Summertime memories of childhood often include cool, crisp wedges of watermelon with juice running down your chin and a seed spitting contest with cousins. There’s one town in Oregon that grows the best melons in the state, and you’re going to want to visit this summer.
With a population of around 18,000 residents, the city of Hermiston is the largest in the eastern part of the Beaver State.
MIM1765/Wikimedia
It might be large for this neck of the woods, but it still maintains a friendly, home-town vibe with a charming downtown and plenty of rural farmland.
Wikimedia/MIM1765
There’s plenty to see and do in Hermiston. Riverfront Park provides 16 acres of recreation that includes fishing, walking paths, a boat ramp, picnic areas, and playgrounds.
Leah Hooker/GoogleMaps
Enjoy the thrills of stock car racing at Hermiston Raceway.
Royal Broil/Flickr
Hike to the top of Hermiston Butte for an incredible view of the city and countryside surrounding it.
MIM1765/Wikimedia
Once summer months warm up, magic starts to happen in the fields and farms around Hermiston.
Walchli Farms/Facebook
By July, this town turns into a watermelon wonderland.
Walchli Farms/Facebook
On a hot summer day, nothing will cool you down like a slice of juicy, sweet watermelon, and the melons grown here are pure perfection.
Walchli Farms/Facebook
They don’t just keep these watermelons to themselves, either; farmers in Hermiston ship the fruits of their harvest all over the region.
Walchli Farms/Facebook
The watermelon here is so good that the city’s official logo even incorporates the fruit!
City of Hermiston/Facebook
The nearby small town of Irrigon hosts a watermelon festival every summer that includes a parade…
Irrigon Chamber of Commerce/Facebook
…family-friendly games…
Irrigon Watermelon Festival/Facebook
…watermelon seed spitting contests…
Irrigon Watermelon Festival/Facebook
…watermelon bowling…
Irrigon Watermelon Festival/Facebook
…and, of course, plenty of watermelon from nearby growers around Hermiston. This year’s festival takes place on July 28, 2018.
City of Hermiston/Facebook
For more information about the upcoming Irrigon Watermelon Festival, check out their Facebook page here.
MIM1765/Wikimedia
Wikimedia/MIM1765
Leah Hooker/GoogleMaps
Royal Broil/Flickr
Walchli Farms/Facebook
City of Hermiston/Facebook
Irrigon Chamber of Commerce/Facebook
Irrigon Watermelon Festival/Facebook
Have you tasted the delicious Hermiston watermelons or taken part in the annual Watermelon Festival? What other foods remind you of summer in Oregon? Share your memories in the comments!
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