streets. Keep in mind these streets have many side streets connecting these two streets with their own unique businesses to check out as well. However, this is good to know if you are looking to walk around the downtown area. Oak Street and Cascade Ave are the two streets I would walk around if I had one day to explore the area here.
Authors Personal Favorite Places to Eat:
Fish People Hood River: If you love seafood you need to try this out, they have great service, great personalities, and some of the best seafood I have ever had!
Bodas Kitchen: Love going here! They continually mix up their menu and also use amazing and high quality ingredients. Check out their Facebook page for what’s new on the menu for the day!
Broder Ost: They have amazing breakfast here! Swedish style breakfast and never had a bad experience here, high quality ingredients, everything is top notch here for your breakfast.
Celilo Restaurant: Nice dine in place with amazing menu items!
Places to shop:
Ruddy Duck: Located on Oak Street and not far from Betty’s Place or Dog River Coffee. This also during summer months has an ice cream shop open.
Mountain View Cycles: Local bike shop and has nice gear, bikes, and expertise if you are looking to possibly get a bike while here.
Wineries:
I made a quick video on Evoke Winery as well about 10 months ago:
The Pines 1852 Winery and Tasting Room: Located there on Oak Street right next to Dog River Coffee.
Stave and Stone Winery Downtown Keep in mind if you Google this winery it may take you out of town a bit, but they do have a tasting room in downtown Hood River.
See Also: https://www.hoodriverwinealliance.com/tasting-rooms
See Also: https://www.hoodriverwinealliance.com/hood-river-wine-walk
The article above has a downloadable map even if you wish to download a map to go on a
wine walk in downtown Hood River.
Coffee Shops To Check Out In Downtown:
Dog River Coffee Facebook Page
Breweries and Beer in Downtown Hood River
Suggested Articles from Discover Hood River:
See Also: Toki Art Supply Store
See Also: Dog River Coffee
See Also: Windsurfing In Hood River
See Also: Modern Taco Hood River
For Kids:
Idea: If you have kids I hear a popular destination for those with kids is the Waterfront Park here in Hood River. It is about a 10 to 15 minute walk if you park in downtown Hood River. The local CAT shuttle does go here so if you want to take a shuttle check the local CAT schedule for times as they have two stops near the waterfront. I recommend getting off with kids in front of Pfriem or the Portway Ave stop on their Hood River schedule. There is a nice kids park at the waterfront, kids love it. They have a rock wall, and other things standard in kids parks there. The view is amazing you have a nice view of Mt Adams as well. The park is located in front of Stoked Coffee Roasters, one of my favorite coffee shops here in Hood River as well.
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Other Links For Downtown Hood River:
Facebook Page For Downtown Hood River: I recommend checking this out to get a very in depth feel for all of the amazing shops, places to eat, and of course some amazing pictures of what to expect and what to explore here in Hood River!
Instagram for Downtown Hood River: Check out some of these amazing photos from the downtown Hood River area!
Outside Articles for Another Perspective on Downtown Hood River, if you don’t see anything that interests you here, check out some of these articles and links outside of this website for other great ideas:
See Also: https://thegorgeguide.com/things-to-do-in-hood-river-oregon/
See Also: https://hoodriverhotel.com/shop-eat-and-caffeinate-your-way-around-hood-river-oregon/
See Also: https://www.pinterest.com/oakstreethotel/downtown-hood-river/
See Also: https://www.pinterest.com/hoodriveror/downtown-hood-river-oregon/
Get to Know the People in Hood River:
Discover Hood River has a Podcast, coming to Hood River?? Get to know the people before you even get here, get to know some of the local people, local tips, stories, and general info. Discover Hood River has a podcast for that very reason!
Find us on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/discover-hood-river/id1524170666
Radiopublic: https://radiopublic.com/discover-hood-river-WRBza1
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1W0kY1Etw452v5MdWXf7Sl
Thanks for Reading!!!!!
I hope you have enjoyed this article and I wish you a great day out when you come to check out the Hood River Downtown area. If you enjoyed learning about the Hood River Downtown area give us a like on Instagram , Pinterest, and Facebook as we appreciate it and comment on your experience on what you wish you would have known before you came to Hood River!
Tik Tok of Artwork in Downtown Hood River:
Downtown Hood River in Winter: https://www.tiktok.com/@discoverhoodriver/video/7049178775426223407?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id7021035528360723974
