Discover Florence: Parks, Art and History

Florence offers several distinct starting points for planning a trip: parkland at many locations, Historic Old Town on the Siuslaw River, local history, public art and a bike route. If you’re looking for a hotel in Florence, you can plan your stay around one of these themes: parks, the waterfront district, history, art or exploring by bike. These options offer different perspectives on the city.

Parks and Recreation Facilities

Florence has more than 200 acres of parkland across 24 locations. Recreation facilities in 16 parks—including trails, playgrounds, community gathering areas and sports fields—offer a variety of ways to spend time outdoors. The two figures answer different questions: the locations show that the parkland is spread across multiple sites, while the facilities represent different kinds of recreation. Trails, playgrounds, community gathering areas and sports fields each appeal to different interests. So when planning, you can start by considering what kind of outdoor activities matter to you.

Historic Old Town and Local History

Historic Old Town Florence is a waterfront district on the Siuslaw River that’s easy to explore on foot. Shops, galleries, restaurants, cafés and museums are part of its character, along with river views. This mix offers different ways to focus your visit: you can explore galleries and shops, focus on museums, or discover the waterfront district and its river views.

Old Town Park also has a specific historical connection: it sits on the site of the former ferry landing, which was used before the Siuslaw River Bridge was built. The Siuslaw Pioneer Museum preserves and presents the history of life in the Siuslaw region for locals and visitors. It also offers a historical walking tour of Historic Old Town Florence. The tour focuses on architecture, builders, commerce and community history. This makes it a way to explore the old town while learning about its architectural and community history.

Art: Walking Tour or Trail

The Florence Public Art Trail is a self-guided route through Historic Old Town and beyond. It features murals, sculptures, art benches, mosaics and kinetic art. This offers an art-focused perspective through a range of art forms; the museum tour, by contrast, focuses on architecture, builders, commerce and community history.

The sculpture “Golden/Yellowstone” by Rick True is on display at the Port Boardwalk in Historic Old Town Florence. Public art displays may change. If you’re specifically planning to see this work, check before your visit to confirm that it’s still there.

A Bike Route Through Florence

The Munsel Creek Bike Path runs from Quince Street via Spruce Street, alongside Munsel Creek, to West Park Drive. The sequence of street, creek and endpoint gives you a clear guide to the bike route. This differs from the themed walking tours: here, the named route is the focus, while the museum tour and art trail each have their own themes.

These options let you distinguish among different interests when choosing what to do on your trip: parks, the waterfront district, local history, art and a bike route. You can then decide which focus suits your stay based on how you’d like to spend your time in Florence.

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