Things to do in Portland, Oregon

A city-block-sized independent bookstore with color-coded rooms and a million new and used titles.

Portland's oldest continuously operating public rose garden, with skyline and Mount Hood views.

A meticulously tended traditional Japanese garden called one of the most authentic outside Japan.

A hands-on science museum on the Willamette riverbank with a planetarium and a retired submarine.

The Pacific Northwest's oldest art museum, spanning Native American art to contemporary photography.

A hilltop 1914 chateau-style mansion with sweeping views of Portland and, on clear days, five Cascade peaks.

A hillside zoo in Washington Park known for its elephants and a summer concert series.

Oregon's tallest waterfall, a 620-foot two-tiered cascade just off the Columbia River Gorge highway.

The original 24-hour doughnut shop behind the bacon-topped maple bar and the pink boxes all over Portland.

Downtown blocks packed with dozens of independent food carts serving everything from Thai to Halal to Georgian khachapuri.

A sprawling open-air arts and crafts market under the Burnside Bridge, running weekends since 1974.

A hand-built 1937 stone-and-timber lodge on Mount Hood, famous as the filming location for The Shining's exterior.

A gondola climbing from the South Waterfront to OHSU's hilltop campus, with skyline and mountain views.

A restored 1928 vaudeville palace downtown, now home to the Oregon Symphony and touring shows.

A small-group day tour along the Historic Columbia River Highway, stopping at Vista House and a string of waterfalls.

Official visitor guide for Lincoln City, Oregon, covering its beaches, forests and central Oregon Coast attractions.

Hangar museum of still-flying antique planes and still-driving classic cars and motorcycles near Hood River.

Oregon's largest city, known for its parks, food and coffee scene, and quick access to the Columbia River Gorge.

Heritage train excursions along the Tillamook Coast aboard steam and vintage diesel locomotives.

The north shore of the Columbia River Gorge, with whitewater, wind sports, hiking and small towns.

Self-guided e-bike rentals along the Historic Columbia River Highway past Multnomah Falls and other Gorge waterfalls.

Gateway to Oregon's Willamette Valley wine country, with over 100 wineries, a walkable downtown and a historic Hoover home.

Oregon's official maritime museum on the Astoria waterfront, with a historic lightship and exhibits on the treacherous Columbia River Bar.

Official tourism office for Clackamas County, Oregon, branded Mt. Hood Territory, covering the region's rivers, waterfalls and trails.

Willamette River sightseeing and dining cruises departing downtown Portland year round.

Washington city on the Columbia River across from Portland, promoted by Visit Vancouver WA for leisure and event travel.

Scenic airplane tours over the Columbia River Gorge, Mount Hood and Portland from Troutdale, Oregon.

Oregon wine and farm country west of Portland, covering Washington County's towns, trails and vineyards.

Columbia River Gorge town whose chamber of commerce also runs the official visitor center.

A nearly 50-acre dahlia farm near Portland with hundreds of varieties and a late-summer flower festival.

A downtown Portland museum with three floors of exhibits and more than 85,000 artifacts spanning Oregon history.

Family-run sunrise hot air balloon flights over Oregon's Willamette Valley near Portland.

Official visitor site for Corvallis, Oregon, in the heart of the Willamette Valley wine country.

An Oregon estate winery near Salem with a tasting room, lookout tower, and Pinot Noir focused wine flights.

Interactive history museum marking the historic end point of the Oregon Trail with pioneer exhibits and covered wagons.

Quirky museum devoted to Bigfoot research and lore, curated by a Finding Bigfoot investigator.

Shop a friendly Portland yarn and fiber arts store stocked for knitting, weaving, and felting.

Explore Gresham, Oregon, a gateway city near Mt. Hood and the Columbia Gorge with local shops and parks.

Walk an authentic walled Suzhou style garden in Portland's Old Town with a pond and teahouse.

A Portland landmark bar inside a 1928 jug-shaped building, serving cocktails and burgers late into the night.

A guided walking tour through Portland's specialty coffee scene, sampling brews at five local cafes.

Small-group van tours from Portland to the Columbia River Gorge, Mount Hood and the Oregon coast.

An interactive Portland museum in Washington Park teaching visitors about forests and sustainable forestry.

Oregon's noted Pinot Noir wine region, mapped and promoted by the Willamette Valley Wineries Association's touring guide.

A nonprofit merchants association promoting shopping, dining and events in historic downtown Camas, Washington.

Guided zip line and aerial adventure course with seven lines and sky bridges above the Columbia River Gorge.

Walk more than 40 acres of blooming tulip fields at Oregon's largest spring festival, with wine tasting and a farm market.

Hand-carved carousel with more than 40 animals on a restored 1909 mechanism, plus a small carving museum in downtown Albany.

Artist-run cooperative gallery in downtown Albany selling paintings, ceramics, jewelry and fiber art.

A century-old scenic train line running narrated excursions through the Hood River Valley beneath Mt. Hood.

Licensed guide service running salmon, steelhead and sturgeon fishing trips on the Columbia River.

Columbia River Gorge town known for the Bridge of the Gods, Bonneville Dam and river tours.

Self-guided 35-mile driving loop through Hood River Valley farm stands, orchards, wineries and cideries.

Small, owner-operated whitewater rafting outfitter running White Salmon River trips near Hood River.

Free Columbia River dam site with visitor centers, fish ladders and underwater salmon viewing near Cascade Locks.

Guided whitewater rafting and kayaking outfitter on the White Salmon River near Hood River.

Multi-generation whitewater rafting outfitter on the White Salmon and Klickitat rivers, also running Northwest Llama Treks.

Nonprofit that preserves and offers tours of Vancouver, Washington's historic Officers Row and Providence Academy.

Chamber of commerce and visitor center for Astoria and Warrenton on the north Oregon coast.

E-bike and mountain bike rentals with guided and self-guided tours to Columbia River Gorge waterfalls.

Chamber of commerce and visitor center for the artist beach town of Cannon Beach, Oregon.

Family-owned outdoor amusement park in Seaside with go karts, mini golf and a small roller coaster.

Family alpaca farm in the Columbia River Gorge offering free tours and a fiber boutique.

Whitewater rafting outfitter running guided trips on the White Salmon and Klickitat rivers.

Family orchard on the Hood River Fruit Loop with u-pick fruit, a farmstand, goat feeding and hard cider tasting.

Private two-hour sailing charters on the Columbia River Gorge aboard a 34-foot yacht from Hood River Marina.

Official tourism bureau for Hood River, Oregon, with guides to Gorge wineries, outdoor recreation and dining.

Guided wine, waterfall and hiking tours of the Columbia River Gorge, based in Stevenson, Washington.

Official visitor bureau for the Oregon Coast town of Seaside, home to the historic beachfront Promenade.

Three-story antique mall in Saint Helens with more than 70 vendors of vintage furniture, collectibles and crafts.

Family-owned deep sea and bottom fishing charters out of the Oregon coast port of Garibaldi.

Oregon coast town and gateway to the North Coast Food Trail, promoted through its area chamber of commerce.

A 62-acre heritage park of 15 volunteer-run museums covering antique tractors, trucks, logging gear and steam power.

Self-guided road-trip trail connecting Oregon's artisan creameries and cheesemakers for tastings and tours.

Oregon coastal region from Coos Bay to the California border, with state parks and small beach towns.

Oregon's official welcome center in the state capital, with free travel counseling, maps and statewide visitor guides.

Hop-on hop-off pink trolley tours of Portland plus seasonal day trips along the Columbia River Gorge waterfall corridor.

Bean to bar chocolate factory tours and tasting bar in Portland's Lloyd district.

Regional tourism office promoting scenic drives, waterfalls and food trails across the Columbia River Gorge.

A 410-acre Portland park home to the Oregon Zoo, Japanese Garden, Rose Test Garden and miles of trails.

Guided walking, biking and hiking tours around Portland covering parks, bridges, food carts and city history.

Troutdale's official visitor center inside the historic rail depot, with information on the Trout Route river shuttle and Gorge-area sights.

Portland's Jewish history museum and Holocaust education center, the only Jewish museum in the Pacific Northwest.

Guided walking food tours through Portland neighborhoods, sampling local restaurants, markets and food carts.

A 23,000 square foot immersive art gallery with 14 interactive installations in a former hardware store.

Washington county on the Columbia River Gorge known for waterfalls, hiking trails and scenic byways near Stevenson.

Interpretive museum on the Columbia River Gorge covering the region's geology, Native American culture and Oregon Trail history.

A Portland jewelry studio and shop making ethically sourced wedding rings and handcrafted fine jewelry.

An oddity museum and curiosity shop showcasing macabre antiques, sideshow history and gothic art in downtown Portland.

A fourth-generation family farm near Hood River with u-pick fruit, a farm market bakery and seasonal family events.

A volunteer-run riverside museum on the history of the Columbia Gorge locks, railroads and steamboats.

Free annual arts, music and nature festival held in a historic native oak and fir forest park in Salem.

Narrated jetboat tours on the Willamette River departing from downtown Portland.

Bungee jump off a 200-foot private bridge over Canyon Creek near Portland, Oregon.

An inner Southeast Portland bike shop renting, selling and touring bikes since 2009.

A Portland tour operator running guided day trips to the Columbia Gorge, Mount Hood, the coast and wine country since 1992.

A 1911 flatiron building in downtown Portland turned into a 51-room music-themed hotel with a saltwater soaking pool, Hal's Cafe and the Al's Den live venue.

Silverton's chamber-run visitor center on South Water Street, with maps and guides to the town's murals, downtown shops, and nearby waterfalls and gardens.

A 1921 Mission Revival hotel on a cliff above the Columbia River in Hood River, with seven acres of gardens, Wah Gwin Gwin Falls and a spa.

Free outdoor sculpture walk through downtown Lake Oswego with more than 80 permanent and rotating works, mapped by the Arts Council for self-guided tours.

Family-owned LEGO resale shop in Oregon City with new and pre-owned sets, bulk brick bins, custom minifigures, a free-play area and a party room.

Deschutes Brewery's Pearl District brewpub in a historic 1919 building, pouring 26 taps including beers brewed on site only for Portland alongside a full pub menu.

An 1,800-square-foot gallery of oddities, cryptids and interactive photo ops in Northwest Portland, with a gift shop of original art and novelties.

Small lavender farm on Parrett Mountain near Sherwood with free admission, u-cut rows in June and July and a year-round gift shop in a restored carriage house.

A 1911 county poor farm outside Portland turned 74-acre resort with a hotel, brewery, winery, distillery, soaking pool, par-3 golf and lawn concerts.

Washington County Chamber of Commerce's visitor desk in Hillsboro, a Travel Oregon welcome center with free maps and guides for the west Portland suburbs.

Independent used bookstore and yarn shop on SE Hawthorne in Portland, specializing in textiles, nautical, Black history and women's literature.

Guided llama treks from a Trout Lake ranch near Mount Adams, from a two-hour farm-and-forest walk to full-day wilderness hikes with pack llamas carrying gear.

Climb 164 spiral steps inside a 125-foot muraled column for views from the top of Coxcomb Hill.

Climb a switchback trail to the top of an 848-foot basalt volcanic plug above the Columbia River Gorge.

Hike forested headland trails to ocean bluffs, sea stacks and the tide pools and surf of Indian Beach.

Walk through hand-built fairy tale scenes, a western town and a European village, then ride the log flume.

Hike, run or bike more than 80 miles of wooded trails and firelanes in the hills above northwest Portland.

Step inside a log replica of the fort where the Lewis and Clark Expedition spent the winter of 1805 to 1806.

You step inside a reconstructed 1800s Hudson's Bay Company fur trading post and walk the grounds of Vancouver Barracks.

Walk the sand at low tide to a 235-foot basalt sea stack ringed with tide pools and nesting seabirds.

Drive into the volcano's blast zone, hike past crater views and walk through a 2.5-mile lava tube.

Stand under the Spruce Goose, Howard Hughes's giant wooden flying boat, among more than 150 aircraft and spacecraft.

Tour an Art Deco capitol faced in Vermont marble and topped by the gilded Oregon Pioneer statue, with murals in the rotunda.