Aerial view of the future site of Riverfront Park - 1974


    Aerial view of Riverfront Park - 2005

Description  

Riverfront Park is located on 23 acres next to downtown Salem, adjacent to the Willamette River.  It was designed for the citizens of Salem and for local events - but has become a regional event site too.  In the 1980s the City, utilizing tax-increment from the Riverfront-Downtown Urban Renewal Area , purchased the site from Boise Cascade.  After the first phase of development, Riverfront Park opened to visitors in October 1996.

Riverfront Park - A Catalyst for Development

• In 1998, A.C. Gilbert's Discovery Village opened on the north side of the park.  It houses a children's science museum and science discovery playground.
• Salem's Riverfront Carousel opened June 2001 and was built by a citizen-based group interested in developing a carousel with beautiful hand-carved horses. 
• The Eco-Earth Globe officially opened to visitors on the south side of the park on June 30, 2003.  The acid ball originally stored the acid used to break down wood chips into pulp.  After cleaning, it took about five years to cover the globe with approximately 86,000 tiles. 
• The overlook, ramp, and new floating boat dock were added to the park in 2005.  The dock can accommodate canoes and kayaks and is home to the Willamette River Queen paddle boat. 
• The open-air Pavilion opened in October 2005, after  the Salem Rotary Club generously raised funds and built it as their centennial project. 
• The park is the site of annual regional events and also features a major outdoor amphitheater, a large children's playground, large festival lawn sites, bike racks, restrooms, a path system throughout the park, picnic tables and park bench sites, and more.  Check out the Salem Parks Division link below to learn more.

Links  

• Parks Brochure
• Salem Parks Division Riverfront Park
• Union Street Railroad Bridge Conversion Project