old aurora colony museum

High point of a historical village where you can spend a very pleasant afternoon. The village was a German American communal religious endeavor during the latter half of the 19th Century. On the rail line between Portland and San Francisco, it now has the Portland area's best collection of antique shops, some with small cafes.

Great piece of little known history , Oregon's long ago failed venture into collectivism and communal living. They tell the story well with pictures and words. After the museum , take in all the great antique stores.

I love history and Aurora is a must see town in Northern Oregon, with or without the museum. I enjoyed the presentation given by the guide and I found the buildings quite interesting. Old photos of the street and town give an added feeling of what it might have been like to live in those early settlement times.

We spent the day there during Aurora Colony Days in the summer. The whole community comes out. The museum was set up for children to build candle holders, make their own candles, People were in period dress and they taught just how it was to live in Aurora during its heyday. Very interesting

I visited this place when I was growing up and then took my children there. Now I have gone there a few times because my favorite author, Jane Kirkpatrick, has had some book signings there. i like the quilt shows there and have gone there for the strawberry shortcake social. It's a great place to learn of local history.

The curator was well informed and enthusiastic to share the history ofr aurora. I was a little concerrned about the modifications that had been made to historical artifacts, but they would be inviting to young people who enjoy doing more than just seeing,.

If you are looking for antiques and architectural treasures (small and large) this is the place to go. Warm and welcoming to visitors.

We stopped here on our way home from a day of motorcycle riding. We passed a couple that decided against going in once they saw the admission price, but we decided the money would go to good use - local museum, local history, etc. There were no outside programs that day, but from reading the posted programs, it looks like that, when there are, they are quite interesting and the best part about a visit - lots of demonstrations of 19th century and early 20th century farm, ranch and wood-working techniques - great things for kids (or big kids like us). When there are outdoor activities, this would be a 3-4 hour visit. I was delighted that the museum volunteer suggested I ring the large bell outside (fun!). There are a few marginally old items inside, most nothing particularly special or that interesting, and there is a short film that tells you the history of the colony, but there is one item that makes the inside of the museum worth a visit: a music box - the largest and most intricate music box I've ever seen. It's around a meter long, and the museum volunteer puts on white gloves to open it for you and play it. It plays multiple songs *and* has little mechanical butterflies that flutter as the music plays. It's like something out of Harry Potter or Hugo or something. I wish I had videoed it playing! The volunteer that day knew all about the history of this beautiful instrument. It was what made our visit totally worth it.