The Seven Best Things To Do In Portland, Oregon
Portland is more than flannels, beards and rain, OK? With a buzzing city, fanatical sport scene, and breathtaking natural beauty both inside and outside the city limits, this proudly weird jewel of the Pacific Northwest is ready and waiting for you to explore during holidays.
#1 Read all about it at Powell’s City of Books
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Powell’s City of Books claims to be the world’s largest independent bookstore, taking up an entire city block in downtown Portland (bordered by NW 10th and 11th aves, NW Couch St, and W Burnside St). The literary treasures in this Pearl District institution are wide and varied, with about 1 million tomes held within.
#2 Fill the hole in your life at Voodoo Doughnut
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When you’re finished feeding your brain, fill your belly with delicious, funky treats from Voodoo Doughnut. Its risque branding might not be for everybody, but the doughnut delicacies certainly are.
[related_articles]25781[/related_articles]Think cereals, frostings, and savoury and sweet flavours piled onto doughnut shapes that would make your proper auntie blush (Maple Blazer Blunt, Cock-N-Balls, and Butterfingering, just to name a few). You won’t leave hungry when you order a little pink box of Voodoo Doughnut magic.
#3 Tip a few at some of Portland’s best craft breweries
While marijuana is legal in The City of Roses, ignoring the city’s world-famous craft beer scene might actually get you incarcerated.
You’ll find much of it east of the Willamette River. One of the founding fathers of the Portland craft beer scene, Widmer Brothers (955 N Russell St) has been filling glasses since 1984. Just like that older friend you have, this spot emphasises comfort and taste, and its ample size and seating mean you don’t have to go shoulder to shoulder to grab a beer.
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Pucker up and visit the Cascade Brewing Barrel House (939 SE Belmont St, a few blocks east of the SE Grand and Belmont TriMet MAX light rail stop) for tasty sours. Or head to Breakside Brewing (three locations) for one of the city’s finest IPAs. And if you’re not afraid of hopping in an Uber, Level Beer (5211 NE 48th Ave) and its fun video game-themed brews and welcoming greenhouse hangout area is worth the 15- to 20-minute trip.
#4 Back the home team
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Even a sport-mad country like Australia can learn a thing or two from the Americans.
The Portland Timbers of the MLS, America’s soccer comp, have a frenzied fanbase that’s made the club one of the best supported in a few short years. Can you really say no to a dude called Timber Joey wielding a giant chainsaw like a madman every time the home team scores? Make your way to Providence Park on the MAX.
The NBA’s Portland Trail Blazers play in front of one of the most raucous home crowds in basketball. You’ll join a boisterous group of more than 19,000 that puts the Trail Blazers faithful in the top 10 of average NBA home attendance year after year. You can take the MAX to the Moda Center, too.
#5 Unwrap urban exploration badges at Forest Park
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The flannel that flies around Portland isn’t just regulation beer gear. It’s to help the citizens rug up and drink in the beauty sitting on the city’s doorstep. To get all worked up with urban fervour and miss out on the postcard-perfect Pacific Northwest would be lunacy.
[related_articles]11766,68682[/related_articles]But before you go too far, enjoy what’s right under your nose. With Portland’s progressive nature, it’s no surprise that Forest Park is one of the country’s largest urban forest reserves. There’s 5200 acres of bushland to discover, and you can hike in the shadows of the Tualatin Mountains and gaze out at the intersection of the Willamette and Columbia Rivers.
#6 See the light of the 7 Wonders of Oregon
[media_embed]https://youtu.be/g9vrNRAqEkU[/media_embed]Outside the city lies the breathtaking 7 Wonders of Oregon. From glittering coastline to snowy terrain and layered mountains steeped in millions of years of history, the 7 Wonders of Oregon host an array of some of America’s best natural beauty. Choose from the Columbia River Gorge (about 30 minutes by car from Portland); Crater Lake (4 hours 30); Mount Hood (1 hour 30); Painted Hills (4 hours 15); Oregon Coast (2 hours); Smith Rock (3 hours); and The Wallowas (6 hours 20).
#7 Hit the road on the Pacific Coast Highway
[media_embed]https://www.facebook.com/awolaus/videos/3074506925893103[/media_embed]When you’re finished with Portland, use it as a starting line for one of the most famous drives in America. The gorgeous Pacific Coast Highway runs along the west coast of the US, providing incredible views down through California. Your best bet is to get onto Highway 18 and take it to the Oregon Coast Highway (about one hour 40).
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