Experience the best of Eugene

Eugene lies at the southern end of the Willamette Valley, where the Willamette River leaves the foothills of the Cascades. The University of Oregon, founded in 1876, shapes the city, and its stadium, Hayward Field, has earned Eugene the nickname Track Town USA; bicycle paths follow the river through parks and under tall trees. Spencer Butte, a wooded peak on the southern edge, gives a view over the valley.

The Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art stands on the campus, Hendricks Park has a rhododendron garden, and the Saturday Market fills the town with craft stalls. The Oregon Country Fair, a gathering of music, craft and street theatre, is held every July in nearby Veneta. The McKenzie River and its waterfalls lie in the Cascades to the east, and the Oregon coast at Florence, with its huge sand dunes, is a drive west.

Farm-to-table cooking, Willamette Valley Pinot Noir, hazelnuts from the surrounding orchards and a crowd of microbreweries suit the city's easygoing mood. Rain falls mostly from autumn to spring, and the dry summers suit the river paths and open-air markets.