The City of Roses

Portland is the largest city in Oregon on the Willamette River. This beautiful city is known as the City of Roses.

Washington Park is home to many tourist attractions among them the International Rose Test Garden, a zoo, and museums.

The International Rose Test Garden grows new varieties of roses. The annual Rose Festival draws visitors in May and June.

The Portland Japanese Garden is among the largest outside of Japan. It was landscaped on the grounds of an old zoo.

The Oregon Zoo is home to animals from across the world among them African crocodiles, American beavers, and Asian elephants.

The Hoyt Arboretum has 190 forested areas and 12 miles of hiking trails.

The Columbia River marks the Oregon-Washington state border, and its entire length is a remarkable sightseeing region ideal for leisurely drives and enjoying the outdoors.

The Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area is among the best day trips from Portland. It is located along the Columbia River which is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest.

You can see the towering Multnomah Falls.

See the impressive Pittock Mansion built in 1914 by Henry Pittock the founder of the Oregonian newspaper. Surrounding the mansion are beautiful gardens.

Forest Park includes over 5,000 acres of Northwest Forest. It covers the eastern slope of the Tualatin Mountains and is among the largest urban parks in the country. There are many walking and hiking trails to choose from.

The Portland Art Museum is the oldest one in the Pacific Northwest. It was founded in 1892. You can enjoy Native American artifacts, graphic arts, English silver, Asian art, photography, and Northwest art.

The Lan Su Chinese Garden opened in 2000 to let people learn about Chinese culture. The city developed a relationship with its sister city, Suzhou, China. The garden has traditional buildings, walkways, and native Chinese plants. Visitors can get guided or self-guided tours, You can enjoy the beautiful tea house.

The OMSI complex has a theater with a four-story screen, a planetarium, and educational hands-on displays.

Outside the museum, you’ll find the USS Blueback, a non-nuclear submarine that was in use for over 30 years. It was featured in the movie “Hunt for Red October”. Visitors can get a guided tour.

Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden is a lovely garden that also includes azaleas, Japanese maples, dogwood, and magnolias. The gardens are also popular with waterfowl. You can enjoy the waterfalls and ponds.

Mount Tabor is a dormant volcano in southwest Portland. It is surrounded by a city park featuring scenic trails, monuments, and gardens.

Portland has many bridges spanning the Willamette River. Among the twelve bridges are:

The St.Johns Bridge in the north.

The Sellwood Bridge in the south.

Tilikum Crossing was built in 2015 as the “bridge of the people”. You can walk or pedal across this bridge.

See the red Broadway Bridge from the Rose Quarter. The red color of the bridge draws your gaze right away.

You can gaze up at the cars from the pedestrian lane on the Steel Bridge.

Enjoy the Willamette Falls which is an urban horseshoe-shaped waterfall.

The Grotto is perched on top of Rocky Butte, a northeast Portland cliff. There are lovely gardens and an outdoor Roman Catholic sanctuary dedicated to Mary. Paths lead through a forested park. The Grotto has two levels and the lower garden is open to the public.

It includes a cave carved out of a basalt cliff serving as an outdoor cathedral. The marble statue in the center of the cave is a replica of Michelangelo’s depiction of Mary cradling Jesus' crucified body surrounded by flowers and votive candles.