Monmouth -- a small city in the Salem, Oregon, metro area with around 10,000 residents -- was originally home to the Luckiamute band of Kalapuya Indians. It was named for the home of its earliest settlers, 21 pioneer families from Monmouth, Illinois, who traveled to the area to develop the city around a Christian college, known today as Western Oregon University. With prohibition a founding principle of this once faith-based community, Monmouth was the west’s longest-standing dry town that didn’t begin selling alcohol until 2003.
Take a Trip Back in Time
- Three self-guided historic city tours -- through the East Main Street Historic Area, Historic Downtown and Western Oregon University -- take you to the sites of existing and former structures of significance for the city and its founding families. Among them are the oldest private structures still standing in town: Craven House, built on east Main Street in 1869, and Campbell Hall on the Western Oregon University campus, which dates to 1871.
Imbibe on Local Wine
- More than 250 wineries -- about two-thirds of the state's total -- are located in Willamette Valley, where the city of Monmouth is situated. Monmouth-based Grand Cru Wine Tours can arrange a personalized excursion of the region with a driver, or you can visit winemakers within the city limits on your own. Take a tour of the vineyards and sample a flight of wines at the tasting room on Emerson Vineyards on Airlie Road, and then visit the adjacent 3 Fools nanowinery for a taste of its latest small-batch production. From March through November, Airlie Winery on Dunn Forest Road features a seasonal tasting room overlooking a pond and a covered picnic area where you can pop a cork on a pinot gris and enjoy a leisurely lunch in the sun.
- Do an Art Walk
- Browse the renovated historic Campbell Hall Gallery at Western Oregon University, where six art exhibitions rotate during the school year and another is unveiled each summer. The River Gallery cooperative downtown showcases works of art and handcrafted items made by Polk County artists. The Monmouth Farm and Craft Market -- where you can snag handmade goods and home décor alongside freshly picked flowers, fruit and produce -- opens Wednesday and Saturday evenings from May through November across from Main Street Park.
Free Fun in the Summer
- Entertainment and events gratis abound in July and August in and around Monmouth. Bring a blanket for the Music in the Park series on Wednesday nights for a trip through musical genres in Main Street Park. Sprawl out your blanket and take in the tunes while enjoying on food and beverages you can buy in the park. Take a quick jaunt 2.5 miles east to Independence for the River's Edge Summer Series at Independence Riverview Amphitheater for free movies on Thursdays and complimentary concerts on Fridays.
