How to Spend a Saturday in Eugene

Saturday mornings feel different when there’s nowhere you have to be. No commute. No rush. Maybe not even a reason to grab the car keys.

At Gordon Lofts, weekends have a way of unfolding naturally. Located in Eugene, Oregon at 5th Street Public Market, home puts you within walking and biking distance of some of the city’s best food, shopping, arts, entertainment and outdoor spaces. Gordon Lofts has a Walk Score of 97 and Bike Score of 100, after all.

So, what does a Saturday look like when Eugene is your neighborhood? Something like this.

8:30 AM | Start Slowly at the Market

First things first: coffee.

Walk downstairs and into 5th Street Public Market, where you can settle into your morning with a fresh cup and something delicious from Provisions Market Hall, Magpie Coffeeshop or simply wander and decide what catches your eye.

Take it to go or find a sunny spot outside. Read a few pages of a book. People watch. Make ambitious plans for the day or maybe don't.

That's part of the luxury of living here. You haven't really gone anywhere yet.

10 AM | Make Saturday Market Your Saturday Ritual

Next, walk a few blocks toward the Park Blocks, where two quintessentially Eugene traditions come together.

At Lane County Farmers Market, Saturday mornings bring Oregon growers and producers downtown with seasonal produce, flowers and locally made foods. Next door, Eugene Saturday Market fills the Park Blocks with handmade goods, food and live entertainment.

Browse without an agenda. Pick up flowers for your apartment home. Find something made by a local artist. Stock up on whatever looks best for dinner tomorrow.

This is Eugene at its most Eugene; and from Gordon Lofts, it can simply become part of your weekend routine.

11:30 AM | Take the Long Way Home

There's no need to head straight back. Instead, point yourself toward the Willamette River.

The Ruth Bascom Riverbank Path System connects miles of Eugene by foot and bike, making it easy to turn a Saturday stroll into something longer. Follow the river toward Skinner Butte, take a bike ride or simply find a shady stretch and let the morning breathe a little. If your four-legged roommate is joining you, even better.

12:30 PM | Lunch, Wherever the Mood Takes You

By now, you've earned lunch and being surrounded by the Market means there's very little reason to decide where until you're hungry.

Maybe it's something casual eaten outside in the sunshine. Maybe you're in the mood for a leisurely sit-down lunch. Maybe lunch calls for a glass of Willamette Valley wine.

5th Street Public Market spans more than four blocks of restaurants, shops, tasting rooms and experiences, so Saturday lunch can look different every week.

That's the beauty of having the Market as your neighborhood rather than your occasional destination.

2 PM | Shop, Create or Indulge

Saturday afternoons are for following your curiosity. Browse the boutiques throughout the Market. Stop by Books with Pictures Eugene for something exciting to read. Pick up something beautiful for home. Take an art class. Book a massage or salon appointment. Wander into a tasting room because you have nowhere else you particularly need to be.

Or head upstairs.

Gordon Lofts residents have a rooftop amenity deck with lounge seating, a full kitchen, barbecue area and expansive views across Eugene. Sometimes the best Saturday plan is no plan at all: just a book, a comfortable chair and an Oregon afternoon.

4 PM | Find a Little Green

If the weather is calling you back outside, Eugene makes it easy to answer. Skinner's Butte is close enough for an afternoon walk with a payoff at the top: views stretching across Eugene and toward the surrounding hills.

Perhaps you’ll follow the river to Owen Rose Garden. During rose season, hundreds of blooms transform the garden into one of the city's most beautiful places to wander; however, its riverside setting makes it worth visiting throughout the year.

Want more room to roam? Continue toward Alton Baker Park for trails, an expansive fenced dog park and riverfront scenery. 

6:30 PM | Make Dinner an Occasion

Come home, change and head out for a night on the town. The difficult part isn't getting to dinner. It's choosing where to go.

Living at Gordon Lofts puts an array of Eugene dining experiences nearby, from relaxed neighborhood favorites to restaurants made for lingering over dinner and a bottle of wine.

And because home is close, the evening doesn't have to end when dinner does. Follow it with a tasting room. Find live music. Order dessert. Wander through the neighborhood as the evening lights come on.

There is no drive home waiting for you.

8 PM | What's Playing

For a little culture, tickets for the Hult Center for the Performing Arts for a concert, ballet, Broadway production or symphony performance is always a good idea. Perhaps you’ll choose to keep the evening casual walking to a nearby movie theater. 

10:30 PM | End Where You Started

Eventually, make your way home. Maybe it’s straight to your apartment. Maybe it's the Gordon Lofts rooftop, where you can settle in for one last look at the city.

From up here, you can see something that's easy to forget when you're busy living in it: just how much of Eugene surrounds you: the restaurants, the Market, downtown. Skinner Butte, the river, the iconic neighborhoods and hills beyond.

And tomorrow? You get to wake up and do it all differently. This Isn't a Getaway. It's Home.

That's perhaps the best part of spending a Saturday at Gordon Lofts: None of this requires a special occasion.

Living at 5th Street Public Market means the things people seek out on their weekends — great food, local makers, outdoor spaces, arts, entertainment and places to gather — are woven into your everyday surroundings.

You can fill your Saturday from morning until night.

Or do absolutely nothing.

Either way, you're already exactly where you want to be.