Portland, Oregon Fun Things to Do - Do the Zoo, Ski Mt. Hood!

Proclaimed the country’s "Best Big City” by Money Magazine, Portland, Oregon is a vibrant city of unique charms - the stately elms in the South Park Blocks, the tranquility of the Japanese Gardens, the breathtaking view from Pittock Mansion, miles of hiking trails in Forest Park, and the largest classical Chinese Gardens and forested urban park in the country. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, the City of Roses is a dynamic destination with intense natural beauty, bustling downtown entertainment scene, world-class performing arts and theater, exciting pro sports, and sumptuous dining - easily accessed via the MAX light-rail system. From Portland’s captivating art museums to colorful rose test gardens, Portland is an alluring mix of scenery and greenery. Grab a meal and a microbrew from a myriad of restaurants and brewpubs, shop The Pearl or Pioneer Place, browse original art, enjoy the Portland Saturday Market, or catch a live show in the famed Arts District.

Take a tour of our neighborhood! 

Every Friday and Saturday at 10:00AM and 2:00PM Portland Walking Tours features an intimate look at our neighborhood through the senses!  The Epicurean Excurision begins in the Heathman Library and comes highly recommended by our past guests.

It is a great way to explore Portland through your taste buds!  You’ll taste the foods, sip the drinks, meet some artisans & vendors in their shops - all while exploring the lively Park Blocks and the Pearl District. If you watch the Food Network, consider yourself a "foodie," or just really enjoy food- this is the adventure for you. On recent tours, there have been sampling of over 25 food and drink items in just over 3.5 hours. And it's not just about hitting those numbers.; it's all about slowing down and understanding what makes up the food that we cherish.

Even though you sample over 20 items on each tour, it's not about volume. Along the way, you'll achieve a diploma of culinary knowledge as you learn about local goods, sustainable practices, and the truth behind organic products. Most important, Portland Walking Tours will slow you down and guide you experience the smells, textures, tastes, after-tastes that every item brings. You'll have so much fun you'll forget you're leaning something.

For prices and more information about this very unique tour of Portland,

click here!

About the City of Portland - Awards and Distinctions. 

You don't have to live in Portland long to become as unabashed a lover of Portland as the natives. Read some recent accolades and distinctions for the City of Roses:

• 10 to Watch: "One of the Top Budget Travel Destinations for 2010" 2009 - Budget Travel
• "Worlds Top 10 Biking Cities" - 2009 - Travel + Leisure
• No. 11 "Top 25 Arts Destinations in America" - 2009 - AmercianStyle
• No. 6, "Fittest Cities in America" - 2009 - Mens Fitness
• No. 1, "5 of the Greenest Cities in the World to Visit" - 2009 - TreeHugger.com
• No. 1, "Best Running City in America" - 2009 - Runners World
• No. 25, "World's Most Livable Cities" - 2008 - (one of only two US cities listed) - Monacle (UK-based magazine)
• No. 01, "Best Gay Cities in America" - 2008 - Gay and Lesbian International News Network
• No. 02, "Top 25 Green Cities in America" - 2008 -  Country Home
• No. 05, "America's 10 Cleanist Cities" - 2008 - Forbes.com
• No. 01, "Greenest Cities in America" - 2008 - Popular Science
• No. 05, "Top Cities for Architecture and Design" - Independent survey conducted by New York based RMHM Hillier and Co.
• No. 03, "Green City" - Earth Day Network
• No. 10, "New American Dream Towns" - Outside Magazine
• No. 04, "Top 10 Walking Cities" - 2005 - Podiatric Medical Association
• No. 01, "America's Most Vegetarian Friendly Large City"
• No. 01, "Ease of Getting Around" - 2003 - Travel + Leisure
• No. 02, "Most Enlightened Town in America" - Utne Reader
• No. 01, "Urban Destination" for Summer Travel in US - 2003 - Travel + Leisure
• No. 01, "Green City" - study by SustainLane, an online resource for sustainability
• No. 09, "Most Literate Cities in America" - study at the University of Winsconsin, Whitewater
• No. 02, "Best Places to Live in the United States" - 2001 - Money Magazine
• No. 01, "Best City for Bicyling" in North America - 2001 - Bicycling Magazine
• Top 10 Desinations to Travel to in the World - November, 2006 - Frommer’s
• Top 10 New American Dream Towns - Outside Magazine
• Top 10 Cities to Beat / Portland Leader of the New Urbanism - 2008 - Business Week
• Top 15 Cities for Creative Types - Fast Company
• Top Food Travel Desination - New York Times
• America's Cleanest City - 2005 - Readers Digest
• "Best Running Town" and "Best Urban Running Trail: Lief Erickson Trail" - 2003 - Runner's World
• North America's "Best Big City" - 2002 - Money Magazine
• Intel and the Personal Telco Project are making Portland one of the

  most wireless cities in the world

  .
• One of four "Digital Communities" in the United States.
• One of America's favorite cities, ranking high in areas like transportation, cleanliness and quality of life - ranked by readers of Travel + Leisure Magazine