Portland Vacation: Things to Do in Portland - 2

Top Portland Attractions

Must-See Sites for Adults

A visit to one of Portland's many local microbreweries is absolutely in order. Take a brewery tour at Widmer Brothers, or belly up to the bar at the Bridgeport Brewery’s in-town brewpub for some refreshment and some of the best beer you can find. If you’ve got your pooch in tow, check out the east side’s Lucky Labrador Brewing Co., where a casual atmosphere and great sudsy beer are offered on their dog-friendly patio. [Read more about Portland’s Breweries.]

On weekends, Portland comes alive with farmers’ markets, from the Portland Farmer’s Market on campus at Portland State University to the best-known Saturday Market, located underneath the Burnside Bridge in downtown. Buy artisan goods and organic food while browsing through art and listening to music as you navigate the adventurous crowd through the mazes of unique booths.

The Portland Art Museum is the oldest museum on the West Coast. Founded in 1892, the museum features more than 42,000 objects for your viewing pleasure with everything from an outdoor sculpture garden to a vast collection of Native American Art.

Visit the Pittock Mansion, home to the founder and publisher of Portland’s Oregonian newspaper. Henry and Georgiana Pittock lived on this 46-acre estate from 1914 to 1919, and the property has come to symbolize the original development boom of Portland when it was a young city. The castle-like mansion is furnished with period pieces, including antiques and fine art, and the grounds are a wonderful place for a picnic.

 

• The Pittock Mansion offers beautiful views of the city from its location 1,000 feet above downtown Portland.

Jeremy McWilliams

On a nice day, cruise the Willamette River on the Portland Spirit, which also offers lunch, brunch and dinner cruises. And no trip to Portland is complete without a visit to the venerable Powell’s Books, one of the largest independent new and used bookstores in the world. It takes up an entire city block and regularly hosts guest authors and other events. There’s also a rare book room, so you can finally find that first edition Palahniuk novel that you’ve been craving.

Must-See Sites for Families

Portland’s a great spot for families because it’s so good to its own resident families. The city’s classic spot for kids is the Oregon Zoo, perched in the West Hills and recently renovated and improved. The zoo offers kids a chance to see and learn about both exotic and regional animals, like the Stellar sea lions that swim at Stellar Cove, a large exhibit that educates about creatures of the Pacific Northwest. Admission: $9.75 for adults ages 12 to 64; $8.25 for seniors 65 and over; $6.75 for children 3 to 11; free for kids under 3. Tel. 503-226-1561, www.oregonzoo.org.

A spot for more hands-on education is the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI). Here, kids can learn about scientific principles and discoveries in many active ways, view an IMAX movie or see the museum’s submarine, which is docked outside the museum facility located on the east side of the Willamette River. Admission: $11 for adults, $9 for kids 3 to 13 and seniors over 65. Tel. 800-955-6674, www.omsi.edu.

 

• Kids play at the Portland Children’s Museum.

Courtesy of the Portland Children’s Museum

Finally, the Portland Children’s Museum offers more chances for kids to play with interactive exhibits as they learn. The museum features science exhibits, including one about how Portland was built, and fun attractions like a climbing wall. Tel. 503-223-6500, www.portlandcm.org.

Portland Green Spaces

Throughout the city, there are parks with plenty of space for kids to run and play, such as the famous Tom McCall Waterfront Park which runs along the west side of the Willamette River in downtown Portland. Depending on the time of the visit, there could be a festival or concert going on in the park, and many offer a chance for the whole family to enjoy some of Portland’s atmosphere and personality.

Try heading up into the West Hills near the zoo to explore Portland’s huge Forest Park or Washington Park, which plays host to the Rose Gardens, Japanese Gardens and breathtaking views of the city skyline from above.

 

• The International Rose Test Garden in Washington Park is a Portland must-see.

ScaleOvenStove

[Read more about Portland’s green spaces in our Portland Parks article].

Outdoor Adventures

Mount Hood is about an hour out of town and a mecca for skiing, snowboarding, sledding, snowshoeing and even hiking in the summer. Skiers have a choice between Mt. Hood Meadows and Timberline, and deals abound in local newspapers and ski shops. Renting equipment from REI while in town can be a better deal than renting gear up at the mountain.

Hiking, mountain biking and rock climbing are favorite pastimes in the Portland area, and the wide-open Pacific Northwest provides lots of space and opportunity to try them. Many Web sites offer directions and reviews for trails, but you needn’t go far: Portland’s huge Forest Park is right in the city and offers spots for mountain biking and hiking. For rock climbing, most popular spots are a little further out of town and into the Columbia River Gorge, but there are rock climbing gyms throughout town to get practice or sign up for a lesson. Portland Rock Climbs is a good resource for anyone wanting to get involved with the sport.