Film history and downtown in Cottage Grove
For a small town, Cottage Grove has turned up on screen a lot.
On film
Wikipedia says Buster Keaton's silent film The General (1926) was filmed in and around the city, and that Stand By Me, Emperor of the North and Ricochet River also used local locations. It adds that the parade scene in Animal House was shot on Main Street. The Eugene, Cascades & Coast visitor association lists Cottage Grove among the filming locations for The General, Stand By Me and Animal House, and notes that the railroad bridge over Mosby Creek in Cottage Grove, from Stand By Me, is one visitors can cycle to. Sources give slightly different release years for some of these films, so we leave those out.
The historic downtown
Wikipedia says the downtown historic district has been the focus of preservation and revitalization efforts and has 21 murals reflecting local history. Eugene, Cascades & Coast offers a self-guided walking tour of 10 downtown murals, with a longer driving or cycling tour of over twenty citywide. Among them is a Buster Keaton mural on East Main Street showing scenes from The General.
Museums
Wikipedia lists four museums in town: the Cottage Grove Historical Museum, the Bohemia Gold Mining Museum, the Oregon Aviation History Center and the Dr. Snapp House. Hours change, so check with each before visiting.