If you're looking for scenic road trip ideas in Oregon, add Salem to your list. It's just over an hour away from Portland — and right outside of Salem, in the charming town of Silverton, you'll find the Oregon Garden: an 80-acre botanical masterpiece filled with more than 20 specialty gardens. If you're wondering why you should visit a botanical garden on this vacation, it's because this isn't your average rosebush-and-bench setup. It's a living showcase of Pacific Northwest flora, featuring everything from a massive conifer collection to a pet-friendly garden and a garden just for kids.