Always stopping for cheese — and now ice cream

Another winter, another stop at the Tillamook Creamery. This is our fourth consecutive post-Christmas road trip down to Florence, Oregon. And we always make sure to stop at Tillamook for cheese.

If you’re a longtime reader (Hi, Andrew!), I’m sure you are familiar with these cheese stops. Like, this one from 2021, that yes, I wrote in 2022. Two years after that visit with a baby, I am happy to report that my now-toddler loves cheese just as much as I do — she also loves ice cream.

We rolled into Tillamook — the city is called Tillamook and the high school’s mascot is the Cheesemakers! — shortly before 3pm earlier this week and I was surprised to see tons of cars in the parking lot. The previous times we have been here during this time of year, there have only been a handful of cars.

Since we had our dog in tow, Bryce and I took turns going inside the building with our toddler. Although, I did see one dog in a stroller and another in one of those pet backpacks inside the creamery so I wonder if next year I just need to put our dog in a pack?! Dogs are definitely allowed just outside the building in the outdoor seating area.

Some may think this is a nuisance (that our whole family cannot go inside together), but this is just the way we have to do it since leaving our dog behind when we are traveling via car is not an option for us. She is part of the family and deserves a beach vacay just as much as anyone else! Also, the 1:1 time with our kid is nice — at least from my POV. She very much prefers Bryce over me at all times so being together with just her allows me to spend some time with her when she would otherwise always want to just hold Bryce’s hand or be right next to him if the three of us were together.

I went inside the Tillamook Creamery with the kiddo first. All the cars in the lot were definitely a reflection of the crowds inside. I guess when I wrote a few years ago that winter is never crowded at the Tillamook Creamery, I was incorrect. It was not crowded in 2021 because of the pandemic and not many people were traveling or were out and about. Or, perhaps Tillamook has gotten even more popular these days?? The indoor dining area was completely full this time! And this was the first time I had to wait in a line to both order food and buy cheese at the gift shop!

But, enough about the crowds. The kiddo wanted to “drive the van” first once we were inside. We lucked out and this was the one thing we didn’t have to wait in a line for. We did that and then walked upstairs and did the self-guided tour where you can see how the cheese is made and packaged. There are large windows where you can look down below into the factory and there is signage that explains all of the steps. She walked along with me and looked through the big windows.

“Cheese!” she exclaimed. Yep, that’s my child for sure. We also made sure to get our cheese samples while upstairs: medium cheddar, sharp cheddar and a cheese curd.

“I’m going to share this with Daddy!” she said proudly about the cheese curd, as she tightly gripped onto the little cup of it.

We ordered our (late) lunch, our usual order of grilled cheese and mac + cheese. Bryce and the kiddo shared the grilled cheese, which came with fries but she mainly ate only fries. Guess she was still full from her PB&J a few hours earlier in the car. Or, perhaps she was just waiting for dessert: ice cream. My mac and cheese was piping hot and delicious. We enjoyed our food outside and the sun even tried to peek its way through the clouds a few times. Nearly every person who walked by said “hi” to our dog or asked to pet her or asked what type of dog breed she is (shiba inu).

After we ate, it was Bryce’s turn to go inside with Luna. She wanted to show him the van and they also went back upstairs briefly so she could see the cows again. (Not real cows, just display cows for kids to fan over.)

Before we left, I made sure to buy cheese to bring back home — not all for me, some are gifts! — and the kiddo got her ice cream. I debated getting an ice cream scoop for myself but figured I could share with her. Nope, I was wrong. By the time I went back outside after going to the gift shop, she had finished it all by herself.

With our tummies full of cheese — and ice cream for one of us — we were refueled to head back on the road. As we walked across the parking lot back to our car, someone started waving towards me, or was it to my dog? I honestly thought it was the latter because of all the love she (our dog) was getting. Then as the person and their family got closer, I realized it was an old coworker! What a pleasant and random surprise seeing that we were ~250 miles from home!

Tillamook is always a great time. It’s always worth the (long) drive. And, next time I will definitely remember that if I want to eat ice cream, I will need to get my own.

I am not affiliated with the Tillamook County Creamery Association. I just really love Tillamook cheese!