SEVEN WAYS TO CELEBRATE FALL IN THE MID-WILLAMETTE VALLEY

Fall is magical in the Salem area. Family farms throw their annual harvest festivals, pumpkin patches are bursting, wineries host flights on outdoor patios under the crisp fall sunshine, and apple orchards are full of low-hanging fruit waiting to be picked. Add in Salem’s love for Halloween, cozy coffee shops, and pumpkin-spiced everything, and you can easily spend a few days soaking it all up.

Why not make a weekend of it? From romantic bed and breakfasts to modern resorts and convenient downtown hotels for families, start planning your fall getaway today.

10/1/26

French Prairie Gardens

1. GO TO A HARVEST FESTIVAL

It’s no surprise Bauman’s Harvest Festival in Gervais is consistently voted the #1 pumpkin patch in the Willamette Valley. The annual pumpkin drop, apple cannons, live music, delicious food and pints of Bauman’s hard cider offer something for everyone.

About 20 miles north of Salem, the French Prairie Gardens Fall Festival is packed with corn mazes, corn-cob cannons, sunflower-field photo opps and the Pigtucky pig Derby. The kiddos can ride the inflatable mega-slide as you enjoy pulled-pork nachos and cider at the Farm Bar.

2. TAKE A FALL HIKE

Called the “crowned jewel” of Oregon State Parks, Silver Falls State Park peaks in autumn, when rains feed the waterfalls. Wind along the moderate Trail of Ten Falls, a 7.8-mile loop, and see 10 waterfalls up close. North Rim Trail is fully accessible, with a viewpoint of North Falls.

Anytime is a good time for a nature stroll on the accessible trails at Baskett Slough National Wildlife Refuge, but fall is majestic, as the Oregon ash trees turn yellow and the wetlands fill with water, welcoming wintering dusky Canada geese. Keep your eyes peeled for Roosevelt elk in the mornings.

3. COZY UP WITH A SEASONAL COFFEE TREAT

Duck inside Salem’s Offbeat Coffee and warm up with a punchy seasonal espresso drink (poured from a tap!) and freshly baked pumpkin or fig scone, while listening to vinyl and soaking up the artsy vibes from the comfy leather sofa.

If you need more sustenance, downtown’s industrial-chic Archive Coffee and Bar has healthy lunch and dinner fare and creative seasonal coffee drinks. Pair the “Pumpkin Slice” latte, made with a secret, house-made pumpkin mix, with the eggplant shakshuka for a fall warm-me-up.

4. PICK SOME APPLES

Take your family to Beilke Family Farm, about 10 miles northeast of Salem, and pick Galas, Honeycrisps and Ruby Macs to make into applesauce, or eat in the car on the way back to your hotel. Prices are friendly, as is the helpful orchard staff.

About 10 minutes south, bring a picnic lunch to True North Orchards and make an afternoon of picking perfectly ripe Pink Ladies, Fujis and tart Granny Smiths for pies. Kid-size picking baskets and low branches let your wee ones join in. Kick back by the campfire afterwards.

5. PICK OUT A PUMPKIN

Round up the crew and go pumpkin-hunting at Salem’s E.Z. Orchards. Bring your own wagon or borrow one onsite, and stroll around the patch, loading up on carving gourds of all shapes and sizes. The kids will also love the hot pumpkin donuts at the Farm Store.

Looking for a fall family activity that won’t break the bank? Enjoy the free hay maze and hay rides at Fordyce Farm Pumpkin Patch, and then hit the leafy patch and pick out a real beauty. On weekends, the food trucks make for an affordable family lunch, too.

6. GET YOUR SPOOK ON

For serious scares, Salem’s The Nightmare Factory is Oregon’s longest-running—and arguably most frightening—haunted house and the entire hair-raising experience is created and performed by Oregon School for the Deaf students, staff and volunteers.

Salem’s gothic (and supposedly haunted) Elsinore Theatre turns 100 this year and is screening the horror cult classic, The Blair Witch Project, on October 10. Three of the film’s actors will be there, sharing behind-the-scenes stories and answering questions. VIP packages include meet and greets.

7. GO FALL WINE TASTING

With some of the area’s oldest own-rooted vinifera vines, Bethel Heights Vineyard is the ideal spot to enjoy a flight of complex estate pinot noir or chardonnay, while gazing out at the vineyards and snow-dusted mountains. On sunny fall days, take your flight onto the outdoor patio.

Nestled alongside the Willamette River in South Salem, Stomp by Croft Vineyards has a bounty of award-winning organic pinot noirs and family-friendly fall vibes. Find a picnic table in the cherry orchard for a quiet afternoon, or enjoy a flight paired with a gourmet pizza in the tasting room, which was once a 1940s dance hall.

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