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Cheese Tour of the West Coast

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Originally published at nicandcam.com

CHEESE! Cheese fondue, grilled cheese, fried cheese, a slice of cheese, grated cheese, shredded cheese…you get the picture! We love cheese! We also love to travel. So, what better way to enjoy both cheese and travel than to embark on a Cheese Tour of the West Coast? Let’s get started! There’s cheese to be had!

Cheese Tour of the West Coast

Cheese Tour of the West Coast Stop #1: Cal Poly Dairy & Cal Poly Creamery

Our trip begins in California, about halfway between Los Angeles and San Jose. San Luis Obispo (SLO) is a town loved by many. It is also home to California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly SLO), where their philosophy is “learn by doing.” One of the things students “learn by doing” is how to run a dairy & creamery. Beyond that, they have a Dairy Innovation Institute, in order to further improve dairy products in the future.

The dairy and creamery are completely student-run. The creamery produces cheese, ice cream, and during the holiday time, egg nog! Products are available for purchase on the Cal Poly campus, at Campus Market.

The Cal Poly Dairy or Cal Poly Creamery can be contacted about making a visit. Otherwise, head to the Campus Market to taste their wares.

Our next three stops are inland from the Bay Area, in central California.

Cheese Tour of the West Coast Stop #2: Hilmar Cheese Company

Hilmar Cheese Company is located in Hilmar, CA. It has a visitor center that, in my opinion, is 2nd only to Tillamook (which we’ll visit later on the road trip). The Visitor Center is open 7 days a week (except major holidays). There are a variety of free tours, including guided or self-guided. You can learn how cheese is made and explore a variety of exhibits. There is also a viewing area to see right into the cheese factory. Beyond all this, there are FREE samples! And during the summer months, for a nominal fee, you can also create your own ice cream!

If you’re looking for more than just a sample, the Hilmar Cheese Visitor Center also has a cafe, where you can try their cheeses in a variety of delicious meals. Sandwiches, wraps, soups, pizzas, and daily specials are available. They also have a breakfast menu and kids menu!

Cheese Tour of the West Coast Stop #3: Oakdale Cheese

Oakdale Cheese (in Oakdale, CA) handcrafts several varieties of cheese, but their specialty is Gouda. They’ve won awards for their Gouda, and they are dedicated to making it the best. Cheesemaking has been in the family for four generations, beginning in the Gouda region of Holland. Now, we’re lucky enough to be able to visit them in California, 7 days a week. Complimentary self-guided tours of their facility are available, where you can learn about the process and the people behind the process. Stay for lunch or a treat at Oakdale’s Specialty Market & Bakery, where you can also find gift and other gourmet foods.

Cheese Tour of the West Coast Stop #4: Fiscalini Cheese Company

Fiscalini Cheese Company (Modesto, CA) picks up where Swiss ancestors left off. Cheese can be purchased on-site (Monday thru Friday), and the options include unique cheeses, such as their “Purple Moon” (Cheddar soaked in Cabernet Sauvignon)!

Next, we head toward the Bay Area in California.

Cheese Tour of the West Coast Stop #5: Cowgirl Creamery

Cowgirl Creamery is in Point Reyes Station, CA, near the Bay Area. On Fridays, they offer a 60-minute presentation that includes an up-close cheese curd-making demonstration, as well as a guided tasting of all the Cowgirl Creamery cheeses. The cost is $5/person, and reservations should be made in advance.

In the city, they have a Cheese Shop at the San Francisco Ferry Plaza, with their Sidekick Cafe & Milk Bar right next door. The Cafe offers breakfast, including sandwiches featuring their cheeses on fresh Challah rolls. After breakfast, grilled cheese, mac & cheese, and their “cheese toasties” are on offer. Cheese toasties are described as an open-faced sandwich made with Cheddar cheese, caramelized onions, and maple mustard. Sounds delicious!

Cheese Tour of the West Coast Stop #6: Marin French Cheese Co.

Our first stop in Petaluma, CA, is Marin French Cheese Co. They have won many awards for their cheeses, but the one that rises to the top year after year is their Brie.

Cheese Tour of the West Coast Stop #7: Spring Hill Jersey Cheese

Next up in Petaluma, CA, is Spring Hill Jersey Cheese (also known as Petaluma Creamery). They produce a variety of Cheddars, Jacks, Mozzarellas, and curds. You can visit and enjoy breakfast, lunch, or an early dinner at the Creamery Store. Beyond the menu, they sell all of their cheeses, as well as their butter!

We now head out of California and into Oregon and Washington State!

Cheese Tour of the West Coast Stop #8: Rogue Creamery

Not too far north of the California border, in Central Point, OR, is Rogue Creamery. They state that they are the home of the best blue cheese in the world. While blue cheese isn’t my favorite, I can say that I have tasted many of their varieties, and they are all amazing. Lavender Cheddar, Pesto Cheddar, Rosemary Cheddar, and Chocolate Stout were some of my favorites (I like Cheddar…can you tell?).

Their Cheese Shop is a gem. It’s on a quaint street, just one mile from I-5. The Cheese Shop offers free cheese samples, solar-powered grilled cheese sandwiches, root beer on tap (YUM!), and their full line of cheeses for sale. They also carry a variety of other foods and beverages for sale. We found an artisan peppermint patty that was perfect after our grilled cheese and root beer!

Rogue Creamery - Oregon
Rogue Creamery - Oregon
Rogue Creamery - Oregon

Cheese Tour of the West Coast Stop #9: Tillamook

We’ve finally arrived at Tillamook Cheese in Tillamook, OR! Tillamook has our #1 favorite visitor center and some of our favorite dairy products of all time! (NOTE: They are currently constructing a brand new visitor center, and a temporary one is open in the meantime. We can hardly believe that our #1 favorite cheese visitor center is going to be even better!)

Tillamook cheese has been around since 1909. They introduced their first ice creams in 1972, yogurt in 1994, and my latest favorite…farmstyle-cut shredded cheese in 2017. Although Tillamook has existed for generations, our love of their products has grown over the last decade, as they’ve become more readily available in grocery stores around southern California.

My three favorite Tillamook products are (though it’s hard to choose only three!):

  • Special Reserve Extra Sharp Cheddar (aged over 15 months – maybe my favorite cheese of all time!)
  • Farmstyle-Cut Sharp Cheddar Shredded Cheese (for melting or snacking on)
  • Stumptown Cold Brew Coffee Ice Cream (Portland-based Stumptown is some of the best coffee around. Mixing it with Tillamook ice cream = wowzers!)
Tillamook Special Reserve cheese
Quite possibly my favorite cheese of all time!

My favorite way to eat Special Reserve is sliced suuuuuper thin, using this cheese slicer.

Tillamook Special Reserve cheese

Besides cheese, ice cream, and yogurt, Tillamook also produces sour cream and butter. So, stop by the Tillamook visitor center. Taste the free samples. Eat at the Cafe. Enjoy a treat at the Ice Cream Counter. You won’t be disappointed!

Tillamook Cheese Visitor Center - Oregon
Tillamook Cheese Visitor Center - Oregon
Tillamook Cheese Visitor Center - Oregon

Cheese Tour of the West Coast Stop #10: Beecher’s Handmade Cheese

And then there’s Seattle…which quickly became one of my favorite U.S. cities when I visited for the first time. In Seattle, WA, in the famous Pike Place Market, right on the corner of Pike & Pine, sits Beecher’s Handmade Cheese. Beecher’s produces my #2 all-time favorite cheese…Flagship, their signature cheese. It is aged for 15 months, and it is amazing. When you visit Beecher’s, you can purchase Flagship all by itself, enjoy it on a grilled cheese sandwich, or as part of their “World’s Best” Mac & Cheese. Beecher’s also makes other cheeses, but Flagship is far and away our favorite.

Pike Place Market - Beecher's Cheese
Pike Place Market - Beecher's Cheese
Pike Place Market - Beecher's Cheese - Flagship
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Are you ready to take your Cheese Tour of the West Coast? Please share in the comments below!

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Nicolette
Nicolette Kay is the founder of Semi-Budget Travel®. She has been traveling the world since junior high, and in 2005, she began single-handedly planning all aspects of semi-budget travel for various family & friends. She has visited more than 20 countries around the world, and is always thinking about…Where to travel next? How to get a good deal? What would be worth splurging on? She helps thousands of people per month plan their fabulous, yet affordable, semi-budget travel.

26 thoughts on “Cheese Tour of the West Coast”

  1. As a passionate lover of cheese, this tour would be an ultimate experience for me, Nic! I’d love to try that handmade cheese! 🙂

  2. …..I live in California… some of these Creameries are near me! I think I have a weekend destination in mind! I’ve heard of wine tours and food tours, but I never thought to just do one for cheese. Awesome

  3. This is my dream tour de cheese! Seriously, is there a better food! So jealous of all the food and fun you had!

  4. This post has me looking in my fridge for some old cheddar. How I would love to tase the Special Reserve Cheese Extra Sharp. And the Brie and the “Purple Moon.” What a great idea to construct a cheese tour. Brilliant. Are you going to pair it with a wine tour?

  5. This is probably my favorite blog post on all the internet! I LOVE cheese and that lavender cheddar would be a dream!

  6. My mouth is watering. I love cheese! I want a glass of wine and some cheese to go with right now! LOL! Thanks for the tour. If I ever go back to Cali I will stop by some of these locations.

  7. That is a lot of cheese! You certainly did a lot of cheese shopping! I tried some cheese from Norway this past year and it was pretty good. Have you had any of that?

  8. I would love this but I am lactose intolerant and could not handle this amount of cheese haha! But it looks like so much fun.

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