Portland Oregon is a burgeoning cityscape flanked by rivers, mountains and rolling landscapes boasting world class recreation. The list of things to do while visiting is vast, requiring multiple trips to experience all this Pacific Northwest Wonderland has to offer. To get you started, we’ve compiled a list of five super cool activities that can be shared by all, especially when high.
Glowing Greens Miniature Golf
Voted “Best Mini Golf” by the Best Businesses of Portland Award Program, even the golf-weary will love putting around the neon-day-glow labyrinths of 3-D blacklight-lit mini golf courses at Glowing Greens Miniature Golf. Boasting a full 18-hole course, participants round their way through a “Pirate Island Adventure and Under Sea Voyage” party-themed indoor sprawl, packed with “animated skeletons, props, CGI videos and wall-to-wall 3D sets with adventure sounds.” This activity is great for every age and groups of any size. Plus, birthday golf is free with proof of date of birth.
OMSI
The Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI) is one of the nation’s leading science centers and technology museums. From laser light shows to world-class science based classes and clinics, the center’s Willamette River waterside location takes all the fun inside to even greater depths. Explore the river in a submarine, dissect a squid, learn the art of cheesemaking or microscopy. Travel the cosmos in the planetarium, watch Hollywood blockbusters on the big-screen, or arrive in time for an Earth Day Festival or Brain Fair. Adults can also enjoy an onsite pub. OMSI makes the world a better place.
Wine Country Tours
Oregon wine country is some of the best on Earth. Fortunately, Portland metro is just minutes away from some of the best vineyards around. You don’t even have to leave the city to see winemaking in action at one of Portland’s many wineries. Local wine bars, like Division Wines boast over 800 bottles from near and far that can be shared among friends at their gorgeous wood bar. Hire a driver and take a day trip up to Columbia Valley along the Columbia river, where new world wines meet the rustic traditions of old-world winemaking. Or, travel south through the world famous Willamette Valley to sample the greatest Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir you’ll ever find.
International Rose Test Garden
Portland is nicknamed Rose City for a reason, the beautiful flowers grow in abundance there. Portland City Park, The International Rose Test Garden, cultivates and showcases over 7,000 rose plants spanning nearly 550 varieties. The garden park includes a fountain, gift shop, paved walkways, parking, art and sculpture and free daily guided tours from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend. Portland is the only North American city to issue an award for “Portland’s Best Rose,” a tradition established in 1996 where rose experts from around the world gather to perform a one-day judging event awarding the best rose among thousands of submissions.
Powell’s Bookstore
Known as “The World’s Neighborhood Bookstore” Powell’s claims to be the largest independent new and used bookstore in the world. While Powell’s Books is now a chain of bookstores in metro Portland, one step inside the multilevel downtown “Powell’s City of Books” megaplex offers assurance that this Portland institution is the world’s independent literature goliath. The place is huge. Whether attending a book signing, stopping in for a clinic or simply browsing, you’ll find the globe’s greatest authors regularly passing through to promote their works. Powell’s supports the indie literary market well, claiming over 45 million dollars in revenue a year. It’s a must see…and read.