Things to Do in Beaverton

Erin Marie Palmer and her oenology savants demystify supping tactics during 90-minute libation classes alongside a select spread of wines from the Pacific Northwest, California, and around the world. Students can choose from three globetrotting tastings, including Understanding Pinot Noir, Date Night: An Adventure in Wine for Couples, and 7 Things Everyone Should Know About Wine, a crash course in essential varietal facts, originally programmed for young professionals and fledgling stemware. Each session uncorks five or more wine flights while dispensing valuable information about etiquette, history, and pronunciation, all of which are useful for peppering conversations during forthcoming dates and parent-teacher conferences. Although food is not included, pupils can glean knowledge about culinary pairings.

Founded in 1898, a year remembered by fashion historians as "the year of President McKinley eyebrows," the Oregon Historical Society has sought to preserve and promote the history, politics, and culture of the nation's 33rd state through publications, lectures, and the exhibits at the Oregon History Museum. Befriend the past with the Oregon My Oregon exhibit, an award-winning, interactive look at the state's odyssey that features more than 50 displays showcasing numerous artifacts and antiques, including a 9,000-year-old sagebrush sandal. Peace Corps: 50 Years of Service, which runs through June 19, celebrates a half century of peacemaking with photographs, testimonials, artifacts, and personal correspondence from more than 80 Oregonian and Washingtonian volunteers.

Árdíri Winery & Vineyards' winemakers John Compagno and Gail Lizak personally tend to each vine on their five-acre vineyard in California's Napa Valley and 15-acre vineyard in Willamette Valley, Oregon. They age each harvest's fruit in French oak, creating complexly flavored whites and reds, such as the 2009 Willamette Valley pinot noir that was named one of Oregon's 50 Best Wines in 2011 and 2012 by Portland Monthly.

John and Gail share their award-winning varietals year round at their open-air tasting facility, where staffers pour samples from behind a black concrete bar and roll-up windowed doors afford stunning views of Mount Hood and the Chehalem Mountains. The boutique winery's dog- and bike-friendly grounds also include a covered flagstone patio, a fire pit, trails through the vineyards, and picnic areas perfect for sighting the rare behatted brown bear.

In 1976, Joan Barnes—a Californian mom frustrated with the lack of spaces where she could take her kids for safe and age-appropriate play time—took matters into her own hands and founded Gymboree Play and Music. In the decades since Gymboree’s founding, Joan’s vision of a safe place where youngsters could build confidence and creativity has come to fruition and spread to 30 countries around the globe. Staffed by attentive and expertly trained instructors, each Gymboree outpost adheres to a curriculum of activities designed by experts to foster the development of children’s’ cognitive, physical, and social skills through structured play and close readings of Goodnight Moon. The staffers also conduct entertaining classes that cover subjects ranging from music to sports, imparting valuable lessons of imagination and physical activity to developing minds. To further set apart her business, Barnes employed nationally renowned playground designer Jay Beck to design the proprietary play equipment at her centers.

For nearly a quarter-century, the Portland Fall Home and Garden Show has showcased the wares and talents of hundreds of local nurseries, landscapers, and contractors. Widely acknowledged as the best time to plant and prepare for spring blooms, the fall season is ideal for consulting with professionals on upcoming projects and putting seeds and bulbs to ground. Attendees can glean inspiration from 11 onsite garden displays before shopping the extensive selection of trees, azaleas, shrubs, perennials, and bulbs, as well as garden gnomes that don’t steal your socks while you sleep.

When chemist Gary Gougér first started making wine, he was an amateur who was simply translating his love of vino into a pleasurable hobby. Soon, his passion took over, and he began racking up numerous International Gold awards for his red blends. His science background, coupled with training at one of the world’s finest winemaking schools in Australia, helped Gougér take his wines to the next level. Now the proprietor of his own Cascadian winery, he crafts blended creations, along with single-varietal bottles, that take center stage at tasting-room events ranging from holiday events to varietal samplers.