Woodinville

Besides visiting a friend, Ive only been to Woodinville twice, and both times it was for wine tasting.

A very popular place, which I can endorse, is Chateau Ste Michelle. The wine is great, and they allow kids so it was the perfect place for when my sister and her kids visited. They could run around outside on the grass and get the wiggles out before we did the tour. I wouldnt have brought them if they were much younger or if they werent so wellbehaved, because the tour is about 35 or 40 minutes, which feels like 4 hours for a kid. But I was impressed--they found it pretty interesting and kept asking to taste the wine too. When we did give them a tiny sip they made a face a decided they were happy with their grape juice!

But by far the best winery we visited with the kiddos was Novelty Hill Januik. The wine and the ambience was perfect, and we went on a sunny day, so we got to go outside and play bocce ballwhile wine tasting! And the extra bonus was that we could eat pizza as well, which was definitely needed at this point. Perfect.

One other time I went to Woodinville was with friends, again for the wine. It was a bit simpler though, since it was for a birthday party without kids. We purchased the Seattle wine tour, which was excellent so that we didnt have to worry about driving or planning.

I do have one good friend who lives in the area with his family, and he really enjoys it. However, it is certainly a different lifestyle than in Seattle. Many, if not most, in the area own houses and a bit of land. The schools have a decent reputation, and safety is supposed to be good. I suppose the commute to Bellevue wouldnt be terrible, but I dont envy those who must commute to Seattle from Woodinville. The appeal is clear for those raising a family or simply those who like a bit of distance from the rush of the city. I wouldnt mind settling down there one day myself, but not for quite some time.

Woodinville is a town about 20 minutes north of Bellevue. Its more of a family place, not as great for young single people. They do have some live music, but most of its at the wineries so its more where I take my parents when they visit.

Like last summer for their anniversary I got them tickets to a show at the Chateau St. Michelle summer concert series. They definitely cater to the older crowd, bringing in artists like Paul Simon and Bob Dylan. My parents loved it last summer so I guess I have to take them again this summer lol. The winery has an amphitheater outside so its pretty nice. Unless its raining. But if you havent heard, it barely rains in the summer in Seattle, at least the last 2 summers. My friends down south dont believe me but its true!

A few of the other wineries do live music as well, but usually inside their tasting rooms. For singer/songwriter acoustic music, Village Wines does decent local shows. They do rotate some house musicians a lot, but also bring in special performances. Its not bad, good for a date. Actually theyre not technically a winery, because they dont make any wine, but more of a bar and wineseller.

Ive also been to Columbia Winerys foodie Friday, which has live music or a pub quiz. It also is a happy hour. This was probably one of my favorites, because its the most chill. I have a friend who lives in Everett and weve met up here a couple of times since its in the middle of Bellevue and Everett and its not full of people our parents age lol.

Honestly, Woodinville is totally not a destination for me personally, but more of a place to take other people who are more into the wine tasting scene. Its definitely cool that something like that exists in Washington though. Apparently the wine scenes been getting bigger and bigger.

Woodinville is a small city just on the edge of urban and rural, both geographically and culturally.

It’s located just where highway 405, which takes you to Bellevue, Seattle, or Lynnwood, meets highway 522. 522 is the main connection to towns northeast of here, which are more rural, in land and in lifestyle. As soon as you start heading down 522, the trucks get bigger, the landscape gets wilder, and the voting ballots get redder.

So if you can’t decide if you’re a city mouse or a country mouse, or if you’re a city mouse married to a country mouse (or vice versa), you might like Woodinville.
Especially….if you’re a mouse that likes wine.

Wine is what Woodinville has slowly but steadily been gaining a reputation for over the past few decades. It’s become a very popular place to do tasting room tours, for both tourists and locals alike. “I’m a big kid now” birthday parties for 20-somethings from Seattle are a common occurrence here, and the number of tourists has been creeping up as word spreads about the world-class wine. The well-known Chateau Ste. Michelle has their tasting room in Woodinville, along with *many* dozens of other wineries, so make sure to have a designated driver if you’re doing the rounds! They quote that there are over 90 wineries here, but that seems to be pushing it a bit. A lot of the wineries have live music on the weekends, which makes for a livelier town than most suburbs.

Housing & amenities:
Woodinville is definitely a suburb. The lots are larger, the houses roomier, and land is a bit more affordable. It’s a solid place for a middle class family to settle down, purchase a home, and send the kids to school.

Downtown Woodinville is right next to 522, and what used to be a sleepy little town is quickly growing, with new stores (and wineries!) popping up regularly. Big box stores are quickly getting settled in. This is also where you’ll find pretty much the only multi-family units, if you’re looking for an apartment. The rest of Woodinville, which sprawls east from here, is exclusively single-family homes. If your dream is to buy some land and build your own customized house, it’s not hard to find land here. But keep in mind that prices are increasing rapidly as Seattle grows.

Commuting:
Commuting can definitely be a drag, as you’ll have to sit in stop and go freeway traffic every day if you’re going to Seattle or Bellevue. But it's a bit quicker if you work in Everett or Lynnwood, as you’ll go against the traffic, or in Redmond or Bothell, because you can take the backroads. There is a park and ride just south of 522 as well.

Final thoughts:
Since Seattle and Bellevue are expected to continue to grow, you can expect nearby suburbs like Woodinville to also grow. It can be a great place to set up shop if you’re looking to be out of the rush of the city, and maybe get a little piece of land. Just keep in mind that it’s a package deal that comes with a hefty commute if you work in the city!