Portland Highlights

This Tour Comes From...

An image of the book: Crossing America: National Geographic's Guide to the Interstate

Crossing America: National Geographic's Guide to the Interstates

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Founded in 1844 in a wilderness clearing, Portland boomed with the 1848 California gold rush, the Indian wars of the 1850s, the discovery of gold in eastern Oregon, and the railroad’s arrival in 1883. By the turn of the century, the pioneer town had become a sophisticated, flower-filled city. CONTINUED

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Sunrise over Portland

Photograph © John McAnulty/Corbis

Today Portlanders indulge their love of the outdoors in some 200 city parks (For information on all parks, call +1 503 823 2223),including Forest Park (Off US 30, NW of Fremont Bridge), 4,900 acres (1983 hectares) of primeval forest with some 50 miles (80.5 kilometers) of hiking trails;Mount Tabor Park (Off S.E. 60th Ave. via S.E. Harrison St. or Salmon St.), encompassing an extinct volcano; and Tom McCall Waterfront Park (Front St.), a grassy, 2-mile (3-kilometer) promenade along the Willamette popular with joggers and anglers. Washington Park (S.W. Park Place and Vista Ave.), the crown jewel of the park system, has 332 hilly acres (134 hectares) of forests, sweeping vistas, and manicured gardens. Here you’ll find more than 400 varieties of roses at the International Rose Test Garden; the Metro Washington Park Zoo (+1 503 226 1561. Adm. fee), noted for its Arctic animals and elephant breeding program; and the World Forestry Center (+1 503 228 1368. Adm. fee), whose displays include a talking tree.

Lush foliage and serene ponds fill Portland's Japanese Garden.

Photograph © Wolfgang Kaehler/Corbis

A tour of urban Portland—a pleasing blend of historic and state-of-the-art office buildings, cafés, and bookstores—begins at Pioneer Courthouse Square (Yamhill and Morrison Sts.), a block-long plaza where you can sip coffee by a fountain while listening to a political orator. Only a few blocks away are the Portland Art Museum (1219 S.W. Park Ave. +1 503 226 2811. Closed Mon.; adm.fee), displaying 35 centuries of art, and the Oregon Historical Center (1200 S.W. Park Ave. +1 503 222 1741. Closed Mon.; adm.fee). On the east side of the river stands the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (1945 S.E. Water Ave. +1 503 797 4000. Adm.fee), with interactive exhibits on outer space, life sciences, and computers. Even landlubbers will take a fancy to the Oregon Maritime Center and Museum (113 S.W. Front Ave. +1 503 224 7724. Call for hours; Adam. fee).