Discover Salem

Salem offers a range of ways to spend your stay, with themes spanning local history, art, and nature. Highlights include historic houses and museums, a tour of downtown, routes for walking, running, and cycling, a natural area, and a local market. An international festival also adds to the cultural offerings. Consider whether history and art, routes and scenery, or an event will be the main focus of your trip.

Art, History, and Architecture

At the Riverfront Carousel, handcrafted animals and decorations reflect Salem’s local history and environment. The attraction’s design connects it to the city and its surroundings.

Deepwood is a historic Queen Anne-style house in a five-acre public park. The park includes formal gardens, nature trails, a greenhouse, and an original carriage house. The historic house museum offers tours, exhibits, and lecture series; programming may change. The house, gardens, and nature trails each offer a different focus within the same park.

The Hallie Ford Museum of Art has one of the most significant collections of Northwest American art. The Oregon State Hospital Museum of Mental Health is located on the first floor of the Kirkbride Building on the grounds of Oregon State Hospital in Salem. The Bush House Museum explores the history of the Bush family and Bush’s Pasture Park, the cultural diversity of Salem’s history, and the development of early Oregon. Together, these themes range from art and family history to the broader history of the region.

Historic Downtown and Trails

A tour offers a way to explore Salem’s historic downtown, with its 47 historic commercial buildings. The tour route may be updated; check the current description before your visit. The historic Union Street Railroad Bridge is now a pedestrian and bicycle bridge, connecting parks in West Salem with downtown.

More than 20 miles of trails make it possible to explore Salem’s riverfront and downtown on foot, running, or by bike. The Willamette River is another point of interest: a dock provides access to the river and the Willamette Queen Sternwheeler.

Minto-Brown Island Park is Salem’s largest natural area and has nearly 19 miles of trails. As a quiet wildlife refuge, it offers a different focus from historic downtown: here, the emphasis is on nature and the trails within the natural area. The nearly 19 miles refer to the park, while the more than 20 miles of trails also allow visitors to explore the riverfront and downtown.

Market and Festival

The Salem Saturday Market features handmade, homemade, and locally grown products from more than 200 local vendors. The number of vendors and product selection may vary by season. If you’re visiting the market with a particular interest in mind, take these seasonal differences into account when planning.

The World Beat Festival is a two-day celebration of international heritage. The festival includes 125 performances, 100 vendors and exhibitors, as well as dance, music, theater, and activities for children. The program may change from year to year. If you’d like to plan your trip around the festival, check the dates and program details for your travel year.

Salem by Travel Interest

This makes it possible to tailor your hotel search to the reason for your trip without assuming that specific hotel amenities are available. For seasonal offerings and events, it’s worth checking the information that applies to your travel dates.

Explore more destinations: Turner, Detroit, Stayton, Sublimity, Silverton, Woodburn, Scotts Mills, Keizer

For the broader travel overview: Marion.