Check out fall’s greatest hits in salem and the mid-willamette valley

Early fall is a standout time to visit Salem and the surrounding area. Whether you want to take a leaf-peeping hike through a magical state park, explore local history and Indigenous art, or if you just want to sip cider, ogle giant pumpkins and wander through a corn maze with the kiddos, the Mid-Willamette Valley is the place to be for unforgettable fall activities.

10/11/2023

Silver Falls State Park - Photo by Zak Stone

VISIT THE HALLIE FORD MUSEUM OF ART FOR FREE IN OCTOBER

Willamette University’s Hallie Ford Museum of Art in Salem is celebrating its 25th anniversary and offering free admission throughout the month of October. This is your chance to visit Oregon’s third-largest fine-arts museum and see more than 9,000 works from all over the globe. In addition to the current exhibits, "The Hallie Ford Museum of Art at 25: Highlights from the Permanent Collection" runs through December 16. This special anniversary exhibit celebrates the museum’s remarkable history and showcases many of the museum’s hidden treasures, including works by Indigenous Northwest artists.

SEE ALL OF THE SCARECROWS IN DALLAS

Every October, the Dallas Downtown Association hosts the highly anticipated Scarecrow Contest and it’s worth the 15-mile drive from Salem, especially if you have kids. Basically, local businesses, churches and other entities create elaborate and very creative scarecrows and display them around the downtown area so you can vote for your favorites. Walk or drive to see them in all their scary, crazy and hilarious glory, and then pop into the town’s cute shops and restaurants and make a nice fall afternoon out of it.

SIP CIDER, PICK PUMPKINS AND TAKE A HAY RIDE AT A HARVEST FESTIVAL

With so much farmland in the region, it’s no surprise that Salem and the Mid-Willamette Valley explode with harvest festivals every fall. Perhaps the biggest event is Bauman’s Harvest Festival in Gervais. The farm is transformed into a family-fun activity center with mazes, obstacle courses, rides, animals and more. Ogle 1,000-pound pumpkins from the Great Pumpkin Weigh In and partake in the two-day cider festival. The family-owned Fordyce Farm in Salem hosts its own harvest extravaganza with a pumpkin patch, apple-spitting cannons, haunted corn mazes, and a mind-blowing assortment of edible squash and decorative gourds for purchase. If you’re looking for a mellow family activity, bring your containers, kids and cash to Perryhill Farm in Dallas for an afternoon of Honeycrisp, Ida Red and Jonagold apple-picking on this Polk County orchard.

HIKE SILVER FALLS STATE PARK’S NEWEST TRAIL

Fall is the perfect time to visit Silver Falls State Park, Oregon’s nationally recognized rainforest located 23 miles east of Salem, as the leafy trails are kaleidoscopic with color. Lace up for the 7.6-mile Trail of Ten Falls and wind through a spectacularly forested route that passes a series of breathtaking waterfalls. For an easier, accessible hike that’s equally rewarding and scenic, the new North Canyon Trailhead offers additional parking, an ADA bathroom, and an accessible trailhead that quickly takes you to the epic North Falls viewpoint.

BE AFRAID, BE VERY AFRAID AT SALEM’S NIGHTMARE FACTORY

If getting spooked is your thing, The Nightmare Factory at the Oregon School for the Deaf (OSD) is the state’s longest-running — and arguably most frightening — walk-through haunted house. Since 1987, OSD students, staff and volunteers have been hand-creating the hair-raising sets and costumes and putting on a fright show that just might scare your socks off. Hard-to-scare fans can visit on “Pitch Black” nights with nothing to light your path but a glowstick. The “Monster Experience” is also new this year, where you can select your favorite ghoul to escort you through. This annual event is a key funding source for the OSD.

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Explore the Farms and Food Stands of the Mid-Willamette Valley

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For generations, farming has been a way of life for Willamette Valley ranchers, vintners, and growers. Over the years, Oregon’s Willamette Valley has become known for its legendary pinot noir grapes, and today produce 99% of all hazelnuts consumed in the United States. These days, the region hosts nearly 19,500 farms—more than the rest of the state combined—across nearly 1.6 million acres.

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