In town tourism
Washington Park area
Just west of downtown, Washington Park contains the International Rose Test Gardens among other attractions.  Most of the photographs of downtown Portland with Mt. Hood in the background are taken from these locations.
Downtown area
Powell's is the nation's largest bookstore with more than 1 million volumes.  The main store is on NW 10th Ave. and Burnside and the technical bookstore is two blocks away on NW Park Ave. and Burnside.  OMSI is one of the nation's top ten science museums.  Portland Saturday Market is the largest outdoor arts and crafts market in continuous operation in the US.


Half-Day trips
Columbia River Gorge Scenic Area
The nation's first national scenic area replete with basalt cliffs, waterfalls, lava fields, and 30-knot winds.  The gorge winds through lush rain forests up through to high desert in a span of just 80 miles.
Mt. Hood
Oregon's largest mountain and dormant volcano is about an hour drive east of Portland.
Oregon Wine Country
Yamhill County and the Willamette Valley have a climate that is optimal for Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris.
Oregon Coast
Rock cliffs and massive sea stacks
Waterfalls
As seen on screensavers...
Mt. St. Helens
Monument to the Sunday, May 18th 1980, 8:32AM eruption

Full-Day, Weekend trips
Crater Lake
Caldera formed by the collapse of Mount Mazama 7700 years ago.  Cystal blue waters 2000 ft deep.
Other places


In-town nightlife
Happy hours
Late night happy hours are abundant in Portland.  Many of the best restaurants provide steep discounts on food after 9-10pm including Portland City Grill, Jake's Grill, Henry's, Manzana, and Oba.  See below for locations.
Brew pubs
Portland, the city of beer, was the epicenter of the craft brewing renaissance in the 80s. It has more microbreweries and brew pubs than any other city in the United State (37 and counting as of 1996).
  • Bridgeport Brewing Company (link | map)
  • McMenamins (link)
  • Portland Brewing Company (link | map)
  • Tugboat Brewing Company (link | map)
  • Brewpub theaters
Wine bars and stores
Live music
Nightclubs, bars, lounges
Restaurants (Downtown/Southwest)
The downtown area has restaurants everywhere.  Many of them are located near the cultural center along Broadway and down towards the waterfront.
  • Abou Karim (Lebanese) (link | map)
  • Baan Thai (link | map) Highly recommended!
  • Clyde Common (link | map)
  • Dragonfish (Pan-asian) (link | map)
  • Fernando's Hideaway (Spanish) (link | map)
  • Greek Cusina (link | map)
  • Heathman (French/Northwest) (link | map)
  • Higgins (Northwest) (link | map)
  • Jake's Famous Crawfish Restaurant (Northwest) (link | map)
  • Jake's Grill (Northwest) (link | map)
  • McCormick and Schmick's Seafood Restaurant (The Original) (link | map)
  • Pastini Pastaria (link | map)
  • Pazzo (Italian) (link | map)
  • Pinocchio (Italian) (link | map)
  • Portland Steak and Chophouse (American) (link | map)
  • Portland City Grill (American/Pan-asian) (link | map)
  • Southpark Seafood Grill (link | map)
  • Veritable Quandry (Northwest) (link | map)
Restaurants (Pearl district/Old Town)
A short streetcar ride from downtown is the Pearl district with restaurants located along NW Glisan and NW Hoyt on either side of NW 12th Ave.
Restaurants (NW 21st/NW 23rd/Nob Hill)
Towards the end of the streetcar line are two areas with many restaurants.  The first is along NW 21st Ave. in between NW Glisan and NW Overton.  The second is along NW 23rd Ave. between NW Glisan and NW Overton.