Willamette Heritage Center — Attraction in Salem

We went as a family to the Christmas event they have every year. Santa was on the third floor of the main building and it was free! All crafts were free as well. We did so many crafts! The museum taught us a lot about the textile manufacturing trade and the conditions these workers dealt with. Made you thankful things have changed since then. The grounds were beautifully decorated with lights and you could get these little glasses for $2 so when you look at the lights little pictures would show. You have to see it to know what I mean. There was also a little cafe spot to stop at for food and drink. They had popcorn and different popcorn balls. Mac n cheese, sandwiches, hot cocoa, hot cocoa adult drinks, and beer. They had cookies and stuff too! We had so much fun and will be going back next year. I bought our tickets online at their website and they were emailed to me. I just showed them the email on my phone and that got us in! Totally worth the time and money. I would recommend bringing your littles! There are also vendors! I didn't know this do I'll be bringing money next time. They also have all kinds of gift shops, too! My husband also had fun and that's sometimes not always accomplished going to...

This is an excellent hands-on museum for kids and teens to explore. There are several historic buildings that show the history of early Oregon missionaries and settlers in the area. And then there is the mill structures, such as the machine shop & the picker house, that show you all of the steps involved in the process of creating fabric from wool. Frequently there are people using looms on the fourth floor of the Mill building, weaving fabric while you watch, who can answer all of your questions. Our children from elementary age up to college students were all fully engaged and loved exploring this place thoroughly. We suggest giving yourself at least two hours to see most of things here. The gift shops are also well worth seeing.

Note: As Historic buildings, not all of these areas are fully wheelchair or stroller accessible. There’s also some uneven flooring and...

There was no docent available so we did a self guided tour. We started with the Museum video which presents a very good overview of the early history of Oregon with emphasis on the Methodist missionaries. The museum has some very nice displays. A lot to learn. The Mill Building shows the equipment used in the mill days. We met a woman who kindly told us to start on the 4th floor to see some members of the Salem Fiberarts Guild using a huge collection of weaving setups. They were very friendly and told us about what they were doing. On the 1st and 2nd floors you get to see actual mill equipment that was in use to about 1960. We just observed the historic homes from outside. We will be back when we have more time. There is a large group of shops with many discounts now that Christmas is past. We ended at the Krewe du Soul for some hot chocolate and New...