Posted by Nancy D. Brown

Fifth Street MarketMy favorite tips and locations for first-time visitors to Eugene, Oregon. Thank you to Stacey Malstrom of Travel Lane County for assistance with this post.

The first place I take a visitor from out of town is Fifth Street Public Market and Skinner Butte for great views of the city.

For complete quiet, I can hide away in the Campbell Memorial Courtyard at the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art on the University of Oregon campus. Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art

If you come to Eugene, get your picture taken with the Ken Kesey statue in Kesey Square at Broadway and Willamette.

If you order one thing off the menu from Adam's Sustainable Table it has to be the Chocolate Volcano.

Marche Provisions is my one-stop shop for great picnics. I ate dinner at the restaurant and was impressed with the quality of the food and focus on sustainability.

When I'm feeling cash-strapped I go on the First Friday ArtWalk.

For a huge splurge I would go to King Estate Winery and purchase a bottle of their 2006 Pinot Noir Block 4 D, clone 777. My second choice would be the 2006 Domaine Pinot Noir. Of course, lunch or dinner at the winery is recommended, as well.

Photo ops in Eugene include the DeFazio Bike and Pedestrian Bridge, Hayward Field at the University of Oregon, Hendricks Park in May and Owen Memorial Rose Garden in June. The best vantage points to view the city are Skinner Butter and Spencer Butte.

The most random thing about Eugene is that it is home to the world's oldest recorded pair of shoes, which can be found at the University of Oregon Museum of Natural and Cultural History.

In Eugene, and active day outdoors involves cycling the river paths, hiking Spencer Butte and kayaking the Willamette River.

Eugene's best art museum is the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art, and my city's best historial museum is the Lane County Historical Society.

My favorite jogging/walking route is Pre's Trail in Alton Baker Park.

For a night of dancing, go to The Tango Center. Or, for live music, check out the McDonald Theater or Cuthbert Theater during the summer season.

Davis Restaurant and Bar on Olive and Broadway is the spot for late-night eats.

To find out what's going on at night and on the weekends, read Eugene Weekly.

You can tell a lot about Eugene from people watching at Saturday Market. Pick up a slice of Dana's Cheesecake (Oregon Berry) while you're there.

In the spring you should see the rhododendrons at Hendricks Park or take a wildflower walk at Mount Pisgah.

In the summer you should check out the Oregon Country Fair in nearby Veneta.

In the fall you should take a tour of the University of Oregon campus for spectacular fall foliage and take in a Duck football game. (Go Ducks!) 

In the winter you should go to the ballet at the Hult Center for the Performing Arts. (I was fortunate to have seen the Grateful Dead play at the Hult Center when it first opened. Glory days.)

A hidden gem in Eugene is Cascades Raptor Center, a nature center and wildlife hospital for birds of prey.

American Kestrel Cascades Raptor CenterFor a great breakfast joint try The Glenwood. 

Don't miss the Oregon Truffle Festival in January.

Just outside Eugene, you can visit the Cascade Mountains or the Oregon Coast, both just an hour drive.

The best way to see Eugene is by bike.

The best book about Eugene is Tyler Burgess's Eugene, Oregon Walks, a compilation of urban walks ranging from .5 miles to 10 miles.

If you have kids, you won't want to miss RiverPlay Playground at Skinner Butte Park or Roaring Rapids Pizza Company and Camp Putt for mini-golf.