A new campaign, Bridges and Beyond, invites tourists to make the historic town of Cottage Grove, Oregon their overnight travel destination as the hub for visiting the many attractions within just a few miles of the city’s center.
Six Covered Bridges, 21 murals, 16 miles of family-friendly bike path, 15 nearby wineries and four waterfalls are just some of the attractions being promoted by the Cottage Grove, Oregon Chamber of Commerce. Arrive by car – just off Interstate 5 – or by private aircraft, landing at the municipal airport, and enjoy a city of annual festivals and nearby recreation.
Oregon should be a state that comes to mind when thinking about Covered Bridges, as it boasts 56 of the unique bridges, with 20 of them located in Lane County. Cottage Grove is known as the “Covered Bridge Capitol of the West” because six of those bridges are located within or in proximity to the city. Whether you drive the Bridge tour or bike the Row River Bike Trail, the historical significance of each bridge will make it clear that this is a city that values its description of quaint, nostalgic and romantic.
The Cottage Grove Historic Downtown District is one of the elements that earned this city an “All-America” Designation. A block-by-block stroll reveals many fine restaurants and unusual shops found in buildings enhanced by huge murals depicting scenes from the area’s early days, including Buster Keaton’s movie, The General, filmed in the area, and the author, Opal Whiteley. The Bohemia Mining District Museum, located on Main Street, displays artifacts of the area’s gold mining history.
For recreation, visitors enjoy boating, swimming and camping at Dorena Lake, also accessible by the bike trail, hiking to the towering waterfalls, golf at the two courses, with Middlefield Golf Course highlighted as a campaign sponsor.
Travel in any direction from this city – just twenty minutes south of Eugene and less than an hour from Roseburg – and visitors will arrive at the vineyards and tasting rooms of the South Willamette Wineries and the North Umpqua Valley Wineries. Many have on-site concerts and other events throughout the year.
Another of the major sponsors of the campaign, The Village Green Resort and Gardens, offers rooms with private patio gardens that are a microcosm of the 14-acre on-site gardens, open to the public. And gardeners can also make the Territorial Seed Company (also a sponsor) retail store a stop on their itinerary.
Visitors often schedule their overnights in Cottage Grove to coordinate with one of the annual festivals. Bohemia Mining Days in July, the Oregon Covered Bridge Festival in September are the major ones, while the Wednesday evening Summer Concerts in the Park and the Last Friday Art Walks emphasize how important the arts are to the population of this city.
For more information, contact the Cottage Grove Area Chamber of Commerce at (541) 942-2411 or www.cgchamber.com.
