AN AWESOME ADAPTIVE PLAYGROUND IN SALEM
Located near the Salem Health Rehabilitation Center, the Let's All Play Place is loads of fun and includes a stair-free slide that’s accessible to walkers and wheelchairs, safety-first bucket and harness swings, a tactile sensory wall that’s wonderful for kids with low vision, and sound tubes that allow kids to work on auditory processing and noise tolerance.

SILVERTON’S NEW PLAYGROUND WELCOMES ALL KIDDOS
Downtown’s Old Mill Park features an ADA-accessible, rubber-like surface that allows kids in wheelchairs to join in on the classic playground fun. They can roll their chair onto the ground-level merry-go-round, up to the bucket swings, and kids with upper-body strength can push themselves along the slide. Sound tubes, light refractors and drums also stimulate their senses.

DEVICE-ASSISTED OLD-GROWTH TREE CLIMBS
Climbing up a 300-foot Douglas fir in Silver Falls State Park is something more folks can do, thanks to Tree Climbing at Silver Falls. Book an adaptive adventure and the expert guides will safely harness up a wheelchair and its user, or just the user, and they can use a battery-powered ascender device to carry themselves up and down the lines. This is ideal for adventurous seniors, as well.

ADA-ACCESSIBLE HIKING ADVENTURES
Silver Falls State Park’s new North Canyon day-use area includes ADA-accessible restrooms and a trail that’s accessible to people using wheelchairs or other mobility devices. The 6-feet-wide trail is made from packed gravel and winds a half-mile through old growth forest and at a gentle 5% downgrade before reaching the park’s breathtaking North Falls viewpoint.

CAROUSEL RIDES FOR SENSITIVE KIDDOS
If your child loves carousel rides but is sensitive to bright lights or loud music, the Salem Riverfront Carousel offers a special Sensory Hour the first Monday of each month from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. The operators turn off the music and also the carousel lights, if requested, to give lil’ riders a calmer experience. People with disabilities are also welcome to ride at no cost, although they need to be able to transition from their mobility aides to the carousel, as the wheelchair ramp is currently unavailable.

SQUISH, SQUEEZE AND SPLASH AT GILBERT HOUSE CHILDREN’S MUSEUM
The Gilbert House Children’s Museum is connected to Salem's Riverfront Park and offers imagination-sparking experiences for kids in three unique historical houses. In addition to the first level of each house being wheelchair accessible, the quieter Sensory Portal room lets kids interact with all sorts of colorful sensory-play features, wonderful for neuro-divergent kids.

A CHILL STORYTIME AT THE SALEM LIBRARY
Every first and third Thursday at 4 p.m., the Salem Public Library hosts a free storytime for kids with sensory-processing sensitivities. The adaptive experience emphasizes safe interaction and movement in a calm, intimate environment. Call ahead if you have any specific requests, such as dimming the lights, and pick up your tickets at the library 15 minutes prior.

LOW-KEY FUN AT SALEM’S CHUCK E. CHEESE
If your kiddo with autism or special needs is into arcade games and pizza, call Salem’s Chuck E. Cheese and request a special low-sensory visit for your family known as Sensory Sensitive Sunday. On the first Sunday of every month, from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., your family can enjoy pizza and games with dimmed lighting, lower volume levels and less crowds. The trained and caring staff will make sure everyone has a blast.

SENSORY-SENSITIVE HIT FLICKS
Does your kid love to watch movies? Take them to Salem’s Northern Lights Theatre Pub for a sensory-sensitive showing. One Saturday each month, the pub turns the volume down and the lights up, and viewers can get up, walk around, dance and sing. You can also catch captioned screenings one Sunday each month. The hot dogs, pizza and popcorn are a hit.

AN INCLUSIVE POOL PARTY
Bring your swimsuit because the Dallas Aquatic Center, located about 20 minutes west of Salem, opens early every Wednesday for adults and children with disabilities. From 4:15 p.m. to 5:15 p.m. you can float with water noodles and play in the lap or leisure pool, minus the crowds. The therapy pool has an automatic wheelchair lift so everyone can take a dip.

Go here