3 Reasons to Visit Salem, Oregon

A pair of city parks, a children’s museum and an imaginative theme park are reasons for families traveling in Oregon to spend time in Salem. Add a bit of culture by taking kids on a treasure hunt at an art museum.

Riverfront City Park and neighboring Minto-Brown Island Park are open spaces with hiking and cycling trails, playgrounds, and Salem’s Riverfront Carousel. For $2 a ride, kids can choose from more than 30 distinctive horses, a bucking bronco and even a giraffe. Instead of fixed seating in a swan or sleigh, this carousel has a covered wagon and a chuckwagon, completing the local western theme.

At one end of Riverfront City Park, Gilbert House Children’s Museum opens up a world of exploration and discovery, with immersive experiences to spark kids’ curiosity. Twenty hands-on exhibits fill several buildings, plus an expansive outdoor play space.

Airflow Alley, Salem Station, Forest Friends, Farm to Table, Gilbert Grill, Grandma’s Clubhouse, Vet Clinic, Sensory Portal, Fortopia, The Creative Space, Gilbert Engineering Studio, Bill’s Bubble Factory, Nature’s Workshop and other exhibit areas inspire kids to discover the physical and natural world around them and encourage them to explore their own creative skills.

For some weekend fun, take the kids to Enchanted Forest, about 20 minutes outside of Salem. This family-oriented fun park incorporates a series of themed areas: Storybook Lane, Tofteville Western Town and Old European Village, each with its own rides and entertainment. The Fantasy Fountains Water-light Show repeats every 15 minutes, in case kids can’t get enough of it.

In The Hallie Ford Museum of Art, at Willamette University, children and students under age 17 are admitted free, and families can pick up a free “The Hunt is On” guide. Clues lead through the collections, encouraging kids to look at art in new ways.