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Portland, Oregon is a destination that is proud of its distinction as a beautiful, unique, and weird city. This quirky city in the Pacific northwest has so much to offer visitors. Portland is home to stunning landscapes and nature, vibrant nightlife, fantastic cuisine, and weird culture. Read on to discover the top reasons to put Portland, Oregon on your travel list.
Top Reasons To Visit Portland, Oregon
Portland is a Nature Lovers and Hikers Dream
Portland is a place that is full of the stunning beauty of the Pacific Northwest. Mount Tabor Park has a 636 foot tall extinct volcano that is actually within Portland’s city limits. The park also provides open reservoirs, hiking trails, and a wonderful scenic view of the city.
The city of Portland has many lovely green spaces. On any beautiful day, locals, and visitors alike flock to see the nature and beauty of the Portland Japanese Garden, Washington Park, and the Portland International Rose Test Garden. Don't miss the marvelous 62 acres at The Grotto, a botanical garden on the east side of town. Forest Park provides a break from urban life with 70 miles of trails that are popular for recreation and wildlife sightings.
Portland’s Restaurants Are Among the Best on the West Coast
In recent years, Portland has become a popular foodie destination and restaurant hub on the west coast. Asian food such as Vietnamese fare from Pok Pok and bone marrow clam chowder from OX are popular with residents and tourists.
Portland hosts many specific food, wine, and beer tours that cater to any taste. Forktown Food Tours covers many stops in Portland’s different culinary neighborhoods. Portland by Mouth offers special culinary tours such as Brunch on Mississippi and exploring the charming Kerns neighborhood and sample local specialties on the walking tour, The Vibrant Kerns Hood-East Burnside and more. Lost Plate Food Tours has a great Downtown Coffee and Donut Tour, which allows guests to sample the city’s quintessential donut and coffee staples.
Besides the fabulous restaurants, Portland is known for its outstanding food carts located all over the city. No matter where you are, you can find a food truck that caters to your preferences. The food carts serve local cuisine, trademark dishes and meals for those with specific dietary needs.
Donuts are a Specialty
A trip to Portland would not be complete without sampling the city’s famous doughnuts. Voodoo Donuts is a Portland institution, with such special donut flavors as Bacon Maple Bar, Portland Cream and Voodoo Doll, just to name a few. Blue Star Donuts specializes in ‘Donuts For Grownups’ with such tasty varieties like hard apple cider fritter, orange olive oil, and the Portland exclusive Mexican Hot Chocolate, plus many more.
Shopping is a Local Pastime
Portlanders love to shop. This lovely city has many shopping districts that cover every need and budget. The walkable Pearl District has many local boutiques like Garnish Apparel and national retail outlets such as The North Face, Anthropologie, Madewell, plus much more.
Union Way Shopping Arcade has many shops including the famous Oregon boot retailer Danner, denim outlet Self Edge, and crafty apparel at local shop Bridge & Burn. The locals love the Portland Saturday Market, which is an outstanding place for food, arts, and crafts. The Portland Saturday Market is held on the waterfront every Saturday from 10 AM to 5 PM.
Experience Eccentric Portland
The city of Portland and its residents have a decades long reputation for being weird and unusual. The locals embrace it and love perpetuating Portland’s reputation for being peculiar. Newcomers to this city look for ‘only in Portland’ moments while in bars, restaurants, events, and festivals. Tour operators like US Ghost Adventures, Third Wave Coffee Tours, Slabtown Tours, and the Amazing Scavenger Hunt Adventure -Portland offer many quirky and unusual walking tours of the city.
This year, get out there and discover the reasons to put Portland on your travel list!
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Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.