Visit Hood River reopens its visitor information center and office on May 1 in a common area space at The History Museum of Hood River County, located at 300 E. Port Marina Drive. The reopening is a significant leap forward for the organization.

Due to the pause in travel and tourism caused by the global pandemic, Visit Hood River endured a year of contraction and reorganization. The economic devastation experienced by many local businesses took a toll on Visit Hood River, causing a closure of its office and visitor center at Port Marina Park after Labor Day 2020, while staff continued to work remotely.

By partnering with the Hood River County Heritage Council in a joint location, both organizations can reduce overhead and expenses, allowing the delivery of respective programs and services more efficiently.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has been challenging for the nation, our community stakeholders and our organization,” stated Katie Kadlub, Visit Hood River’s new executive director. “As Visit Hood River envisions its role in Hood River County’s recovery, we could not be more optimistic about this opportunity to serve both the community and visitors from our new office and visitor center. We are grateful for this win-win partnership with the Heritage Council, which brings increased visibility, engagement and service to our mutual stakeholders.”

The Hood River County Heritage Council is a 501c3 nonprofit that operates the Hood River County History Museum, a public resource that houses historic artifacts, documents, and photographs of Hood River County while providing exhibits and historic programs and events for residents and tourists.

The Hood River County Chamber of Commerce, doing business as Visit Hood River, is a nonprofit business association serving tourism and business stakeholders. It supports economic and tourism development in Hood River, Cascade Locks, Mosier, Odell, Parkdale, Pine Grove and Mount Hood.

The local Chamber of Commerce has held numerous locations on the Hood River waterfront. It spent two decades in the western portion of the Port Marina Park building prior to moving to the former Hood River Expo Center in 1996. In 2007, the Chamber / Visitor Center returned to Port Marina Park building’s east side and was remodeled in 2012.