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Photo: Adonelson, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
A haven of tranquil beauty across the seasons, Portland Japanese Garden has been proclaimed as one of the most authentic Japanese gardens outside of Japan.
Portland Japanese Garden is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, cultural institution, and public attraction in Portland, Oregon. The Garden, which opened to the public in 1967, occupies 12.5 acres (5.1 ha) in Portland's Washington Park and is adjacent to the International Rose Test Garden. Originally designed by Professor Takuma Tono of Tokyo Agricultural University, it features five historic garden spaces that demonstrate different styles of Japanese landscape architecture, a Pavilion that stages art exhibitions and shopping marketplaces, a Japanese tea house, a "Cultural Village" that hosts programming, dining, and retail, and an Entry Garden that guests walk through after purchasing admission. A tourist attraction that welcomes more than 400,000 visitors annually, Portland Japanese Garden has been proclaimed as the "most beautiful and authentic Japanese garden outside of Japan."
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The largest rose test garden in U.S., perched on a hill overlooking Downtown Portland, with thousands of roses planted in every possible way: rows, bushes and vines. Best to come between May and July, when it gets fragrant as everything's in bloom. Volunteer gardeners offer free guided tours at 1PM during the summer months.
A large arboretum with paved trails of varying length and over 1,000 species of trees and plants in a natural setting.
Washington Park is a classic urban park, sprawling over about 140 acres, with many trails that take you between the stands of trees, around the hills and through the canyons - a park so large it can be easy to get lost without a map. In addition to the many attractions listed below, it also contains memorials for the Korean and Vietnam Wars, the Holocaust, and the Lewis and Clark expedition, and has beautiful vistas of Portland and Mount Hood. The MAX red and blue lines can take you to the park; the station is located at the south end of the park, outside the World Forestry Center and the Oregon Zoo entrance.
Built like a giant log cabin, this museum is devoted to the science and cultural impact of Pacific Northwest forests.
A good-sized zoo with Pacific Northwest animals, a primate house, and an Africa area, as well as a large Asian Elephant exhibit and breeding area, which is noteworthy among zoos.
Portland's Major League Soccer team, the Timbers, play at Providence Park (formerly PGE Park and JELD-WEN Field) and are known for their strong local support. Games against the Seattle Sounders are especially heated, though fan conflict is almost always verbal. Getting tickets can be tricky, as the stadium is rather small—even after an expansion project completed during the 2019 MLS season, it still holds only a bit more than 25,000.