Travel Eye on Portland (Oregon, USA)

Write a review or view peoples experiences in Portland.	Hotels in Portland.	Flights to Portland.	Car Hire/Rental	Tickets & Attractions in Portland

Want to contribute to the writings of this travel guide? If so, Click here

Overview:

Portland was the undiscovered gem of the West Coast, often overlooked by visitors seeking more sophisticated milieus. But in the past decade, people have begun flocking here in unprecedented numbers both to visit and to live.

The city's proximity to mountains, ocean, and desert adds an element of natural grandeur to its urban character. Majestic Mount Hood, about 70 miles to the east, acts as a kind of mascot, and on a clear day several peaks of the Cascade Range are visible, including Mount St. Helen's, which dusted Portland with ash when it erupted in 1980. Filled with stately late-19th-century and modern architecture, linked by an effective and intelligent transit system, and home to a vital arts scene, the city is a place where there's much to do day or night, rain or shine.

A temperate climate and plenty of precipitation keep Portland green year-round and make it a paradise for gardeners. The City of Roses, as it's known, celebrates its favorite flower with a monthlong Rose Festival -- a June extravaganza with auto and boat races, visiting navy ships, and a grand parade second in size only to Pasadena's Rose Parade. But the floral spectacle really starts three months earlier, when streets and gardens bloom with the colors of flowering trees, camellias, rhododendrons, and azaleas.

Locality:

Portland is located around the Willamette River forming an inland port. It is situated in the state of Oregon.

Entertainment/Facilities/Attractions/Things to do:

Portland Classical Chinese Garden - The most exquisite, authentic Suzhou-style garden built outside of China is now open in Portland. Come calm yourself in its beauty.

Oregon Museum of Science and Industry - Enjoy an OMNIMAX Theater, the Murdock Planetarium, view amazing astronomy and laser light shows, and board inside the U.S. Navy's last non-nuclear submarine, the U.S.S. Blueback (SS 581).

Oregon Zoo - The Oregon Zoo has 1,029 animals representing 200 species, nine major exhibits, an elephant museum, an art and photo gallery and a zoo railway.

CM2 - Children's Museum 2nd Generation - Discover this new center for arts and creativity, designed for kids from babies to 13 years old. Filled with hands-on exhibits, you can make a splash in Water Works; experiment with how you look in Mirror, Mirror; create your own fairytales in Once Upon a Time; do dental work on a giant alligator, and discover what's new in the drop-in art studios. 

Oaks Park - In Oaks Park theme park, visitors can enjoy a wide variety of fun. Picnics, skating and rides are all part of that fun. There are thrill rides, intermediate rides, and kid's rides.

World Forestry Center - The World Forestry Center presents exhibits on forests of the world, petrified wood, old-growth forests, tropical rainforests; and offers art exhibits and nature walks.

Portland Parks & Recreation - Portland Parks & Recreation offers 100 park and recreation buildings, 12 swimming pools, 180 park grounds, 100 play structures, 200 ball fields, five public gardens, 7700 acres of forests and more.