Downtown

Although a good chunk of the town’s real estate is taken up by the OSU [1] campus, Corvallis [2] has a thriving downtown with a splendid path along the Willamette River. A number of restaurants face onto the riverfront.

The Benton County Courthouse (120 NW 4th St., 541/766-6756), near 4th and 5th Streets and Monroe Avenue, dates from 1888 and is the oldest functioning courthouse in the lower Willamette Valley [3]. You can’t miss its large white clock tower, but go inside to get the old-fashioned feel of the place. (Be sure to check out the basement bathrooms.)

Also downtown is the Corvallis Art Center (7th St. and Madison Ave., 541/754-1551, noon–5 p.m. Tues.–Sun.), located in the renovated 1889 Episcopal church near Central Park. It sells local crafts and hosts weekly lunchtime concerts.

A large concentration of historic homes can be found in Corvallis [2], including many in neighborhoods close to downtown. Download walking-tour maps of various neighborhoods from www.visitcorvallis.com; one interesting tour visits ranch houses from the 1950s.