Getting There -- Salem is on I-5 at the junction of Ore. 22, which heads west to connect with Ore. 18 from Lincoln City and southeast to connect with U.S. 20 from Bend.

Amtrak has passenger rail service to Salem. The station is at 13th Street between Leslie and Bellevue streets.

Visitor Information -- Contact the Salem Convention & Visitors Association, 1313 Mill St. SE, Salem, OR 97301 (tel. 800/874-7012 or 503/581-4325). For more information on the Silverton area, contact the Silverton Chamber of Commerce, P.O. Box 257, Silverton, OR 97381 (tel. 503/873-5615).

Festivals -- Two of the biggest events of the year in Salem are the Oregon State Fair (tel. 503/947-3247), which is held from late August to Labor Day, and the Salem Arts Festival (tel. 503/581-2228), which is the largest juried art fair in Oregon and is held the third weekend in July.

Each year on the second weekend after Labor Day, the town of Mt. Angel is the site of the huge Mt. Angel Oktoberfest (tel. 503/845-9440). With polka bands from around the world, beer and wine gardens, German food, and dancing in the streets, this is just about the biggest party in the state.

Blossom Time--Each year between mid-May and early June, the countryside around Salem bursts into color as commercial iris fields come into bloom. During blossom time, the two biggest growers open up their farms to the public. Cooley's Gardens, 11553 Silverton Rd. NE, Silverton (tel. 503/873-5463), with approximately 200 acres and millions of irises, is the world's largest bearded-iris grower. This farm is open daily from 8am to 7pm between mid-May and late May. To reach the gardens, take the Market Street exit and drive east to Lancaster Drive; at Lancaster, turn left and drive north to Silverton Road, where you make a right turn. It's less than 10 miles on Silverton Road. Schreiner's Iris Gardens, 3625 Quinaby Rd. NE, Salem (tel. 800/525-2367), the nation's largest retail iris grower, has more than 200 acres of irises and is an equally impressive sight. To reach Schreiner's, take the Chemawa exit (exit 260) off I-5 north of Salem, drive west on Chemawa Road, turn right once you're west of the freeway and follow signs to Volcano Stadium. Continue north past the stadium and turn right on Quinaby Road. Also in the area are Adelman Peony Gardens, 5690 Brooklake Rd. NE (tel. 503/393-6185), which has more than 300 varieties of peonies in bloom between early May and mid-June. They're open daily from 9am to 7pm during blossom time. From the Brooks exit, go east on Brooklake Road.

From late March to late April, you can see more than 90 acres of tulips in bloom at Wooden Shoe Bulb Company, 33814 S. Meridian Rd., Woodburn (tel. 800/711-2006 or 503/634-2243). Throughout the blossom season, there are wooden shoe-making seminars, steam-tractor demonstrations, live music, and lots of other activities.