Moving to Salem Oregon

One of the hard parts about moving to a new city is finding out what activities there are to do.  If you are into the art scene and are moving to a smaller city like Salem, Oregon that can be a bit harder sometimes. 

One of the local options for people into the art scene is the Hallie Ford Museum of Art if actually a part of Willamette University.   If you are looking to attend a lecture, exhibit, or generally be involved in the local art scene, Hallie Ford is one of the places you will want to consider.

For a list of current and upcoming exhibitions, click on the link.

Trying to find out where to eat when you move to Salem Oregon can be fun.  Trying new restaurants for the adventurous is part of the fun.    When my clients ask  me about good Asian food in town, I had to turn to Rebekah of the What’s Happening in Salem Blog. Rebekah loves Asian food and I think has been to every Asian restaurant in town many times. I knew if anyone could steer my clients in the right direction, it was her. Rebekah’s favorite Asian food choices in Salem Oregon are…

• Super Pho on Lancaster has the best pho
• Vietnam Restaurant on Center downtown has the best for other Vietnamese dishes.
• Thai Beer is hands down all-around the best Thai in town.
• Fuji Ricetime downtown is good sushi and
• Sushi Kyo has good sushi on a sushi train.
• Love Love Teriyaki is great!
• Venti’s also has great teriyaki plus a lot of other good fusion dishes.

So if you are moving to Salem Oregon and wondering where to get your Asian food fix, give these places a try.

Hand-scraped hardwoods, granite slab, travertine, Sub Zero…if those are music to your ears you are probably and upscale home buyer. Elegance makes you feel right at home. If you are wanting real estate in Salem Oregon that is in an elegant or luxury neighborhood you will have several choices to consider.

Golf Club Neighborhoods-For those of you home buyers that want to take the golf cart out the front door, these neighborhoods might be the right ones for you.

Illahe Hills Homes in South Salem Oregon

Golf Club Estates at Creekside Homes in South Salem Oregon

Acreage Communities-If you are a home buyer that wants to have a rural community, Chinook Estates might be the right choice for you.

Chinook Estates Real Estate in Salem Oregon

New Construction Subdivisions-If you don’t relish the thought of a resale home, then consider new construction in one of these neighborhoods.

Bella Cresta New Construction Homes in South Salem Oregon

Bailey Ridge New Construction Homes in South Salem Oregon

Established Neighborhoods-If the stripped nature of new neighborhoods isn’t appealing to you and you want lush and mature landscaping, then these neighborhoods might be what you are looking for.

Laurel Springs Homes in Salem Oregon

Alderbrook Homes in Salem Oregon

Fairmount Hills Homes in Salem Oregon

Cambridge Heights Homes in Salem Oregon

Luxury Neighborhoods-These neighborhoods are beyond upscale and truly luxury neighborhoods.

Croisan Mountain Luxury Homes in Salem Oregon

Circuit Rider

If you aren’t sure which neighborhood might be right for you and want to talk about the details of these areas, just contact a Tomson Burnham agent, and we are happy to answer your questions.

You are moving to Salem Oregon and trying to decide where to live…Squirrels running around, nestled in a canopy of trees, deer prancing across your property…sounds good? If your idea of heaven is being nestled in the woods, but you can’t afford the hefty price tag associated with wooded acreage then consider these neighborhoods that are country in the city.

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If you want the feel of being nestled in a forest, but can’t afford the cost of land in order to get that feeling, these are some local Salem Oregon neighborhoods that have large trees with homes that have a nestled in nature feeling. If none of these are quite what you are looking for, contact an agent with Tomson Burnham for relocation help.

In 1864, this photo was taken of the Cook Hotel located on the corner of High and State Streets…the SE corner of it, in fact. The hotel changed owners a couple of times and was the Monroe Hotel before the Bligh’s purchased the building and land, razed it, and built Bligh’s Capital Theater.

Bligh’s Capital Theater became Warner Bros Capital Theater and most recently this corner of Salem has become a local gem…La Capitale Brasserie. Owner David Rosales, opened La Cap (locals nickname for this place), just over a year ago. Already it has a good reputation in town, and I personally agree with that reputation.

I think I have the only kid on the planet that hates french fries. My son has NEVER liked them. On a recent outing to La Cap, he couldn’t resist trying one, as we all raved about how good the pommes frites were.

Yep. My 10 year old finally likes french fries. Not sure if that is a good thing or not, but whether you are here for the pommes frites, the sandwiches, the tomato soup, or the warm chocolate cake…chances are you will enjoy your meal at this new local restaurant.

This is a great addition to the Salem restaurant scene, and for parents rest assured that their grilled cheese is kid tested and approved so feel free to head over there knowing you can get something for your kids, while you have a more adult meal.

Did I mention the lemonade is fresh squeezed?

If you are considering moving to Salem Oregon, this is one restaurant you will want to check out.

La Capitale Brasserie is located at 508 State Street in the old Bligh Capital Theater building. David even has the old sign up on the wall.

The old photos are from the Salem Public Libraries Historic Photos Collection.

Don’t let the location of this restaurant fool you into driving by.  Inside this building sits the Amadeus Cafe. Amadeus used to be located down below the Salem Public Library, but moved down south when they needed more space.

If you haven’t been into this restaurant you need to venture over here.  Open for lunch and dinner, they typically have good food.  If you go for lunch the wild mushroom sandwich is really tasty and I have yet to have a bad soup from here.

Located at 5121 Skyline Loop it is easy to bypass this yummy restaurant, not expecting something good to be located in an odd space.   Venture inside.  I think you will be pleasantly surprised.

If you are considering relocating to the Salem Oregon area, this is just one of the many local dining gems we have in town.

8. A.C. Gilbert Discovery Village. We locals call this the Gilbert House. They changed the name to Discovery Village a few years ago, but old names die hard. With the infamous “bubble room” this is a great place for kids. Trying to find something to keep 3 year olds occupied during our rainy months can be hard. It runs around $50 for a one year membership and we were members for several years when our children were small. That $50 will also get you into OMSI in Portland for free. Seriously, $50 for some sanity during winter. It’s a good deal.

7. Tot Indoor Parks. When I first moved to Salem, Oregon there were, and still are, several tot parks that were located in churches. These indoor gyms were a lifesaver in terms of giving kids a great place to run around and play during the rainy months. I was surprised at how much socializing I got to do as a parent too. It was so nice to let my little people play and talk with big people. These operate as co-ops, so parents take turns setting up and cleaning up the gyms. It used to be around $30 for a 9 month membership. There are several around the city.

6. Kroc center. This is just an incredible donation by the Krocs to the city of Salem. Their water park is a great time for kids to just splash and have a good time.

5. Athletic Edge Saturday gym time-while not meant for infant or toddlers, Athletic Edge is a local gymnastics center. Now even if your kids aren’t interested in gymnastics, they have open Saturday gym. This is supervised by you, for your younger kids, so, please supervise them. The kids can jump on the trampolines, and more importantly head into the foam pits. This was a Saturday regular for my kids. I dare you to jump into one of the foam pits and try and get out…then you’ll see why this is great for kids growing bodies. A warning…it does sometimes smell a little sweaty in there…

4. The Carousel. The horses on the carousel were handmade. While my kids are older now and aren’t as excited by the carousel as they used to be, I still think it is a great thing for kids. The wide grins as they picked whether they were going to ride “Jazz” or some other horse that day was worth the small price for a ride. Combine this with a picnic and they nice play structure at Riverfront Park and of course…

3. The Asher Anderson Splash Fountain. Added just this summer to Riverfront Park, this really is a great addition to the park. Kids and squirting water…Need I say more? For parents, there is NO shade by the fountain so keep this in mind if you don’t plan to hop in the fountain yourself. It gets hot in the summer.

2. The Main Branch of the Salem Public Library/The Discovery Room-The Salem Public Library has a discovery room in the library which has a theme that they change monthly. It is typically packed after story times, so I would often take the kids in during another time so they could really explore. The kids library is upstairs off in a corner. Puppets, telephone booths, and a lego table are just part of the package so some quieter play in-between reading books is possible.

1. Northwest Kids Club-Wanting to have a permanent place for young kids to play, the Kids Club was opened just a couple of years ago. It is centrally located in Salem and meant for kids under the age of 8. For parents looking for a place for kids to go and play and get some of that energy out. This is a good choice.

So if you are considering relocating to the Salem Oregon area and want to get a feel for what we have to offer our young kids, here were some of my favorites.

You can go to any town in the US and find a Starbucks, but if you are moving to Salem Oregon, you’ll want to know about our local coffee houses.  Each has their own ambiance.

French Press. A newcomer to the Salem Oregon scene, this coffee house just happens to have some awesome crepes to go along with your drinks.   With an elegant Eiffel Tower theme, this place is typically busy. Just a fair warning the Kona is wonderful BUT strong. For those of you like myself that aren’t regular coffee drinkers…go easy on this blend.

Ike Box Coffee House-The Ike Box is also on the coffee house scene. I LOVE the interior of this building. The owners did a great job of preserving the architecture of the original building and for that I thank them. Not everything old needs to be torn down and “updated.” The Ike Box supports the owners non-profit program called Issac’s Room. At-risk teens are welcome to come and just hang out here. They have rooms for them to come and just have a safe place to be, to learn skills and gain confidence. I just love the idea of supporting a local business owner that has good coffee (they tend to make it sweet so keep that in mind when you order), great atmosphere, AND tries to help some of our troubled kids at the same time. If you haven’t been here. Go.

Clockworks-Brand new to the cafe scene in Salem, this local place is a non-profit that will focus on arts.  Poetry readings, live music, classes…this local hangout is perfect for those wanting something new, different, and dabbling in the arts culture of Salem Oregon.

Coffee House Café-This is Salem’s laid back coffee house. For those of you that want a really casual down to earth atmosphere, this is your coffee house. It has Wi-Fi, and if you are looking for a place to hang out with friends in a down to earth atmosphere this is the place for you.  Once a month, Emerge Oregon, occurs at this cafe. It is an opportunity for emerging artists to share their work with fellow artists.

The Governor’s Cup-This coffee house is easy to miss because there is just a tiny sign to let you know it is there. This is probably one of Salem’s older coffee houses and the interior kind of reflects that. I guess I think that is part of it’s charm. They roast their own coffee there and you will smell like coffee if you happen to go there while they are roasting. Not necessarily a bad thing if you like the smell of coffee. Be warned that if you sit down at this coffee house you are expected to order something. One of the big complaints by the Willamette students that frequent this coffee shop is that they will be asked to leave if they don’t order anything. If you want to hang out, that is what the library is for. If you want to hang out at a local business, please support them and order something.

So if you are looking to move to Salem Oregon and want to know…where do I go to get some coffee, consider checking out these LOCAL places to get some good coffee. Each of our local coffee houses has something to offer everyone. Whether you are a hippie, intellectual, tech geek, college kid, yuppie…we have a coffee house here that will work for you.

If you are considering relocating to the Salem Oregon area, the Salem Art Fair is a really great festival that occurs in July every year. It’s held at Bush Park and artists from all over are invited. Artists have to submit their work and be accepted into the fair, so the quality is always stellar, hence my problem. Art ranges from clothing, to jewelry, to watercolors, to pottery, to…you name it.

For families, the kids section is a separate area where they can do some small craft projects, get their faces painted, and watch performances geared for children. Live music, food, and of course art are plentiful at the fair.