Best Things to Do in Orange: Where to Eat, Stay & Play
From beautiful cottage stays to taste-testing great wines, these are the best things to do in Orange.
Drive just a few hours west of the Blue Mountains and you’ll find yourself surrounded by beautiful countryside, where rolling hills of rich greens and scattered grey gums sprout sporadically — telling signs that you’ve arrived in Orange NSW.
When you visit Orange, the food and wine are just as much of a drawcard as the beautiful scenery. Equally, the flourishing cosmopolitan lifestyle is also beyond question, attracting more and more boutique fashion and homeware stores to its stylish streets. Add to that world-class wineries and you have yourself the perfect weekend escape.
However, regardless of its burgeoning nature, Orange maintains its pace and authenticity as a family-friendly, rural region, where the word ‘community’ is not merely a buzzword, but instead, something that makes this destination so appealing.
Here are the best things to do in Orange to make the most of your country escape.
Best Things to Do in Orange: Eat & Drink
The Union Bank Hotel
Centrally located and open seven days a week, The Union Bank Hotel is a local go-to. The 165-year-old bank building that sets the scene provides plenty of charm whilst the variety of dining spaces brings flexibility.
Choose from the sunny bar and courtyard or The Schoolhouse Restaurant if you're feeling fancy. Guided by the four seasons, The Union Bank Hotel's menu shifts regularly bringing boundary-pushing delights as well as tried and tested hearty favourites.
Swing by for lunch, dinner or just a drink!
84 Byng Street, Orange
Racine Bakery
A loved local that delivers big on freshly baked deliciousness, a visit to Racine Bakery is one of the best things to do in Orange.
Using reliable recipes, fresh local produce and artisan techniques, you can truly taste the difference in their handmade sourdough.
Come for their sweet pastries and stay for the warm and friendly hospitality. With a fine dining restaurant background, they also offer the Racine experience at home with their popular catering service and ready-made meal packages.
142 Summer Street, Orange
The Agrestic Grocer
The Agrestic Grocer is a grocer, café, bar, live music venue, cellar and brewery door all rolled into one. Drop in for breakfast or lunch seven days a week, and sample their fresh seasonal menu, including the fan favourite Okonomiyaki, a Japanese savoury pancake.
Be sure to peruse the shelves of the grocer on your way out and pick up some delicious local produce, wine or craft beer to take home.
426 Mitchell Highway, Orange
Rowlee Dining Room & Bar
Located on a superb working vineyard, Rowlee Dining Room & Bar is a must on your tour through Orange. Settle in to one of the curated spaces at the bar, the lounge, the dining room or on the veranda and take in views whilst sipping on Rowlee's incredible cool climate drops.
As for food, you're in for a treat with garden-grown and sustainable produce littering the menu. Leaning in to the nature of a tasting space, you'll find a large selection of share plates perfect for lingering over.
19 Lake Canobolas Road, Nashdale
Byng Street Café
Open since 2011, Byng Street Café has become one of the leaders in the local café scene in Orange. The prominent location on the central Orange corner of Byng and Clinton Street draws in the morning crowd, friendly catch-ups, business meetings — and anyone just grabbing a coffee to go.
Seat yourself on the benches on the wrap-around verandah, inside the main, bright and spacious dining area, or outside, within the sunny courtyard.
47 Byng Street, Orange
The Greenhouse of Orange
Previously a bowling club, The Greenhouse of Orange was transformed into a multi-dining venue in 2017 and quickly became a community staple.
On-site, there are various kitchens available, offering multiple menus — all of which give a nod to the regional produce of Orange.
Customers can choose from multiple seating sections, including an indoor dining space filled with an abundance of plants and an expansive open-air deck with raised garden beds to the side.
231-243 Anson Street, Orange
Sweet Sour Salt
Ask any local where to go for the best Thai in town and Sweet Sour Salt will be recommended proudly. This buzzing restaurant sits inside a tastefully renovated Victorian terrace and serves up a flavourful Thai menu with Chinese, Vietnamese, and Malaysian influences thrown into the mix.
Sitchu Tip: The Korean spicy fried chicken wings are an absolute must.
179 Anson Street, Orange
Hey Rosey
For a cosy afternoon or evening with a convivial vibe, head straight to Hey Rosey, an intimate 20-seat wine bar in the heart of town.
You'll enjoy drops from a curated list of the best international wines and local small producers, alongside small plates of cheese, cured meats, tinned seafood and the like.
They also serve up larger plates, crafted with seasonal produce. Expect hand-rolled pasta, hand-churned butter and all kinds of delicious treats.
301 Summer Street, Orange
Washington & Co
While country NSW is not where you’d expect to find a vibey whisky joint mixing up killer cocktails, Washington & Co delivers just that.
A quintessential American-inspired saloon with its dark leather booths, dim lighting and timber-clad bar, it’s the perfect spot to settle in for a nightcap.
The theme translates across into their drinks with bourbons and whisky-based treats aplenty. The kind of place you stop in for one and stay for many, there’s everything from live music to board games to keep you entertained.
243 Summer Street, Orange
The Best Things to Do in Orange: Wineries & Breweries
Mad Hatter Drinking Lab
Making booze fun and accessible for Australians, Mad Hatter Drink Lab is the laidback brewery one dreams of discovering during a country escape.
Starting in 2016 as another winery to add to the region, Mad Hatter has since stepped it up a notch and is now producing small-batch cocktails that taste as good as they look.
Catch them at their Lord Place digs in the morning for a coffee, in the evening for a bev, or find them roaming around town in the Fizz Fellas vans. Cheers!
147 Lords Place, Orange
Philip Shaw Wines
One of Australia’s most celebrated winemakers, Philip Shaw established his vineyard in Orange back in 1989. Today, this family-owned and operated winery is now run by three industrious members of the Shaw clan.
Consisting of a tasting room, restaurant and wedding venue — they are all centred around a restored turn-of-the-century stone barn. Expect the wines here to have a bright fruit flavour with intense elegance and complexity.
100 Shiralee Road, Orange
See Saw Wine
The See Saw Wine ethos is simple - that is, to craft exceptional food-friendly certified organic wines using the most sustainable methods available. And they succeed on all fronts.
There are nine varietals available at this incredible vineyard as well as three unique tasting experiences. Opt to sample See Saw's wines paired with seasonal produce, a relaxed outdoor tasting with a grazing board, or an express 45-minute tasting focusing purely on the wine. Either way, you're in for a treat!
42 Lake Canobolas Road, Nashdale
Nashdale Lane Wines
Nashdale Lane is a welcoming and unapologetically laidback winery, surrounded by rows upon rows of vineyards. Family owned and run, Nashdale has ‘sit back and relax’, written all over it.
The light-filled cellar door invites visitors to sample their exceptional range of cool-climate wines, all whilst taking in the idyllic surrounding views through the many oversized, sliding windows.
125 Nashdale Lane, Nashdale
Ferment
Housed in a beautifully preserved heritage building, Ferment is an elegant wine centre where you can sample some of the Orange region's best wines, along with a matching cheese plate, should you wish.
It’s the perfect place to stop for a pre-dinner drink, and you may just be tempted to take a bottle (or two) of your favourite home with you.
87 Hill Street, Orange
Best Things to Do in Orange: Explore
Hillside Harvest
It doesn't get much more country than a day out at Hillside Harvest. The family-run orchard in Orange boasts a full program of activities that will keep the grown-ups and the kids happy.
When in season, try your hand at picking your way through the orchards, collecting juicy apples, cherries, apricots, nectarines and berries to take home with you, or opt for a picnic under the trees with a Harvest Hamper.
Visiting in the off-season? You can still pop into the Hillside Farm Store and Café to grab some local goodies to go.
1209 The Escort Way, Borenore NSW
Jumbled @ The Sonic
Housed in an old Masonic Hall, Jumbled boasts exposed brick walls, bright bedroom displays, walls of colourful artwork, and a little coffee shop on-site to ensure you are well-caffeinated during your shop.
33-35 Sale Street, Orange
Orange Botanic Gardens
Calling all nature lovers! If you are looking to get your dose of fresh country air, one of the best things to do in Orange is visit the 17 hectares of rolling lawns and lush plants at Orange Botanic Gardens.
With an impressive range of native and exotic flora, stunning scenery, relaxing spots for a family picnic and walking trails a plenty, don't be surprised if you spend several hours roaming about here.
300 Hill Street, Orange
Best Things to Do in Orange: Stay
Basalt
Basalt is the luxe farm-stay found within a working cherry orchard, perched 1,100 meters above sea level and the perfect base for your stay in Orange.
Within each studio, you will find an internal wood fireplace for those frosty nights, a stargazing telescope to spot the constellations, and a concrete bathtub nestled beside bi-fold windows, allowing you to soak in the breathtaking surroundings.
Enjoy a bottle of local wine upon check-in and pre-order dinner from a local restaurant to be delivered to your studio so you can relax and unwind after your travels.
Canobolas
Black Sheep Inn
A stone's throw from Orange and in the bucolic countryside of Borenore, Black Sheep Inn offers spectacular scenery across its sprawling farmland.
A stylishly converted century-old shearing shed retains much of the rustic charm of a country shed and will have you feeling worlds away from home, as you relax by the roaring wood fire with a glass of wine.
Positioned close to Orange’s best wineries as well as pick your own orchards, the unique space can accommodate large groups, with 5 bedrooms, each with an ensuite for ultimate comfort and privacy.
91 Heifer Station Lane, Borenore
The White Place
Boasting two beautiful, centrally located places to stay, The White Place is one of Orange’s most popular accommodation options as it is generous in size, stylish, and charming.
The Byng Street home is an expansive, double-brick cottage with ornate ceilings, polished timber floors, and an old-school fireplace.
Over on Casey Street, the recently renovated, mid-century red brick home is a relaxing oasis. Think open-plan living, kitchen and dining and four bedrooms with distinct Scandi-style.
Byng Street, Casey Street
Lakeview Luxury Retreat
Specifically designed as a couples’ retreat, Lakeview Luxury Retreat offers clear views over Lake Canobolas, in separate spacious and modern 5-star villas.
Along with your stay amongst the hills just outside of Orange, you’ll be provided with all the local ingredients to cook up breakfast in the self-contained kitchen, or on the BBQ out on the deck.
Don't forget to say hello to the friendly herd of Highland cattle who roam the adjoining paddocks!
Stanford Road, Orange
Loving our guide to the best things to do in Orange? We have all your travel needs covered! Head straight to our destinations page for your dose of inspiration. Perhaps Mudgee is calling you next?
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