Things to Do in Lebanon

In their 16-year history as the short season Class-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants, the Volcanoes have been a venerable understudy to their Major League parent club, capturing the Northwest League’s Western Division title seven times and five Northwest League Championships. The Volcanoes' past rosters have seen some of the Giants’ top young stars slug and pitch their way to the big leagues and finally take the training wheels off of their gloves. Crowds of up to 5,000 voracious fans flow into Volcanoes Stadium, where the Lava Lodge Sports Bar, the Volcanotron video board, and a kids' playground join forces to offer a stacked lineup of off-the-field attractions.

Splash! at Lively Park provides Oregon residents with safe, warm year-round access to watery fun. The venue features a waterslide, a flooded basketball court, lap pool, and a wave pool, amongst more relaxing activities such as splashing in the pool or enjoying a hot tub. Splash! participates in local outreach programs, such as providing swimming lessons for every fourth-grader in the Springfield school district. The enormous space accommodates rentals for events with up to 1,000 people, dishing hot eats to fill bellies from its concessions stand. During warmer months, the outside playground and sundeck provide places to soak up sunshine and feel the sea-driven breeze.

Under the high ceilings of a warehouse dating back to the 1970's, the Salem Classical Fencing team leads training sessions and competitions for its members and guests. A nonprofit organization, Salem Classical Fencing aims to share the honor, chivalry, and respect integral to this historic sport with its community. To that end, they provide classes for various skill levels and organize children's day camps, filling them with lessons, crafts, games, and campfires, during which students are trained to fight the urge to toast marshmallows on their épées. Though the facility is decades old, the sparring space has been updated to include virtual scoring, overhead reel-less systems, and floor cords.

The Willamette Heritage Center at the Mill preserves slices of valley history by word and deed, keeping up 14 historic structures and filling them with historical tours and living history displays. The Jason Lee house represents the oldest building on campus, built in 1841. The structure also boasts the title of oldest surviving wooden frame house in the Pacific Northwest, and its interior sports the period appropriate furnishings right down to an iron stove and a snoring, bonneted grandmother. Nearby stands the Thomas Kay Woolen Mill, and piece of the Industrial Revolution that has survived since 1896, earning recognition as an American Treasure by the National Park Service. Workers keep the buildings clean and sound for tours and rentals, while actors keep the ground vibrant with living historical portrayals.

Sculpted into the one-time family farm of former Oregon Governor and U.S. Senator Charles McNary, McNary Golf Club encompasses diverse trees and rippling waterways into an 18-hole layout that spans 150 acres of rolling meadows. A mixed assemblage of oaks, firs, pines, and redwood trees mingle on the course's emerald sidelines, watching over each towering drive and bickering about squirrel housing arrangements. Claggett Creek comes into play on four holes, including the signature 18th, where its rippling waters snake in front of the enormous green, shaking its hydraulic fists at well-struck balls as they somersault onto the putting surface. A staff of resident aces roam the pristine grounds, showering guests and unsuspecting flagsticks with nuggets of golf wisdom.

Course at a Glance:

• 18-hole, par 71 course
• Length of 6,239 yards from the farthest tees
• Course rating of 69.5 from the farthest tees
• Slope rating of 126 from the farthest tees
• Four tee options
• Link to scorecard

After suffering from a back injury, former dancer and athletic fitness guru Elise Moore discovered Pilates during her rehabilitation. Her love for the exercise form continued to flourish even after she felt better, inspiring her to open her own studio where she could put her Pilates certification and 20-plus years in the fitness industry to good use leading group mat and reformer classes.