From spring to autumn, the valley’s agricultural roots are on full display. The season kicks off with the Tulip Festival at the Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm, beginning in March, when visitors are greeted by a sea of brightly colored tulips and daffodils on 40 acres and a range of fun, kid-friendly activities. In May, the Keizer Iris Festival fetes one of the region’s most fanciful flowers with a parade, a 3-5k, and live entertainment. The blooms at Schreiner’s Iris Gardens are the perfect back drop for a picnic lunch, or you can stroll the 10 acres filled with 500 iris varieties. In June, Adelman Peony Gardens burst into a peony paradise.

Browse the displays of hundreds of varieties of spectacular blooms from heirlooms to the newest selections or pick up cut flowers and live plants. In autumn, Bauman’s Farm & Garden in Gervais is a harvest extravaganza with corn mazes, hayrides, a pumpkin patch and apple cannons – pure, wholesome fun for all ages. At French Prairie Gardens & Family Farm in St. Paul, visitors are surrounded by the sights and sounds of a working farm while they shop the nursery for flowering annuals and perennials. Enjoy the annual June Berries, Brews & BBQs or the fall Harvest Festival. Nearby the annual 4th of July St. Paul Rodeo brings a slice of the old West to the Mid-Willamette Valley, and is considered one of the nation’s finest professional rodeos. The bordering town of Butteville, also offers breathtaking gardens, award-winning wines and some of the state’s most prominent historical locations such as Champoeg State Heritage Area where Oregon’s first provisional government formed in 1843. It was also a steamboat and stagecoach hub; today the 615-acre park boasts walking and biking paths, as well as living-history programs.

Traverse the Willamette River via the 150+year-old Wheatland Ferry, a cable ferry connecting Marion and Yamhill Counties, and ride alongside local commuters and the occasional farmer. Farther north is the Old Aurora Colony, established in 1856 as a German and Swiss Christian settlement. The quaint town retains more than 20 German-made buildings and is home to numerous antique stores. At the Powerland Heritage Park, 15 heritage museums celebrate the machines and technology that powered Oregon agriculture, logging and transportation from the 1800s to 1940s.

In downtown Woodburn, you will find a community that is a capital of Latinx culture in Oregon. The authentic Mexican vibe that reflects the heritage of the town’s many immigrants makes Woodburn a bicultural and bilingual community. Shopping and entertainment are on tap at the Woodburn Factory Outlets, the largest tax-free outlet center in the West.

North Marion County is also known for the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes (a San Francisco Giants affiliate team) that guarantees all American baseball fun for the family.

Aurora Colony Visitors Association
http://auroracolony.com/

St. Paul Rodeo
https://www.stpaulrodeo.com
(503) 633-2011

Woodburn Chamber
https://woodburnchamber.org/
(503) 982 – 8221

Explore North Marion

https://www.explorenorthmarion.com/

Keizer Chamber
https://keizerchamber.com/
(503) 393-9111

Mt. Angel Chamber
https://www.mtangelchamber.com/
(503) 845-9291