A Gorgeous Garden Half An Hour From Salem, Oregon Boasts Acres Of Beautiful Scenery

If you're looking for scenic road trip ideas in Oregon, add Salem to your list. It's just over an hour away from Portland — and right outside of Salem, in the charming town of Silverton, you'll find the Oregon Garden: an 80-acre botanical masterpiece filled with more than 20 specialty gardens. If you're wondering why you should visit a botanical garden on this vacation, it's because this isn't your average rosebush-and-bench setup. It's a living showcase of Pacific Northwest flora, featuring everything from a massive conifer collection to a pet-friendly garden and a garden just for kids.

The Oregon Garden is also a great example of eco-friendly design. Silverton's treated wastewater is reused to irrigate the garden's wetlands ecosystem, which is also incorporated into educational programs for local students. Adults can check out the Garden University event calendar for workshops on everything from plant photography, art, and yoga, to birding, composting, and friction fire making.

The garden is beautiful year-round, and the website even provides a month-by-month guide for which plants you can expect to see throughout the seasons. Visit in spring for unique blooms like snowdrop and grape hyacinth, or come in April to see cherry blossoms covered in white. June to July offers the widest variety of plant life, but even winter has its perks, including events like a holiday bazaar in December.

Admission to the Oregon Garden is $8 for adults and $3 for kids age 12 and under. It's open year-round, with narrated tram tours available from April through October (add $4 for the ride). The paths are paved and wheelchair- and stroller-friendly, making it easy to explore at your own pace. While there is a dedicated pet garden in the collection, the entire space is pet-friendly, as long as you keep your furry friend on a leash.

To make a day of it, pack lunch for a picnic in the garden, either at the provided picnic and bistro tables or on patches of green lawn where you can spread out. For the most peaceful experience, aim for weekdays, afternoons, or off-season in the wintertime to avoid the crowds — Friday through Sunday mornings tend to draw the biggest crowds.

Right next door, architecture lovers can explore Oregon's only Frank Lloyd Wright-designed home, the Gordon House. This 2,133 square-foot Usonian design was commissioned in 1956 by Conrad and Evelyn Gordon, who later opened their home for public tours. Admission is $20, and there are guided tours for anyone interested in a deeper dive into Wright's human-centered approach to design.

But the Oregon Garden isn't just for day-trippers and architecture geeks. To turn your day trip into a weekend escape, check out the Oregon Garden Resort (also pet-friendly), a cozy, woodsy hotel adjacent to the garden with on-site spa services, Pacific Northwest-inspired dining, and garden views in most rooms. Prices start from $129 a night, so it's a reasonable option if you're looking for somewhere to settle for the night before heading back out on your scenic Oregon road trip.

While you're in Silverton, there's more nature to appreciate over at Silverton Reservoir and Marine Park. While gas boats are not allowed in the lake, electric motors are permitted, and swimming is allowed as long as you aren't near the docks or piers. Fishing for trout and catfish in the reservoir is a great way to enjoy the peaceful surroundings — if you don't have a boat or canoe, there's a fishing pier available to put your line in from the shore. Plus, the expansive Silver Falls State Park is only 20 minutes away and offers more than 35 miles of trails and treks to view the stunning South Falls waterfall.

History buffs and photographers will appreciate Silverton's Gallon House Bridge, built in 1916 — one of the oldest bridges in the state. This covered bridge got its name because of the prohibition against alcohol, as it was a common place for bootleggers to meet up and swap goods when Oregon became a dry state that year. To dive deeper into local history, the $10 Historic Silverton Mural Walking Tour offers a stroll through town, stopping at all the notable places for more backstory. Silverton's downtown is also packed with vintage shops, artsy boutiques, and small galleries, making it an easy place to wander and window-shop.

Wine lovers won't want to miss nearby vineyards while traveling through the Willamette Valley. Closest to the Oregon Garden, Paradis Vineyards offers weekend wine tastings, while Pudding River Wine Cellars sits on a historic farm property complete with an outdoor patio and firepit. If you're continuing your journey, consider a stop in nearby Corvallis, a charming little Oregon city only an hour away.