Historical Salem

Founded in 1841, Salem is one of the west’s oldest cities. Mission Mill Museum, Historic Deepwood Estate, Bush House Museum and the Oregon State Capitol all illustrate the settlement of the area and history of Oregon.

Salem’s Riverfront Park is home to the Willamette Queen Riverboat, a 42 horse hand-carved Salem Carousel, Eco-Earth (a huge replica of the world created out of tile icons), and the A.C. Gilbert’s Discovery Village, which is the premier hands-on children’s museum in the Pacific Northwest.

Historic downtown Salem offers unique eateries, specialty shops, galleries and historic landmarks such as the 1926 Historic Elsinore Theatre. Across from the State Capitol is Willamette University (1842), the first university in the West. Following the tour north on Hwy 99 Schreiner’s Iris Gardens and Adelman Peony Gardens are spectacular during May and the first week of June.

Visitors are welcome at these gardens. West on Brooklake Road is the Antique Powerland Museum, home to vintage vehicles and apparatus. Continuing west on Brooklake Road your choice is to take an off-shoot tour four miles to the Wheatland Ferry and to Willamette Mission State Park or turn south on Wheatland Road toward the city of Keizer. In Keizer the Keizer Heritage Community Center includes the Keizer Museum, Keizer Chamber of Commerce and Keizer Art Gallery. The Salem-Keizer Volcanoes, Class A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants play at Volcanoes Stadium in Keizer.

• Distance:  21 miles
• Starting Point:  Salem

• Minimum Driving Time:  1 day
• Best Time to Drive: