22 Things to Do in Portland, Oregon

what's up guys Josh from through my lens comm and today we're talking about 22 things to do in the city of Portland Oregon I'm gonna show you 15 spots to explore in seven places to eat let's do it [Music] recommendation number one is the Portland Japanese gardens and the international Rose test Garden the Japanese gardens in Portland take up 12 acres with 8 garden spaces in a small Museum this is a beautiful area to explore and there's lots of places to see like the pond garden the sand and stone garden and the flat garden this is an amazing place for both photography and for relaxation after you finish exploring it don't forget to walk across the street and see the international Rose test Garden which has over 650 different types of roses and is free to check out walk around recommendation number two is Powell's books Powell's books claims to be the world's largest independent bookstore and it has over 6,800 square feet of retail space it's located in downtown Portland and it's such a fun place to wander around with lots of books board games magazines and all sorts of different things to explore there's even a cafe inside where you can get a drink and lots of tables where you can check out one of the new books you just purchased recommendation number three is mill n spark mill n spark is a small urban space in downtown Portland that's the Guinness Book of World Records smallest part in the world it is really small probably less than a square foot the plants change options to go back at different seasons and it even has a little plaque to commemorate the park it's a short stop but it's a fun part of Portland's personality recommendation number four is the Oregon Historical Society Museum this museum was created in 1989 and it features three stories of exhibits on Oregon and its history the main reason to go though is to see the Portland penny which supposedly was used to decide the name of the city in 1845 they were considering both Portland and Boston as the city's name and two out of three flips of the penny made it so that the city became poor recommendation number five is to ride the Portland aerial tram this tram carries people from the waterfront to the Oregon Health and Science University but it's worth going up even if you don't need to go to the University for a couple of bucks you can grab a ticket and take a ride up to where they have an observation deck that gives you a great view of the city and Mount Hood in the distance if it's clear plus the aerial tram is fun to ride and gives you great views of the city as well recommendation number six is Mick minimums Kennedy school the Kennedy School was an elementary school that opened in 1915 in the north part of Portland but after being purchased by McMenamin the school has been completely remodeled to include a 50 room hotel multiple restaurants a bar in the old boiler room a cigarette lounge in the detention center and a movie theater in the auditorium it's a ton of fun to walk around and explore or even to stay if you're staying in the city of Portland recommendation number seven is the land sue Chinese garden land sue Chinese garden is a place of relaxation that encompasses an entire city block in the chinatown area of Portland it features beautiful gardens a teahouse and a few small ponds with koi fish it's a very tranquil place to explore and to spend 30 minutes to an hour in the city recommendation number eight is the Tom McCall Waterfront Park Portland is known as a city with a bunch of bridges one of the best ways to see them all is just to walk along the water on this 36 acre park it's a popular waterfront spot for bikers and joggers and they often have events and fairs down by the water don't forget to see the White Stag Portland sign in the north part of the park near the Burnside Bridge recommendation number nine is a visit to voodoo donuts when you get to the north part of the park and you're near the Portland sign then be sure to head inland in voodoo doughnuts while people go back and forth on their love for voodoo it's still a portland institution and you will always see people carrying the pink box through the airport voodoo doughnuts is a small shop that's right across the street from the keep Portland weird sign which is good for a few photos and the donuts are unique and cheap so you can try a few different ones the very first time I visited Portland I went there multiple times but if you're a donut fan be sure to also check out blue star which is one of my personal favorites recommendation number 10 is a visit to Rocky Butte for sunset adventuring out from downtown Portland Rocky Butte is one of my favorite spots in the city for sunset this volcanic cinder cone has a park on top of it and you can see Mount st. Helens and Mount Hood on a clear day you can also see down into the city of Portland a little bit but it's mostly covered by trees and it's just a great area to hang out and relax and watch the Sun go down recommendation number eleven is a stop at the Portland grotto known as the sanctuary of our sorrowful mother the grotto is an outdoor Catholic garden which features a massive auditorium area with a large grotto cave it also has shrines a chapel a meditation chapel that looks out over the city and a peace garden it's a beautiful area to explore near Rocky Butte and plan 30 minutes to an hour recommendation number 12 is to head out to Multnomah Falls and the gorge heading east from Rocky Butte if you're looking for a great half-day trip consider going out to the gorge especially in Multnomah Falls this waterfall is one of the most visited destinations in the Portland area and it's easy to see why the two cascades with the bridge in between are very picturesque and it's only a short walk to experience it because of that though it is incredibly busy during the summer so get there early especially on the weekends recommendation number 13 is Cathedral Park in st. John's bridge heading back into the city st. John's bridge spans the Willamette River in the north part of Portland and it's an impressive bridge to see in person below the bridge on the east side is a beautiful park that sits in the bridge shadow and it's an awesome place for a picnic or just to walk around and look at this impressive bridge recommendation number 14 is a hike to the which is castle in Portland's Forest Park area there's a short hike that takes you down to the remains of an old house with an interesting history you can read all about the history online but now the house is pretty cool to see in the photograph since the plants have grown up around it and the stone structure is well maintained it's a short hike through a beautiful part of Portland with a really interesting payoff and it is part of a larger trail system if you have more time to explore recommendation number 15 is to go wine-tasting in the Tualatin and Willamette Valley you may not know this but outside of Portland there are over 700 wineries many of which specialize in Oregon Pinot Noir which has become really popular of the last few decades and you can be in wine country from downtown Portland in less than 45 minutes some of my favorite wineries are Hawks view and Ponzi both of which have great wines and amazing views also Tualatin Valley has a top golf as well which is a ton of fun if you haven't done it before with that let's jump into the food recommendations which is honestly one of the reasons why people visit Portland first up head over to pips for some chai and donuts in the north part of the city pips is a Portland staple and you will often see people lining up for these Donuts even before the shop opens it's worth the wait though is they make those small Donuts that you often see at fairs and they have many different flavors my favorite is honey and sea salt also they have a flight of handcrafted chives that are worth trying as well but I usually just get the Smokey Robinson as that's my personal favorite food recommendation number two is pine state biscuits pine state biscuits is a great spot for breakfast and lunch mostly because of their awesome homemade biscuits and gravy I've taken many people here and they are never disappointed be prepared to wait on the weekends though is there's usually a line I always get to regi myself now but I've had half the menu and there's a lot to like feed recommendation number three is Pok Pok Pok Pok is a Thai and Southeast Asian restaurant with a large range of options but which is most famous for Ikes Vietnamese fish sauce wings wings are marinated in fish sauce and sugar then deep-fried and tossed in garlic they're incredible and one of the rare dishes that actually lived up to the height for me food recommendation number four is salt & straw ice cream it's hard to beat good ice cream and salt & straw has risen to the top for me with flavors ranging from honey lavender to almond brittle there's something for everyone here plus they have five to six new flavors each month I've even seen a menu full of Thanksgiving inspired ice creams in November go in try a few samples check it out I'm sure we'll find something that you like recommendation number five is Huber's for a Spanish coffee as one of the oldest restaurants in Portland Huber's has become a hugely popular spot for the Spanish coffee spectacle they put on when they make your drink after sitting down at the bar or a table and ordering the Spanish poppy a bartender will come over and put on a 45-second show full of fire to make your cocktail it's a lot of fun and it's incredibly popular so you'll see these being made constantly all night long recommendation number six is to explore the Portland coffee scene Portland is a popular spot for coffee and I'm happy to say that I indulge in it every time I visit the city Stumptown is of course one of the most popular spots since they have multiple locations and one is close to power books but there are a lot of great shops like Cova and Hart which is probably my favorite regardless of where you go you'll find a good spot to get a cup of coffee in Portland and you'll probably take home a bag if you're like me my last recommendation is to spend some time exploring the Portland beer scene Portland is also a huge craft beer City and honestly I can make an entire video on all of the beer to try here some of my favorites are spots like Deschutes brakes ID and hair of the dog one that I do want to share though is ex novo they make great beer and one of the things I really like about them is that all the profits go towards charity it's a cool spot to drink good beer and support a worthy cause and be sure to let me know what your favorite breweries in the comments well alright I think that's it I hope this video wasn't too long but I appreciate you sticking with me all the way until the end if you have a spot that I left off that you love in Portland be sure to let me know in comments and you can go to through my lens comm to check out all these spots and more we'll see you guys on the next video

Channel: Through My Lens

Views: 552,507

Keywords: things to do in portland, portland oregon, exploring portland, portland things to do, exploring in oregon

Id: gr2p3OSuxMo

Length: 10min 32sec (632 seconds)

Published: Tue Aug 28 2018