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Salem, the capital of Oregon, is located in the Willamette Valley between Portland and Eugene.

Salem was established in the early 1800's as a farming community. The town grew during the years of the California gold rush. Salem became the capital of Oregon in 1851 after it was moved from Oregon City. The capital was then briefly moved to Corvallis in 1855, but in that same year was permanently moved back to Salem. The first two Oregon State Capitol buildings tragically burned down. The third and current building was completed in 1938, complete with its distinctive gold-plated pioneer statue, the "Gold Man," perched atop.

[edit] Get in

[edit] By plane

Salem's small airport, McNary Field, is expected to be served twice daily by Delta Connection from Salt Lake City beginning in June 2007. But for practical purposes, virtually all airline service to Salem will continue to come from Portland International Airport, an hour's drive from the north. To get to Salem from Portland Airport, follow I-205 south to its connection to I-5.

[edit] By car

Salem is located in the mid-Willamette Valley, about halfway between Portland to the north and Eugene to the south; it's about a one-hour drive from either city on Interstate 5.

Train -- Service from the north and south by Amtrak

Bus -- Greyhound and Amtrak both have frequent buses.

[edit] Get around

The Cherriots bus system is city wide taking you from the suburbs to downtown and into Keizer, Oregon.

[edit][add listing] See

• Capitol Building, Downtown ph: +1 (503) 986 1388. If you are lucky enough to be in Salem on a sunny day you should go to the Capitol building and take the tour to the top of the building to see the Gold Man (The Golden Pioneer). Observation Deck tours are available to the public, on the half hour, Memorial Day through Labor Day. There are parks located all around the Capitol Building, complete with gardens and large fountains. The fountain directly in front of the Capitol Building is a haven for kids to play and cool down in the summer time.

• Mission Mill Museum, Oregon's historic museum located in downtown Salem. The site of the museum features working displays of the Thomas Kay Woolen Mill and several other historic Salem buildings, which have been relocated to the site. There are five buildings total that make up the Mission Mill Museum and all of which date back to the 1800's.

[edit] Museums & historical attractions

AC Gilbert's Discovery Village - 116 Marion St. NE Salem, OR 97301 Call (503)371-3631 or fax: (503)316-3485 e-mail: info@acgilbert.org.

Bush House - 600 Mission St. SE Salem, OR 97302 Call (503)363-4714 or fax: (503)371-3342

Friends of Historic Deepwood Estate - 1116 Mission St. SE Salem, OR 97302 Call (503)363-1825

Marion County Historical Society Museum - 260 12th St Salem, OR 97301 Call (503)364-2128 or fax: (503)391-5356 or e-mail: mchs@open.org

Mission Mill Museum - 1313 Mill St. SE Salem, OR 97301 Call (503)585-7012 or fax: (503)588-9902

Oregon State Capitol - (Visitor Services) Salem, OR 97310 Call (503)986-1388 or fax: (503)986-1131

Western Antique Powerland - 3995 Brooklake Rd. NE Salem, OR 97303 - One of the largest museums of tractors, steam engines, and antiques farm equipment in the world. To add more interest they have implemented and Truck museum, and street car museum where you can catch a ride on an antique streetcar from days gone by. Pulling out the big guns the last week of July and first week of August every year with the "Annual Steamup". A display of large steam powered harvesters, antique cars, blacksmith display, parade of all equipment, electric railroad, miniature railroad, swap meet, and other activities. Call (503)393-2424.

[edit][add listing] Do

• Willamette University's Campus, State Street. See especially during spring. Willamette is the oldest established university on the West coast and was influential at the inception of Oregon Government.

• Oregon State Fair, Late August to Early September each year. It has many rides, animals, and entertainment.

• Salem Skate Park, located in Downtown's Marion Square Park. This skate park has two bowls that is connected by a snake. There is also a secondary skate area, called the "streetscape," which has plenty of grind space and ramps. The skate park is open to skates, skateboards, BMX bikes, and more.

• Bush's Pasture Park, a 90.5 acre urban public park and botanical garden located just south of the downtown area. The park is a historical site and contains many trails, playgrounds, tennis courts, picnic areas, gardens, and orchards. Willamette University has its football, track and field, and baseball stadium located in the park. This park is also home of the Salem Soap Box Derby.

Balloon Flying Service of Oregon, Inc.- 323 Marietta St SE Salem, OR 503-363-9799

Cascade Surge - 161 High St SE #249 Salem, OR 503-362-7308

CLOSED due to housing developmentCottonwood Lakes Golf Center - 3225 River Rd. S. Salem, OR (503)364-3673

Creekside Golf Club - 6250 Clubhouse Dr. SE Salem, OR (503)363-4653 - Private Country Club - no Public Play

Festival Chorale Oregon - PO Box 12602 Salem, OR 503-362-0357

Enchanted Forest - 8462 Enchanted Way, Turner, OR (7 miles south of Salem) 503 371-4242, A land of Fairy Tales where you walk thru Medievil Castles, walk down the wooden sidewalks in the wild, wild West,or meet a ghost in the Haunted Mansion. This small theme park has rides for the kiddies and adults with an Alpine Rollercoaster, bumper cars,trains and more. In one of their many restaurants is a georgous water show with colorful lights bouncing off streams of water. A fun place for the whole family. Next door is another attaction, Thrillville. http://www.enchantedforest.com/enchanted_forest.html

Thrillville - 8372 Enchanted Way, Turner, OR 503 363-9376 It may be small but it has thrill rides galore. The Scad Dive has you hurling straight down a 100 foot drop, the Ripper rollercoaster is fast and curvy, Extreme Turbo Force is like the Hammer on steroids. There are also rides for the not so brave, a carousel, bumper cars, go carts, rock climbing wall, and the biggest slide in the world (the kids really like that). On one of those rare but enjoyable warm days of summer the waterslides have as much as a 350 foot drop. http://thrillvilleusa.homestead.com/rides.html

Illahe Hills Country Club - 3376 Country Club Dr S Salem, OR 97302 503-364-0117 - Private Country Club - no Public Play

Salem Riverfront Park - 116 Mission St.NE, Salem, OR 97306 Sitting along the Columbia River in the historic downtown area of Salem. Kid's will enjoy the huge handcarved carosel that the community got together and gave their time for this amazing project. It is considered one of the best carosel's in the U.S. Also at the park is the Willamette Queen Sternwheeler popular for lunch and dinner cruises. Captain Chesbrough has a passion for the Willamette and will give you the most amazing history of settlers and the waters. Plan's are now starting to come through for an expansion of the park with restaurants, shops and a bridge to take you across the river to Minto Brown Park. Bicycle rental's will be comming too.

[edit][add listing] Buy

[edit] Shopping malls

• Salem Center Mall [1] - Salem Center is one of Salem's largest shopping malls and is located in downtown. The mall consists of two separate two-story buildings connected by sky bridges. Large retailers like Nordstrom, JCPenney and Macy's also make up Salem Center. There are over 80 specialty shops at this location, with popular stores such as American Eagle Outfitters, Bath & Body Works, The Body Shop, Footlocker, Zumie's, Victoria's Secret, Hot Topic, Aeropostale, and GAP. Movieland is also located across the street. Kohl's is expected to open in the fall in the store formerly occupied by Mervyns.
• Lancaster Mall [2] - On one of Salem's main streets, Lancaster Mall is located on Lancaster Drive in Northeast Salem. After its completed transformation in the fall of 2006, the mall now contains over 80 specialty shops and 12 eateries. Large retailers like Macy's, Burlington Coat Factory, Best Buy, Sears, Old Navy, and Linens-n-Things make up the newly redesigned mall. Other popular stores within Lancaster Mall include Victoria's Secret, Fuel, Anchor Blue, Footlocker, Bath & Body Works and The Children's Place. The latest movie theater to open in Salem is Regal Cinemas Lancaster Mall Stadium 11, which opened October 27, 2006. This addition to Lancaster Mall has 11 screens, covers over 53,000 square feet and more than 2,500 seats. At this theater, you can enjoy stadium seating, screen sizes up to 50 feet wide, and soft high-back rocking chairs with armrests that folds to form a single seat for two.

[edit][add listing] Eat

• Lefty's Pizzeria South on Commercial street or Eastside on State St. Delicious gourmet pizza with a friendly atmosphere. (State St. location suddenly closed October 11, 2007. Commercial St Lefty's is still open.)

• Los Arcos Mexican Grill, 4120 Commercial St. SE, ☎ +1 (503) 581-3698, [3]. Su-Th 11AM-10PM, F-Sa 11AM-midnite. A decent Mexican restaurant with standard food. Check the specials board as you walk in. Mains $8-12.  edit

Adam's Rib Smokehouse Co. - 1210 State St Salem, OR 97301 503-362-2194

Barbecue Pit - 2795 Commercial St SE Salem, OR 97302 503-364-7777

Barbecue Pit - 850 High St NE Salem, OR 97301 503-363-7775

Best Little Roadhouse - 1145 Commercial St SE Salem, OR 97302 503-365-7225

Big Town Hero #13, Sandwiches & Catering - 3405 Commercial St SE Salem, OR 97302 503-391-1812

Boon's Treasury (McMenamins) - 888 Liberty St NE Salem, OR 97301 503-399-9062

Brick Bar & Broiler, Inc. - 105 Liberty St NE Salem, OR 97302 503-375-0959

Broadway Cafe - 2860 Broadway St NE Salem, OR 97303 503-361-7694

Busick Court Restaurant - 250 Court St NE Salem, OR 97301 503-370-8107 The place to stop for Breakfast or Lunch if you are in downtown Salem. The Banana-Nut Stuffed French Toast was the starter selection for Rachel Ray's visit to Salem on "$40 a Day". Just to sip the special blend of coffee and read a paper is a treat in this quaint store front restaurant located just a half of a block from Salem's River Front Park. This is a good thing so you can stretch your legs after the meal.

Cottage House Restaurant - 574 Cottage St NE Salem, OR 97301 503-399-7075

Court Street Dairy Lunch - 347 Court St NE Salem, OR 97301 503-363-6433

Croissant & Company-Downtown 190 High St SE Salem, OR 97301 503-362-7323

DaVinci Ristorante 180 High St SE Salem, OR 97301 503-399-1413

Eola Inn Riverview Restaurant 4250 Salem Dallas Hwy Salem, OR 97304 503-363-8580

Gaslight Bar & Grill 2865 Liberty St NE Salem, OR 97303 503-399-8282

Gerry Frank's Konditorei 310 Kearney St SE Salem, OR 97308 503-585-7070, The best place for designer cakes and pastries. Try the Champangne cake with raspberry filling, delicious! Chocolate Carmel Turtle, Mocha, Lemonaide Cake. They usually have at least 20 or so flavors to choose from. They also have the best quiche in town. The sun dried tomatoe with asparagus is awesome. They have a good deal with their soup and half sandwich or quiche and a slice of cake for about $8.

Grand China 3330 Commercial St SE Salem, OR 97302 503-371-8855

j. james Restaurant 325 High St SE Salem, OR 97301 503-362-0888 (reservations)

Jackie Winters 900 Court St NE -212 Salem, OR 97301 503-986-1710

Los Baez 2920 Commercial St SE Salem, OR 97302 503-363-3109

Marco Polo Global Restaurant 210 Liberty St SE #150 Salem, OR 97301 503-364-4833 Excellent variety of Asian food. Vegetarian selections available, Spicy and not so spicy dishes that will spark your taste buds, and yet leave you wanting to come back to try another of the delicious choices on the menu. Open for lunch and dinner.

McGrath's Fish House 350 Chemeketa NE Salem, OR 97301 503-362-0736

Old Europe Inn 3195 Liberty Rd S Salem, OR 97302 503-588-3639

Ram Restaurant & Big Horn Brewery 515 12th St SE Salem, OR 97301 503-363-1904

'Rudy's at Salem Golf Club' 2025 Golf Course Rd S Salem, OR 97302 503-399-0449, Atmosphere and great food, can't go wrong with a meal at Rudy's. Situated on a beautiful golf course in an old manor house it's a relaxing and enticing restaurant. Sitting next to wide paned bay windows that look out over the fairway you can sit in overstuffed chairs next to a blazing fire in a stone fireplace. They bring in prime corn fed beef and has an inhouse butcher so you get the freshest and best cuts of meat. A favorite is to go there on a Sunday morning where you will have the best breakfast in town. Try the Carmalized French Toast a lite and crispy blend of brown sugar, cinnamon and other unknown goodies surrounding thick bread. The omelettes are piled high with fillings. The sandwiches at lunch are almost gourmet, and the soups are all homemade.

Sassy Onion Grill 1244 State Street Salem, OR 97301 503-378-9180

Season to Taste Bakery & Deli 1313 Mill St SE #101 Salem, OR 97301 503-585-3600

Sybil's Omelettes Unlimited 2373 State St Salem, OR 97301 503-581-7724 Restaurant

Thompson Brewery & Public House 3575 Liberty Rd S Salem, OR 97302 503-363-7286

Wild Pear Downtown Deli & Catering 372 State St NE Salem, OR 97301 503-378-7515

[edit][add listing] Drink

[edit][add listing] Sleep

[edit] Bed & breakfast

A Creekside Inn - The Marquee House -333 Wyatt Court NE Salem, OR 97301 503-391-0837 OR 800-949-0837

Alden House Bed and Breakfast - 760 Church St. NE Salem, OR 97301 (503)363-9574.

Bethel Heights Farm B&B - 6055 Bethel Heights Rd. NW Salem, OR 97304 (503)364-7688

Bookmark Bed and Breakfast - 975 D Street NE Salem, OR 97301 (503)399-2013

Cottonwood Cottage B&B - 960 E St. NE Salem, OR 97301-1225 (503)362-3979 OR 1-800-349-3979

Eagle Crest B&B - 4401 Eagle Crest NW Salem, OR 97304 (503)364-3960

Fruitland Creek Bed and Breakfast - 5881 Fruitland Rd. Salem, OR 97301 503-585-9613

Marquee House B&B - 333 Wyatt Ct. NE Salem, OR 97301 (503)391-0837 OR 1-800-949-0837

Rozelli's B&B - 1311 Edgewater NW Salem, OR 97304 (503)391-1010

State House B&B - 2146 State St. Salem, OR 97301 (503)588-1340; 1-800-800-6712

Stone Lion Inn B&B - 4692 Lancaster Dr. NE Salem, OR 97305 (503)463-6374

[edit] Hotels & motels

Best Western Black Bear Inn - 1600 Motor Ct NE Salem, OR 97301 503-581-1559

Best Western Mill Creek Inn - 3125 Ryan Dr. SE Salem, OR 97305 (503)585-3332 OR 1-800-346-9659

Best Western Pacific Hwy Inn - 4646 Portland Rd. NE Salem, OR 97305 (503)390-3200

City Center Motel - 510 Liberty St SE Salem, OR 97301 503-364-0121

Comfort Inn and Suites - 1775 Freeway Ct. NE Salem, OR 97301 (503)588-0515 OR 1-888-305-0515

Comfort Suites of Salem - 630 Hawthorne SE Salem, Oregon 97301 503-585-9705

Crossland - 3535 Fisher Road N.E. Salem, Oregon 97305-1419 Tel: 503-363-7557

Days Inn - 3340 Astoria Way NE Salem, Oregon 97303 Tel: 503-393-6000

Econo Lodge Salem - 3195 Portland Rd. N.E. Salem, Oregon 97303 Tel: 503-585-2900

Economy Inn - 2250 Mission St SE Salem, OR 97302 (503)589-8010

Marriott Residence Inn - 640 Hawthorne Ave SE Salem, OR 97301 503-585-6500

Motel 6 Salem - 1401 Hawthorne Ave NE I-5 at Exit 256 Salem, Oregon 97301 Tel: 503-371-8024

Oregon Capital Inn - 745 Commercial Street South-East Salem, Oregon 97301 Tel: 503-363-2451

Phoenix Grand Hotel - 201 Liberty St SE Salem, OR 97301 503-540-7800 OR 1-877-540-7800

• Phoenix Inn Suites - Salem (North) 1590 Weston Ct NE, +1 503 581-7004. [4] -- All suite hotel accommodations with complimentary breakfast buffet, high speed internet access, and 24 hr business center

• Phoenix Inn Suites - Salem (South) 4370 Commercial St SE, +1 503 588-9220. [5] -- All suite hotel accommodations with fitness center, complimentary breakfast buffet, and high speed internet

Quality Inn Hotel & Convention Center - 3301 Market St. NE Salem, OR 97301 (503)370-7888 OR 1-800-248-6273

Ramada Inn - 200 Commercial St SE Salem, OR 97301 (503)363-4123 OR 1-800-2-RAMADA

Red Lion Hotel - 3301 Market Street North-East Salem, Oregon 97303 503-370-7888

Rodeway Inn - 3195 Portland Rd. NE Salem, OR 97303 (503)585-2900

Residence Inn - 640 Hawthorne Avenue Salem, Oregon 97301 503-585-6500

Shilo Inn Salem Suites - 3304 Market St. NE Salem, OR 97301 (503)581-4001 or 1-800-222-2244

Sleep Inn - PO Box 18177 3340 Astoria Way NE Salem, OR 97305 (503)393-6000

Super 8 Motel - 1288 Hawthorne Ave. NE Salem, OR 97301 (503)370-8888

Tiki Lodge - 3705 Market St. NE Salem, OR 97301 (503)581-4441 OR 1-800-438-8458

Traveler's Inn Motel - 3230 Portland Rd. NE Salem, Oregon 97303 503-581-2444

Travelodge - 1875 Fisher Rd. NE Salem, OR Call (503)588-5423

Travelodge & Suites - 1555 State St. Salem, OR Call (503)581-2466

[edit] Get out

• Cascade Mountains (highway #22 east) - some of the best hiking terrain in the Pacific Northwest

• Mt. Angel (30 minutes north-east) - Bavaria in the US! - a cute German village famous for its Oktoberfest held every September

• Sisters (highway 22 east, ~1.5 hours) - a fun little town with the look of an old western village complete with wooden sidewalks, small boutique shops and restaurants

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