Must-see attractions in The Willamette Valley & Wine Country

  • Silver Falls State Park

    The Willamette Valley & Wine Country

    Oregon's largest state park, Silver Falls, 26 miles east of Salem on Hwy 214, is an easy day trip from Portland, Salem and Eugene. It offers camping,…

  • Marys Peak

    The Willamette Valley & Wine Country

    At 4097ft, Marys Peak, in the Siuslaw National Forest, is the highest peak in the Coast Range. Several hikes are strewn around the summit, and on a clear…

  • Oregon Garden

    The Willamette Valley & Wine Country

    Plant-lovers shouldn't miss this garden, located 15 miles east of Salem outside Silverton. Over 20 specialty gardens are showcased on 80 acres, including…

  • Peavy Arboretum

    The Willamette Valley & Wine Country

    Peavy Arboretum is heaven on a hot day, with several interpretive trails that wind through 40 acres of shady forest. From here, you can continue into…

  • Saturday Market

    Eugene

    For great fun and a quintessential introduction to Eugene's peculiar vitality, don't miss the Saturday Market, held each Saturday from April through…

  • Gordon House

    The Willamette Valley & Wine Country

    Next to the Oregon Garden in Silverton is the Gordon House, the only building in Oregon designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. It was built in 1964 and moved to…

  • Hallie Ford Museum of Art

    The Willamette Valley & Wine Country

    Willamette University's Hallie Ford Museum of Art boasts the state's best collection of Pacific Northwest art, including an impressive Native American…

  • Oregon State Capitol

    The Willamette Valley & Wine Country

    The state's first capitol building burned down in 1855, and a domed classic Roman edifice was built to replace it. Unfortunately, that building also…

  • Skinner Butte

    Eugene

    A hike up wooded Skinner Butte, directly north of downtown, provides a good orientation and a little exercise. Eugene Skinner established the city's first…

  • Willamette Heritage Center

    The Willamette Valley & Wine Country

    This interesting 5-acre complex houses grassy gardens, two gift shops, a clutch of pioneer buildings and two museums. The Mission Mill Museum, Jason Lee…

  • Champoeg State Heritage Area

    The Willamette Valley & Wine Country

    A state heritage area and popular family destination, Champoeg is 25 miles southwest of Portland. There are 615 acres of old-growth woodland, grassy…

  • Willamette University

    The Willamette Valley & Wine Country

    Just south of the capitol, Willamette University was the first university in the western USA and is well respected for its liberal-arts undergraduate…

  • Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum

    The Willamette Valley & Wine Country

    A mile east of McMinnville, this museum showcases Howard Hughes' Spruce Goose, the world's largest wood-framed airplane. In 1947, with Hughes at the wheel…

  • Mt Angel Abbey

    The Willamette Valley & Wine Country

    Open to everyone, the Mt Angel Abbey is a delightful Benedictine monastery on grassy grounds set atop a hill that overlooks town. There's a modernist…

  • Municipal Elevator

    The Willamette Valley & Wine Country

    Oregon City was initially built at river level, but as it grew, it moved higher. In 1912 residents started talking about an elevator that would join the …

  • Mt Angel

    The Willamette Valley & Wine Country

    Eighteen miles north of Salem, the little town of Mt Angel, with its Bavarian-style storefronts and lovely abbey, is like an old-world holdover in the…

  • Gilbert House Children's Museum

    The Willamette Valley & Wine Country

    Built to honor Salem native AC Gilbert, who invented the Erector Set, this hands-on children's museum – located in two colorful arts-and-crafts houses –…

  • Museum of the Oregon Territory

    The Willamette Valley & Wine Country

    Exhibits at this engaging museum include a chunk of the Willamette Meteorite, the largest meteorite found in the US (the rest is at the American Museum of…

  • University of Oregon

    Eugene

    Established in 1872, the University of Oregon is the state's foremost institution of higher learning, with a focus on the arts, sciences and law. The…

  • McLoughlin House

    The Willamette Valley & Wine Country

    This 1845 house was built by John McLoughlin, who was called the 'father of Oregon' for his hand in helping found Oregon City – the West's first city. At…

  • Enchanted Forest

    The Willamette Valley & Wine Country

    Located 7 miles south of Salem, this children's theme park is a fun fantasyland offering rides (extra charge), a European village, Western town and…

  • Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art

    Eugene

    This renowned museum offers a 13,000-piece rotating permanent collection of world-class art, with an Asian art specialty. Highlights can include a 10…

  • Bush's Pasture Park

    The Willamette Valley & Wine Country

    One of Oregon's leading citizens of the late 19th century was Asahel Bush, a newspaperman and highly successful banker who began building his rambling…

  • Deepwood Museum & Gardens

    The Willamette Valley & Wine Country

    Not far from the Bush House, this 1894 Queen Anne mansion is topped by turrets and bejeweled with decorative moldings and beautiful stained-glass windows…

  • Lane County Historical Museum

    Eugene

    Most prominent at this good museum is a transportation collection that includes Oregon's oldest, best-preserved running gear (undercarriage) for a covered…

  • Museum of Natural & Cultural History

    Eugene

    Housed in a replica of a Native American longhouse, this museum features a variety of displays on Northwest Native American culture and artifacts,…

  • Elsinore Theatre

    The Willamette Valley & Wine Country

    This dazzling Tudor-Gothic landmark, opened in 1926 and once a silent-movie theater, is now primarily a venue for theater and concerts. Classic movies are…

  • Pioneer Mothers Memorial Cabin

    The Willamette Valley & Wine Country

    A 1931 log cabin reconstructed by the local Daughters of the American Revolution, this interesting museum is filled with objects brought across the Oregon…

  • Hendricks Park Rhododendron Garden

    Eugene

    Thousands of rhododendrons and azaleas erupt into bloom here in the spring, along with dogwoods and daffodils, peaking in May. The garden is part of a…

  • Eugene Science Center

    Eugene

    Parents and kids will love this STEM-focused museum, located in Alton Baker Park. Hands-on exhibits about space, the human body and the natural world are…

  • Bush House Museum

    The Willamette Valley & Wine Country

    The Bush House Museum is open as a showpiece of Victorian design inside Bush's Pasture Park. Note the marble fireplaces, 10 in all. Most of the wallpaper…

  • Alton Baker Park

    Eugene

    This popular 400-acre riverside park, which provides access to the Ruth Bascom Riverbank Trail System, a 12-mile bikeway that flanks both sides of the…

  • Stevens-Crawford House Museum

    The Willamette Valley & Wine Country

    For a taste of the past, step into this historic museum. Owned by a pioneering family, the 1908 house still boasts most of its original furniture and…

  • Hoover-Minthorn House

    The Willamette Valley & Wine Country

    This house is where Herbert Hoover (the 31st president of the USA) grew up. Built in 1881, the restored home is now a museum of period furnishings and…

  • Bush Barn Art Center

    The Willamette Valley & Wine Country

    Inside the reconstructed stable at Bush's Pasture Park is the Bush Barn Art Center, which features several galleries and a permanent exhibition. The main…

  • Holiday Market

    Eugene

    The regular Saturday Market relocates indoors to the Lane Events Center on weekends in November and December, with special holiday-themed events like…

  • Robert Newell House

    The Willamette Valley & Wine Country

    The 1852 Robert Newell House was the only one to survive the 1861 flood. It holds Native American artifacts and inaugural gowns worn by the wives of…

  • Willamette Falls

    The Willamette Valley & Wine Country

    At the heart of town, 1500ft-wide Willamette Falls is the second-most-powerful waterfall in the US.