Visiting Portland for a weekend and don’t know what to do? Here are 7 things that you should definitely include on your Portland bucket list!
1. Oregon Zoo
The Oregon Zoo is located in Portland and has five major exhibit areas, which include 2,697 individual animals representing 215 species or subspecies of birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, fish, and invertebrates. During our visit, there was a lot of construction going on, as the zoo is expanding to include three new exhibits: the Polar Passage, Primate Forest, and Rhino Habitat, which will bring new animals to the zoo and open in 2020. Tickets are $17.95 per adult.
2. Portland Japanese Garden
The Portland Japanese Garden was said to be “the most beautiful and authentic Japanese garden in the world outside Japan” by Nobuo Matsunaga, the former Japanese ambassador to the US. Tickets are $18.95 per adult and we spent about an hour and a half strolling through. It was a very peaceful and relaxing visit!
3. Food Carts
Portland is known for its food carts, many of which are grouped together in food cart pods throughout the city. You can find a map of the pods here. We made our stop at the 5th street food carts, which was one of Portland’s first food cart lots and features over 20 food carts. There was a variety of food with everything from Greek to cheesesteaks to Thai to tacos. I opted for ramen from Ramen Ciro and it was very good!
4. Voodoo Doughnuts
Portland is famous for its Voodoo Doughnuts and I completely understand why. For starters, the building has pink doors and glittery brick, so I was immediately sold. On top of that, they serve cake and yeast doughnuts ranging from plain to the most ridiculously covered and loaded doughnuts. I tried one of each type – a Raised Glazed yeast doughnut and the Butterfingering cake doughnut. Brandon opted for the Maple Bacon Bar and the Raspberry Romeo yeast doughnuts. Check out the menu here if you want to make your mouth water.
5. Deschutes Brewery (and other breweries)
Portland is the home of so many breweries that I lost count! I am not a beer drinker, so I am always just along for the ride on brewery days. We ate lunch at the Deschutes Brewery Portland Public House and while I was a little weary (the menu is very different and unique), I enjoyed my food. I ordered the bar nuts as an appetizer and they were so good! I highly recommend.
6. Killer Burger
Killer Burger is a popular burger spot in Portland, where all burgers are made with 1/3 pound of 100% natural beef and all ingredients are locally sourced. We popped in for just a drink and the bartender was very friendly!
7. The Cookie Dough Cafe
You’ve probably seen The Cookie Dough Cafe brand cookie dough in your local grocery story, but Portland is the home of the only Scoop Shop! There were even more flavors available in the Scoop Shop (including my favorite – snickerdoodle) and ICE CREAM! Since the cookie dough is usually so rich, I opted for a few cookie dough bites (snickerdoodle and naked) and a waffle cone with strawberry ice cream. It was delicious!
What are your favorite things to do in Portland that I can add to my list next time I visit?
If you’re looking for even more things to do in Portland, check out this post from Planning Away!
Save it for later!
I’ve never been in Oregon so I pinned this for a future visit. That cookie dough cafe would be a dangerous spot for me to visit — I might want to taste everything! 🙂
Luckily they let you sample! I tried several flavors before ordering 🙂
Love your checklists as always, Lauren! Can’t wait to check some of these off the list when we visit Portland! And that cookie dough place looks AMAZING. I haven’t seen it hit store shelves around here, but I’ll definitely keep an eye out for it. I’ve gotta try it!
Definitely keep your eyes peeled! It’s delicious but SO dangerous! 🙂
I totally recommend the Japanese Gardens, so peaceful! I am from Portland but I haven’t heard of the cookie dough cafe, definitely going soon!
These are great suggestions! I am particularly interested in the food carts…I heard that Portland is has a huge scene for those. I will have to move Portland up on my bucket list. Thanks for sharing!
There is so much great food! Definitely worth a visit!
Loved the article. Oregon is on my list of places to visit. Somehow I have been to Northern California and Washington but missed Oregon. Your list looks like a great place to start. Rosita loves gardens, I love the food carts and we both love cookie dough and ice cream.
Ahh, it sounds like the perfect place for a visit!
I grew up in the Pacific Northwest but sadly, I have still not been to Portland even though it’s high on my wishlist. I’ll keep these ideas in mind when we finally do visit.
Yum! Portland seems like the perfect place for my foodie appetite. Thanks for sharing!
I think the only reason we go to Portland is for the food 😛 We discovered NOLA donuts on our last visit and loved them. Much quieter than Voodoo too.
Ohhh I’ll have to save that for the next time I visit!