Portland, long renowned for its close proximity to stunning natural areas, has a lot to offer inside its city limits. Highlights include the expansive urban woodland of Forest Park, the tranquil Portland Japanese Garden, and numerous bike pathways. Even while the outdoors is a major attraction, Portland offers some fantastic activities regardless of the weather, such as exploring the city’s several award-winning restaurants or browsing the books in the enormous Powell’s City of Books.
Let’s begin by discovering the best things to do in Downtown Portland.
Best Things To Do In Downtown Portland
Portland’s downtown offers a thriving array of outdoor activities, cuisine, and culture. The following are the best things to do in Downtown Portland:
Browse Books At Powell’s City Of Books
The biggest independent new and secondhand bookshop in the world, Powell’s City of Books occupies a full city block in downtown Portland and is a popular destination for book enthusiasts. More than a million books, including first editions, rare finds, and autographed copies of both well-known and obscure literature, are housed here.
Learn At The Portland Art Museum
It is one of the nation’s oldest art museums and has a wide variety of possessions, from modern pieces to Native American art. With its permanent collection, sculpture garden, and regular major shows, this art museum—the oldest in the Northwest—delights tourists. Since its establishment in 1892, the Portland Art Museum (PAM) has served as a center for cultural celebration and artistic advancement.
Experience Science At The Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI)
An actual submarine, an OmniMax giant-screen theater, a planetarium, five distinct halls, and eight interactive science labs make up the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI), which is geared toward science enthusiasts of all ages. With more than 200 interactive displays on topics including chemistry, technology, the human body, and climate change, the museum is a science playground.
Discover Portland Underground (Shanghai Tunnels)
The Portland Underground, sometimes referred to as the Shanghai Tunnels, is a system of basements and tunnels that run beneath Portland, Oregon. The unique and somewhat enigmatic history of these tunnels, which were first built in the middle of the 19th century, has helped to establish their status as a local legend.
Explore the subterranean tunnels that formerly housed Portland’s infamous “Shanghai” labor trade for a little history.
Walk At The Washington Park
In the American state of Oregon, Portland is home to Washington Park, a public urban park. It has a zoo, a museum of forestry, an arboretum, a Japanese garden, a rose garden, a memorial, an archery range, tennis courts, a soccer field, picnic spots, playgrounds, public art, and kilometers of paths through a wild forest. This huge urban park has several attractions, including the Oregon Zoo, the Portland Japanese Garden, and lovely hiking paths.
Explore Tom McCall Waterfront Park
For a stroll along the Willamette River, the Tom McCall Waterfront Park is the ideal location. When the Portland Saturday Market is open, you may hire bikes, take in the scenery, and watch the market.
Families use the Salmon Street Springs fountain to cool off on hot days, and locals gather there for picnics or afternoon walks. Historic monuments such as the Police Memorial, the Japanese American Historical Plaza, and the Founders Stone may also be found in the park. Every weekend from March until Christmas Eve, the Portland Saturday Market takes place in the park. Pine Street Market, a food hall located at the northern end of the park at Second Avenue and Pine Street, is a great place to stop if you’re hungry.
Shop At Portland Saturday Market
The largest arts-and-crafts fair in the United States is the Portland Saturday Market, which is open every weekend from March to December. The Portland Saturday Market, which combines the atmosphere of an outdoor bazaar, live street performance, and art display, has been a popular Rose City event since 1974 and was named an “Oregon Heritage Tradition” in 2024. With up to a million attendees each year, the market is really regarded as the biggest continuously running arts and crafts fair in the US.
Witness The International Rose Test Garden
Known as the “City of Roses,” Portland boasts a beautiful garden with thousands of types to choose from. The city of Portland’s vibrant rose blossoms are the clearest indication that spring has arrived and summer is drawing near. There are gardens in both pastoral parks and quiet side streets, but none are more impressive than Washington Park’s International Rose Test Garden, also known as the Portland Rose Garden by the locals.
The garden still serves as the nation’s longest testing area for new rose kinds, with over 10,000 rose bushes representing over 600 varieties, nearly a century after the first flower was planted.
Be Mesmerized At Lan Su Chinese Garden
With its covered walkways, bridges, open colonnades, ponds stocked with koi, pavilions, and lushly landscaped landscaping surrounding the artificial Zither Lake, it has been a peaceful and harmonious urban sanctuary since its opening in 2000. In addition to offering public tours of the grounds conducted by knowledgeable horticulturists, the Tower of Cosmic Reflections is a peaceful and inspiring place for meditation, silent contemplation, and tea.
Portland Aerial Tram
The Portland Aerial Tram, often known as the OHSU Tram, is an aerial tramway that runs between the main Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) campus, which is situated in the Marquam Hill area, and the city’s South Waterfront region. The Roosevelt Island Tramway in New York City is one of just two commuter aerial tramways in the United States. In a three-minute ride, the tram covers 3,300 feet (1,000 m) in a horizontal direction and 500 feet (152 m) in a vertical direction.
The tram is a fun way to explore the skyline from above, offering breathtaking views of the city and the surrounding mountains.
Conclusion
There are many things to do in Downtown Portland on any day. Award-winning eateries, Forest Park, and the Portland Japanese Garden are just a few of the city’s natural attractions. Revolving exhibitions are available in Washington Park and the Portland Art Museum. Enjoy strolls along the Willamette River and the Portland Saturday Market at Tom McCall Waterfront Park. The oldest place to test new rose varieties is the International Rose Test Garden. The Lan Su Chinese Garden is a real Ming Dynasty garden, and the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry has interactive displays. The OHSU campus and the South Waterfront neighborhood are connected by the Portland Aerial Tram.
