EUGENE & WILLAMETTE VALLEY FROM LEFT; JONI KABANA; THOMAS MOSER COTTAGE GROVE Located at the south end of the Willamette Valley between the Coast and the Cascade mountain range, Cottage Grove is small in size and big on beauty. It’s best known as the heart of covered-bridge country. A driving tour along the 20-mile (32-km) Cottage Grove Covered Bridge Tour Route passes six of the region’s remaining 20 covered bridges. Bike enthusiasts pedal the Covered Bridges Scenic Bikeway for a total of 36 miles (58 km). At the center of Cottage Grove, Bohemia Park is a 14-acre (5.7-ha) multiuse park with an amphitheater that seats 2,000, a walking trail, a 3-acre (1.2-ha) pond and a playground. Downtown Main Street is the place to enjoy cozy comfort food at Jack Sprats Restaurant. A self-guided tour downtown illuminates nearly two Currin Covered Bridge dozen vibrant murals, including one that pays homage to local film heritage with a scene from Buster Keaton’s classic “The General,” filmed in Cottage Grove in 1926. The Cottage Theatre delights year-round with plays and musicals, and most nights you can catch live music at Axe & Fiddle Public House. For more history, visit the Bohemia Gold Mining Museum and the Oregon Aviation Historical Society & Museum, which exhibits several vintage aircraft. About 29 miles (46.7 km) southeast of Cottage Grove in the Umpqua National Forest, hikers follow short hikes to several falls, including plunging Brice Creek Falls and double-tier Trestle Creek Falls. Travel Lane County | EugeneCascadesCoast.org | 541.484.5307 47
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTcxMjMwNg==