Best sight-seeing and relaxing places in Portland

By balki | February 3, 2017 | 0 Comment

When friends (friends of friends or relatives etc.) visit Portland and want to check out all the happening places they designate me to provide that list 😉

I had an old blog post from several years ago but I seem to have lost it in my shuffle to this new home at www.balki.io.  So here’s my attempt to recreate that list from scratch.

Most of our friends will visit and stay some place in the 97229 zip code so all distances (approximate) are from the 97229 zip code.

Within 10 miles:

• Oregon Zoo : Love the Oregon Zoo.  Probably went there over 20 times.  The zoo is more of an urban forest!  Heard the new elephant exhibit is awesome.
• Washington Park : Lots of things to explore within the largest urban forest in the US; best for easy hiking and exploring when the weather is a little warm.
• Hoyt Arboretum :
• Portland Children’s Museum : If you have young kids or like to tinker with things that young kids enjoy, PCH is your best bet.  Went there dozens of times as my boys grew up and they always have rotating exhibit areas which kept each of my visits interesting.

Within 15 miles:

• Pittock Mansion :
• International Rose Garden : Only been there in the off-seasons but other Portlanders swear by the beauty of this garden.
• Waterfront Park : Lots of things to explore along the Waterfront Park and you can probably cover all of the city’s famous bridges over a ~5 mile wak.
• Powell’s City of Books : Largest independent bookstore in the world lives up to your expectation if you are a bookworm 😉
• Portland Japanese Garden
• Lan Su Chinese Garden
• Oregon Museum of Science & Industry

Within 50 miles:

• Columbia Gorge Scenic Highway
• Multnomah Falls
• Fort Vancouver National Historic Site
• Mount Hood National Park
• Cannon Beach
• Seaside Beach
• Oneonta Narrows (Waterfalls)
• Evergreen Aviation Museum
• Tillamook Cheese Factory
• Silver Falls State Park
• Vista House
• Horsetail Falls
• Astoria Beach & City
• Hood River
• Brew Bus
• Pearl District

100+ miles:

• Oregon sand dunes – Reedsport
• Sweet Creek Trail
• Crater Lake National Park
• Sea Lion Caves
• Black Butte Ranch
• Sunriver Resort
• Lincoln City Beach
• Scenic Highway 101
• Painted Hills
• Winston Wild-life Safari
• Newport Bay Aquarium
• Mount St. Helens Volcano

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