The park features not only cherry trees and other plants favored by Oregonians, but tells a little history as well. Stone plaques set in the mall sidewalks list the county seat and establishment date for each of Oregon's counties. On the Willson Park side of the street, flags from every state in the union sit in a circle near the Moon Tree, a state heritage tree. The young Douglas-fir, just north of the flags along Court Street, was grown from a seed carried to the moon by Apollo 14 astronaut Stuart Roosa in 1971.

The grounds include three fountains; Waite Fountain (west of the capitol building in Willson Park), Wall of Water bordering Court Street across from the main capitol entrance, and Capitol Fountain, on Center Street at the north end of the Capitol Mall.