Gilbert House Children's Museum

The Willamette Valley & Wine Country


Built to honor Salem native AC Gilbert, who invented the Erector Set, this hands-on children's museum – located in two colorful arts-and-crafts houses – combines educational exhibits with plenty of play areas. The highlight has to be the outdoor Erector Set model, with wood bridges and climbing structures; it's great for energetic little bodies. Adults and toddlers have their own sections too.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby The Willamette Valley & Wine Country attractions

1. Elsinore Theatre

0.49 MILES

This dazzling Tudor-Gothic landmark, opened in 1926 and once a silent-movie theater, is now primarily a venue for theater and concerts. Classic movies are…

2. Hallie Ford Museum of Art

0.6 MILES

Willamette University's Hallie Ford Museum of Art boasts the state's best collection of Pacific Northwest art, including an impressive Native American…

3. Oregon State Capitol

0.71 MILES

The state's first capitol building burned down in 1855, and a domed classic Roman edifice was built to replace it. Unfortunately, that building also…

4. Willamette Heritage Center

0.78 MILES

This interesting 5-acre complex houses grassy gardens, two gift shops, a clutch of pioneer buildings and two museums. The Mission Mill Museum, Jason Lee…

5. Willamette University

0.87 MILES

Just south of the capitol, Willamette University was the first university in the western USA and is well respected for its liberal-arts undergraduate…

6. Bush House Museum

0.97 MILES

The Bush House Museum is open as a showpiece of Victorian design inside Bush's Pasture Park. Note the marble fireplaces, 10 in all. Most of the wallpaper…

7. Bush Barn Art Center

1.01 MILES

Inside the reconstructed stable at Bush's Pasture Park is the Bush Barn Art Center, which features several galleries and a permanent exhibition. The main…

8. Bush's Pasture Park

1.15 MILES

One of Oregon's leading citizens of the late 19th century was Asahel Bush, a newspaperman and highly successful banker who began building his rambling…