An expansive vineyard amphitheater on a Columbia River bluff, combining weekend terrace music, disc golf, and award-winning wines with views of Mount Hood.
Maryhill Winery Amphitheater, a 4,000-seat outdoor venue perched on a basalt bluff overlooking the Columbia River, was built in 2003 to merge world-class viticulture with live performance. For fifteen years, this grassy, terraced bowl hosted major national touring acts, with the shimmering river and the distant, snow-capped peak of Mount Hood serving as a natural backdrop behind the stage. Founded by Craig and Vicki Leuthold as part of their expansive Goldendale winery, the amphitheater became famous for its summer concert series, drawing legendary musicians like Bob Dylan, Santana, and Willie Nelson to this remote stretch of Highway 14. Although the winery permanently retired its ticketed national concert series in 2018 to refocus on its rapidly growing wine production, the physical amphitheater remains a dramatic focal point of the property, now integrated into the daily visitor experience as a space for recreation, including a disc golf course that winds through the terraced seating area.
The design of the amphitheater takes advantage of the natural slope of the land, dropping down from the main tasting room complex to a stage that sits directly in front of Gunkel Vineyard. The surrounding terroir was famously shaped by the cataclysmic Missoula floods, which deposited layers of well-drained loess and gravelly soils over deep basalt, creating ideal conditions for heat-loving varietals like Syrah and Sangiovese. While the main amphitheater stage no longer reverberates with stadium-sized rock shows, live music remains a core part of the Maryhill experience. The winery hosts its highly popular Terrace Music series every weekend from Memorial Day through September, where local and regional musicians perform on the vine-covered Tuscan-style outdoor arbor. Visitors can sit under the shade of the grapevines, sip award-winning wines crafted by winemaker Richard Batchelor, and enjoy the same panoramic gorge views that once framed the main stage.
A visit to the amphitheater grounds is anchored by the 3,000-square-foot tasting room and its adjacent 1,200-square-foot Premium Club Room. Inside the main tasting room, the centerpiece is a historic, 20-foot-wide Brunswick Bar, quarter-sawn from tiger oak in the early 1900s and detailed with intricate wood carvings and inset mirrors. Outside, the property features four tournament-quality bocce courts with covered seating, where guests can play a match while sharing a bottle of Proprietor's Reserve Malbec or Viognier. The on-site bistro offers a regionally inspired menu of charcuterie boards, flatbreads, and sandwiches, utilizing fresh ingredients sourced from local orchards. Leashed dogs are welcome on the outdoor terrace and bocce areas, making it a highly social, family-friendly destination that continues to draw more than 75,000 visitors annually, even as its legendary concert era has transitioned into a quieter, wine-focused retreat.
Bring your own discs to play the casual disc golf course set up directly inside the retired amphitheater bowl. Afterward, grab a glass of Proprietor's Reserve Malbec and claim one of the four tournament-quality bocce courts as the sun drops behind Mount Hood.