Susan S. BradleyIf walking historic Aurora is still on your Bucket List, consider a festive romp this holiday season. Just 23 miles (I-5 South route) by car from Portland and 13 miles from West Linn (OR 99E route), Aurora, Oregon is a blast from the past. Filled to the rafters with the wonder and memories of long ago holidays, there’s no better time to walk every timeless block than December.
The entire village celebrates the holiday season with a steady stream of popular events beginning in early October and proceeding through mid-December. Every December this small town features a series of festive events for the entire family.
Check the website at AuroraColony.com for dates and times.
In addition to the usual overload of household antiques, nearly every shop has a full array of Christmas ornaments, Santa Clauses, holiday candles, and other treasure that you may not have seen since you were a kid.
Settled in 1856, Aurora was the only successful 19th century utopian community in the western United States. A group of 600 colonists, mostly German protestants, followed Dr. William Keil from Missouri along the Oregon Trail to Aurora, Oregon.
The Oregon Trail was a 2,000-mile route from Independence, Missouri, to Oregon City, Oregon. It was used as an emigration path west by hundreds of thousands of American pioneers in the mid-1800s.
Influenced by The Second Great Awakening in the early nineteenth century, some Old Aurora Colony founders were members of the Harmony Society, which believed that denominations did not serve the will of God. In addition, Dr. Keil did not believe that ministers should be paid, and many of his followers considered communal living the ideal Christian life.
If you can see only ONE commercial site while you’re visiting Aurora (but why?), my vote is for Aurora Mills Industrial Salvage. Any Thing Groover worthy of the name will LOVE the fascinating array of oversize furnishings and industrial paraphernalia that pack this large building. Totally trippy!
Today, downtown Aurora is still home to many of those historic buildings and residences, some of them now boutiques filled to the rafters with vintage American treasure (furniture, glassware, dishware, kitchenware, clothing, books, jewelry, knick-knacks). Eye candy for the soul.
Online Interactive Walking Historic Aurora Route Map
This walk route is 23 miles (I-5 South route) by car from Portland and 13 miles from West Linn (OR 99E route).
Click Walking Historic Aurora for our custom-curated online map.
Click Aurora Boundary Map for Aurora city boundary map.
Our route maps are designed so you can both follow and keep track of where you are on the route from your iPhone while walking. On your computer, save the route map to your bookmarks bar and then open that link from your iPhone.
While walking, open the Legend field on the map to get turn-by-turn directions. If Google Maps is tracking properly (occasionally, in some areas, it glitches) you’ll see a small blue ball that represents you on the map. That’s especially helpful in keeping track of where you actually are on the route.
Distance
1.5 miles for the extended route, plus additional for meandering the shops.
Time
Allow 3+ hours to thoroughly enjoy this holiday walk. You’ll want to explore each of the historic sites and all of the festive shops. Locally roasted Cellar Door Coffee and excellent house pastries are the perfect conclusion at White Rabbit Bakery.
Terrain
Mostly flat, paved sidewalks, but do watch your step in these older buildings as floors are sometimes uneven.
Difficulty
Doesn’t get much easier that this, unless you factor in the steep interior staircases so prevalent in 100+ year old buildings. Hang on to the railings!
Portland Metro Walkabouts
The SkyBlue Portland team hosts monthly group walks through some of Portland Metro’s most beautiful and interesting neighborhoods. For info on our Portland Metro walking tours, check our Facebook page, PDX Women Who Walk and meetups PDX Women Who Walk. And join us!
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