Recently, Eugene residents and University of Oregon students have been fortunate with the weather heading into spring. Thankfully, Easter is just around the corner on March 31, and there is no better way to celebrate Easter than enjoying time with friends and family outdoors. For people in Eugene who celebrate Easter, take advantage of the great weather by checking out these three activities around town.
Visit spring gardens around Eugene
In Oregon, March and April are peak blooming season, making visiting one of the many spring gardens in the area a perfect way to spend your Easter weekend. There are plenty of gardens with paths, manicured beds or wildlife sanctuaries, garden ornamentation or interpretive signage. One of the closest gardens to campus is the garden in Hendricks Park, which is a great place to see beautiful rhododendrons and many other plants native to the area. Hendricks offers large open lawns coupled with crisscrossing pathways throughout and some trails in the woods for a more challenging hike. Delta Ponds is also a great place to visit, being a wetlands wildlife sanctuary. You are bound to see herons, geese, ducks, turtles, beavers, otters and nutria. While looking for native wildlife, there are numerous paths and bridges to walk around on to get the full pond experience.
Annual Easter egg hunts
The best way to get into the Easter spirit is to take part in one of the most classic activities — an Easter egg hunt. On Saturday, March 30, there will be a handful of events for both children and adults to participate in an egg hunt. The Coburg Egg Hunt will have their annual egg hunt at Norma Pfeiffer Park on Saturday, co-hosted by Coburg’s two faith centers. All non-residents are welcome to come celebrate spring and the community as well. Paradis Vineyards, a family-owned winery that was started by fourth-generation farmers in the Willamette Valley, will be hosting its second annual egg hunt at 1 p.m. on Saturday. There will be a hunt for all children in the morning and a hunt for adults in the afternoon so everyone can join.
Enjoy an Easter brunch
If strolling through gardens or going on an egg hunt is not for you, there are great places to grab brunch or a bite to eat around Eugene. Our Daily Bread, a Northwestern cuisine-style restaurant with locally grown ingredients, will be having an Easter brunch at 9 a.m. on Easter Sunday. Make a reservation to enjoy glazed ham, cinnamon swirl French toast, eggs benedict, pumpkin gingerbread and much more. For something a little more laid back, you can visit Fox Farm Vineyards in Dundee, Oregon, for a self-guided flight of three wines: one sparkling, one white and one rosé. Each wine will also be accompanied by three exotic cheesecakes from Old Glory Sweets.
