The city of Salem is located about one hour south of Portland in the middle of the Willamette Valley. We visited Oregon’s state capitol one winter weekend and found that Salem had plenty to offer families with little kids. Plus these activities are all conveniently located in or near the Riverfront Park along the scenic banks of the Willamette River. Read on below to see our top things to do in Salem if you plan on passing through this Pacific Northwest City.
We acknowledge the Kalapuya Tribe, upon whose stolen lands the city of Salem (known as “Chim-i-ki-ti” by the Kalapuya) was founded.
Before you go
- Choose your route: Southwest Airlines flies direct from Oakland International Airport to Portland Airport. Portland is a one hour drive north of Salem. Or, take your time on an awesome road trip to Oregon along the Pacific coast, or through central California
- Bring snacks and activities to keep your kiddos entertained while you travel. Click here for our guide for airplane travel with kids
- Visit Travel Salem or Downtown Salem’s event calendars for live music and events
- Check the weather. Salem’s weather ranges from mid 30’s in the winter and 80’s in the summer
What we packed
- Standard diaper bag essentials
- Hiking clothes, shoes, and a change of clothes
- Swimwear for the hotel pool
- Baby carrier or hiking backpack
- Clothes to match the season
BASE COST
- Airfare ($100-$250/person round-trip from Oakland) or gas for the road trip
- Car Rental + gas
- Accommodations
- Food
- Activities
ADD-ONS: meals & incidentals
Explore Salem’s Riverfront Park
The Riverfront Park on the riverbanks of the Willamette River is your one-stop shop for outdoor kid-friendly fun in Salem. The park is built on repurposed industrial lands from previous paper, flour, and woolen mills. Your family could spend an entire day there if the weather is nice! Here are our recommended things to do there:
Directly across from the parking lot is a great playground for your kids to enjoy. The playground is very popular with local families and was the first place we saw other families of color. If you have time, go for a short walk alongside the 0.8-mile Riverside Park Loop trail, or take a short walk along the awesome pedestrian bridge to Peter Courtney Minto Island.
Our preschooler loves carousels, and was ecstatic to find that Salem’s carousel has more than just horses to ride! Since 2000, this carousel has been dancing into the hearts of kids and adults alike, with locally-sponsored creatures to ride like Emerald the Dragon, Hopper the Frog, and a covered wagon. Rides cost $1.50 or you can purchase an unlimited ride pass for the day for $10.
The parking lot nearest the carousel is shared with the Riverfront Park and playground and can be crowded. Be prepared to walk a bit to get to the carousel building from the parking lot, and to have your kiddos ask to stop by the park on the way out.
The Gilbert House Children’s Museum located along Salem’s Riverfront Park is an amazing children’s museum housed inside three historical Victorian Mansions. This non-profit children’s museum is named after Salem-born AC Gilbert, the inventor of the Erector Set.
Each room in the home has a different theme, from a farming room with pretend tractors, a rubber garden, and a life sized cow you can “milk,” or a veterinarian room with an exam table and an endless number of stuffies who need check-ups; to a movie studio with a stage. Your child will delight in the endless options to explore and play pretend. Outdoors you’ll find a huge playground, a bubble room, and a craft studio!
Tickets are $10 per person.
Where to Eat
Start your day off right with The Sassy Onion which has been serving their self-proclaimed World Famous French Toast since 2002 in downtown Salem, and my daughter could not get enough. The location was family-friendly, with staff offering crayons and coloring pages for our kids, ample napkins, a kid’s menu, and big tables for all of our guests.
We enjoyed the french toast which had a unique crunch ($8.50), the San Diego burrito ($14.75), and the buttery pancakes ($5 for one). Get “sassy” with your order by adding bacon or sausage for $5.
This organic food truck located in the parking lot of the park has everything your California Bay Area crunchy family could want: fresh salads ($8), avocado toast ($8), peanut butter banana honey toast ($4.50), and acai bowls ($9). Our kiddos loved the acai bowl but weren’t crazy about the avocado toast (don’t worry, their parents had no problem finishing it).
Make sure to bring lots of wipes to clean up the post-acai bowl mess!
Fork Forty is downtown Salem’s first food hall, and full of delicious food options for any palate. We enjoyed La Lucciola’s House Pizza with sausage and arugula ($13) and a pepperoni pizza ($12), as well as a baklava ($3.50) from the Syrian Kitchen. If I were to go back, I would definitely try some food from Mr. Coqui Puerto Rican Cuisine.
Where to Stay
The Grand Hotel Salem ($169/night) came highly recommended by our local friends, both for its central location in downtown Salem and for its free breakfast! The rooms are clean and the indoor pool is awesome.
The Holiday Inn & Suites Salem ($169/night) is located right off the highway but not within walking distance of most attractions. Parking isn’t an issue in this city though, so having to drive is not a big deal. The hotel has reasonably priced double-room suites (only $5-10 more than a single room!) which gave us a little more space for our family of four.
Capital City Grill, the hotel restaurant downstairs, has a “kids eat free” deal for kids under 11 years old. We ate breakfast here on our way out of Salem and think the food was quick and acceptable.
Wishlist for next time
Often when I travel I discover more to do while we’re there! There is never enough time to do it all. Here is our wish list for next time:
Although our trip to Salem was originally intended to be a quick stop-over on our way to visit family, we found plenty to do in this little city. Our kids loved the attractions at the Riverfront Park so much that our preschooler is still asking to go back to the Gilbert House Children’s Museum.
I did notice that, similar to our experience in Eugene, there were very few other families of color in the spaces we traveled in and no mixed-race families. I shouldn’t have been so surprised, seeing as the 2020 Census indicates that over 80% of Salem is White. Since my Indigenous grandmother and family are all living on our reservation in Oregon when I imagine the population of this state I picture it very differently: very diverse and Indigenous. I guess I should turn to history to explain why so few Native Americans are located in the city center.
Interestingly enough, along the sidewalk of downtown Salem, just blocks from the state capitol building, I found a sign that showed newspaper articles in the early 1900s calling to destroy Salem’s Chinatown, previously located exactly where we stood. As I travel to cities like this, I want to know more about those that came before us, why cities look the way they do now, and how to make these spaces more welcoming, accessible, and safe for families like my own.
How do you learn more about the history of the places you visit? Share in the comments below.
Puerto Rican & Indigenous mama of two. Bay Area native. Salsa dancer. Backpacker. Doula. Angel (she/her/hers) is a co-founding member of the Beautiful Brown Adventures team. She has traveled to over 30 countries and loves to explore the world with her two daughters & partner - one ice cream shop at a time.
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