The Oregon Garden is a great place to start your day. Take the tram around The Garden. Consider the option of a volunteer guide for a walking tour of the garden for your group. Lunches are available at our Garden Café and at the restaurant in The Oregon Garden Resort.

You’ll want to look into visiting The Gordon House, right here next to the garden and the only building in Oregon designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. www.thegordonhouse.org (group rates available).

Contact the Silverton Chamber of Commerce about a guided or self-guided walking tour of historic downtown Silverton. You might also want to ask about a guided tour of the murals in downtown Silverton. info@silvertonchamber.org There are also several lunch opportunities downtown.

While you are in the area, take advantage of the chance to visit to Silver Falls State Park, filled with trails and waterfalls. The Friends of Silver Falls can arrange interpreted walks in the park www.friendsofsilverfalls.net

Take a brief drive by the Gallon House Bridge just north of town. It is our covered bridge here in this area and a photo opportunity http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gallon_House_Bridge

Just a little farther to the north of Silverton sits the charming town of Mt. Angel. The Mt. Angel Glockenspiel in downtown plays regularly. Contact Jerry Lauzon of the Oktoberfest organization about a tour that could also include St. Mary’s Church. jerry@oktoberfest.org

The Mount Angel Abbey has a natural history museum and the Russian Old Believer Museum and can give your group a tour. Contact Father Vincent Trujillo. vincent.trujillo@mtangel.edu

Your group may have an interest in visiting one our local wineries. www.eastvalleywine.com I would be happy to recommend one that would be a good fit for the size of your group and the rest of your planned stops and your itinerary.

There are a lot of reasons that flower lovers would want to visit our area and lots of possibilities for groups to visit nearby nurseries and gardens. Please see the flower-themed itinerary below for a list of possibilities. We hope to see you soon at The Oregon Garden and would be happy to help you select an interesting and exciting mix of itinerary stops for your tour group. grouptours@oregongarden.org

A Garden and Flower Themed Sample Itinerary

The Oregon Garden is a wonderful place to begin. We have 20 specialty gardens and something beautiful to see no matter what the time of year. Consider having lunch with us or at the restaurant in The Oregon Garden Resort before you move on to your next destination. Your other choices from the possibilities listed below will probably depend on the time of year you are visiting. Take note of the typical dates for the blossom seasons given in the descriptions below. We recommend that you contact our group tour department a month or two before your visit about whether the blossom season is running early or late, to allow you to adjust your plans.

If you are here in late March through April, you must plan a visit to the Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival www.woodenshoe.com While you are at Wooden Shoe you may want to also visit Mitsch Novelty Daffodils to arrange a visit to their gardens. http://www.web-ster.com/havensr/mitsch/index.html and click on the "contact us" button.

In spring and early summer, just north of us near Woodburn and in the same area as the tulips and the daffodils, is T.K. Nursery where they welcome tours. They especially feature rhododendrons, azaleas, and daphne. www.tknursery.net or info@tknursery.net

Find lots and lots of rhododendrons and azaleas of all kinds of descriptions at Dover Nursery. This is especially worth considering if you are on your way to Mt. Hood or the Columbia Gorge via Highway 26. Probably best in spring and early summer, but a contact may yield something interesting for your group to see. www.dovernursery.com Mike and Maria Stewart

Blossom season for hostas can be April-October at Hickenlooper Gardens near bucolic Jefferson, most accessible if you are coming from the south. It’s a wooded site, perfect for hostas. Contact Ben Hickenlooper. ben@hickenlooper-gardens.com

Typically, mid-May through mid-June you’ll find a spectacular display of iris in our local growers’ display gardens. www.schreinersgardens.comm and www.cooleysgardens.com

Early May through mid June is also a great time to visit the peony display gardens. www.peonyparadise.comm and www.brooksgardens.com

For an interesting perspective on plants and flowers, schedule a stop at Rare Plant Research between Canby and Oregon City. http://retail.rareplantresearch.com/home.php Burl Mostul, Ph.D. burl@rareplantresearch.com

May-September is the height of the season for the clematis at Champoeg Horticulture, although they have others blooming for much of the year. To see about your group visiting for a tour, contact wilmes@molalla.nett

From mid-June through August, About 15 miles south of The Oregon Garden, you’ll find Mak Lilies and Perennials. Beautiful flowers and lovely scents. www.maklilies.com Shelly Mak sales@maklilies.com You’re likely to see something here spring through early fall.

In June through August, just north of Woodburn, near historic Aurora, an antique shopping hotspot, you’ll find Amethyst Hill Nursery, specialists in hydrangeas. www.amethyst-hill.com or sales@amethyst-hill.com

June through September/October you’ll find lovely and fragrant roses www.heirloomroses.comm

Late July through early October would be a great time to visit Highland Heather near Canby. They also have varieties that take turns blooming for much of the entire year. www.highlandheather.comm Janice Leinwebber, owner hheather@canby.com

August and September is a wonderful time to see the dahlias in their glory www.dahlias.comm for Swan Island Dahlias near Canby. Alternatively, just south of Salem, you’ll find Frey’s Dahlias http://www.freysdahlias.com/page/page/5401724.htm

If your group has specific interests, we are happy to find other resources for visitors to the garden.