I took my 8 year old daughter to Fiddlestix for a Sunday afternoon trail ride (not the wine tour…read moreone). We are both novices and they put us on chill horses. We encountered chickens and kittens which my daughter loved. On the ride we came across monarch butterflies, beautiful views and wild cherries. The terrain was rolling hill like with several picture worthy viewpoints. The paths were a mix of gravel and grass. Sarah was a fantastic and easy going hostess. Denny was a wonderful guide, very patient with my daughter and made sure she was comfortable by teaching her some basics and working in the barn before setting out on the trail. We will go back!

AMAZING!!!! We are from hawaii and we ride wvery now and…read moreagain so we are beginners - intermediate riders. From start to finish. The car ride there was so nice. The place was easy to find. They had a nice sign out frount and clear signs where you can park. Everyone was very nice and friendly. The horses were very well behaved and easy to ride. This was our first ride here, but not our first time riding horses. I highly recommend them the vineyard ride is so relaxing :) i cant say one bad thing about our experience here!!! I cant wait to come back Pros Good prices!! Easy to find Well behaved easy to ride horses Clean Informative BEAUTIFUL vineyard ride Good distance FUN FUN FUN Cons YOU WONT WANT TO LEAVE!!!

Hello, I went to big lake growing up. I love this place. Truly some of the best memories of my…read morechi!dhood. Here I learned to work as,a team, make and keep new friends! The setting is downright majestic. So so Beautiful!! I want to go back. But way too o!d now. Just very thank for the awesome memories! I returned from camp beaming with new found confidence. And self esteem. When I got home, I had so many Stories to tell. Great food, staff, everything was incredible!! Thank you big lake, keep up the wonderful work. Your chi!d will love it here. I know I did!

Big Lake is hands down the best summer camp for kids. I grew up going here, and this year was my 12…read moreyear old's first summer here. It's been great to experience BL as a kid camper myself and now a parent of a camper. We're really going to try to make a family camp happen next summer. My son couldn't say enough how much fun he had and the great people he really enjoyed meeting. They have every activity you could possibly think of, and there's so much warmth and joy around you just feel awesome. You do not have to be religious to attend this camp..the religious themes they sprinkle throughout camp are light and joyful. You really just feel like you're with a great, wholesome group of people who have your back, care about you, and are there to support you and have fun. This is our family's forever camp for generations.

I only gave it 2 stars because I do support the arts, otherwise I'd give it one. However, the fact…read morethat two native born Oregonians funded the purchase of 120 acres between Suttle Lake and Blue Lake twenty years ago in order to build this compound, effectively blocking all reasonable public access to Blue Lake is to me beyond reprehensible. Yes, there is a "Park" on the western side of the lake, but it is only accessible by a mile-long trail up a scrappy hill after a short drive on a sketchy forest service road. And there are zero amenities at said "park". Nothing. Plus, you can't even get to the water easily. Not somewhere to take the family on a nice day. As a lifelong Oregon resident, I have always been proud of the fact that we have protected and preserved public access to places like this lake. This is why there are no privately owned Oregon Beaches. To keep access open for everyone. For me to see the signs and gates and fences marked "Private Property" blocking roads that used to lead to a place enjoyed for years upon years by anyone who wished to stop by for a swim, picnic or fishing trip made me sick. Those signs to me said loud and clear - "This is OURS now. KEEP OUT." It would have been (and still could be) so very easy to provide an access road along the southern shore with a simple boat ramp and parking area to maintain public access. But no. What we have here is a slap in the face of all Oregonians by a select chosen few who thought they deserved this lake more than the rest of us.

World class Camp…read moreCaldera is focused on changing the world through art and creativity. They are succeeding. Given the magnitude of our challenges, we need all the creative thinking we can get! Caldera gets that. In Summer, Caldera employs artists to collaborate with at-risk underserved youth to explore and gain confidence in their creativity. In Winter, Caldera hosts small groups of artists for a month residency. What's world class about Caldera is the setting, curation and communication. Caldera is set on public land under a 99 year lease. It borders Blue Lake amid land imprinted by a large forest fire. The ghosts of burned trees are primarily ponderosa pine with a healthy recent growth of manzanita shrubs. Sun shines. Air at altitude. Caldera curates artists nationally. Locally I know many. Each has a private a-frame cabin. Some years, they walk through shoveled paths between buildings in ten foot snow accumulation. Very, very sadly, and of great concern, snow was scarce this year. I have been wanting to get to Caldera, a 3 hour drive from Portland proper, for some time. I was able to attend one of their resident artists' presentations and studio tours that happen an afternoon just a few times a year. Visitors gathered in the library to hear short presentations with images by each artist. Then we were able to visit their studios and chat individually. It was clear the artists had created an experience of camaraderie and collaboration from those conversations. One artist commented that, unusual for a residency, the program was able to accommodate her husband and son, a part of her everyday artmaking-life, into the experience. Caldera is a project of a local creative agency. So you would expect that they would communicate their successes. On the Zen to Super Bowl communication continuum, Caldera hews to Zen. They have these open houses and they have shows of their youth programs in Portland. Sometimes they show that work in the agency lobby gallery, and they are moving to a new office in the building with more potential for shows. But given their reach and reputation, their promotion of Caldera is done with humility and authenticity. Now let's talk world class. The buildings were designed by Brad Cloepfil at Allied Works Architecture. The materials and aesthetic are closely related to the land, low and angular, massive fireplaces, raw concrete, fir and cedar. Think Timberline Lodge crossed with Taliesin, using local materials for the 21st century. The program is world class for its seemingly effortless engagement of young people. We need more. Each young person encapsulates the possibility for optimism and discouragement in their infinite brilliance and critical idealistic eye. We waste too much. At Caldera they are treated with the respect they crave. Caldera is a private institute. You can visit for a few hours a few times a year they announce. If you are an artist, apply for their residency. If you are a creative youth fitting their program, reach out to them. If you are a patron connect. Get on their social media channels. Any creative agency continuously engages every dimension of culture to discover insights. If you would like a Mad Men history, look up the book Conquest of Cool. For a more breezy view, about a fictional agency, find the book Palladio. This is not that. Caldera is an authentic engagement of creative inspiration in a beautiful setting done right. World class. World changing.

I recently attended an amazing retreat at Camp Cedar Ridge. Not only was the retreat itself…read morefantastic, but it was also really enhanced by being held at Cedar Ridge. Although the location is gorgeous: it's right on a beautiful river, there's tons of natural beauty and scenic views of the Coast range mountains, I was MOST impressed by the friendliness of the staff and the quality of the food, which was absolutely scrumptious at every meal and did the best job accommodating the dietary needs of EVERYONE in attendance. Absolutely will attend other retreats here in the future!

The land, the animals, the views, the staff and accomodations, along with the food was wonderful!!…read moreHighly recommend and grateful to have experienced this wonderful slice of heaven

My kiddos enjoy Royal Ridges and participate in the Giddy Up and Horseback riding camps…read more Royal Ridges is a great place and our homeschooling family enjoys the all-day camp which gives them a full day of play and learning. I didn't give a 5 star because communication from staff needs improvement. We're finishing the fall camp and a lot of last minute details are coming later than they should.

If you need your kids to go out while you work and let them have fun during summer this is the…read moreplace to go. They make sure your kids drink water and that they are safe at all times. The games and activities they do are creative and amazing. The counselors are super nice. My kid said he wanted to go back next summer!