Tourist attractions in Portland, Oregon. If you are visiting with the family and you have smaller children one of the places that tend to top those visitors' list would be the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry...
If you are visiting with the family and you have smaller children one of the places that tend to top those visitors' list would be the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry(OMSI), which is one of the largest science museums in the country. They have five huge exhibit halls, they have a changing gallery where they are always bringing in new shows, and right now they have wonderful animation exhibits on display. They have an omni-plex theater and a submarine that's moored in the Willamette River right behind the museum which they do tours of. They have a planetarium, summer camps, day camps, classes, and movies. You could spend a whole day there if you have kids.
The Oregon Zoo is another popular attraction for families. It's a natural habitat zoo, so most of the animal enclosures are natural and the zoo is built on a hill and we have a lot of the natural Oregon scenery folded into the design of the zoo. Just across the street from the Oregon Zoo is the children's museum, Oregon Children's Museum, which just went through an extensive remodel a couple of years ago, so that's great for smaller kids, probably 10 and younger. Next door to the Children's Museum is the World Forestry Center's Discovery Museum and they have a lot of hands-on exhibits, kids can climb up to the top of a tree and run around in the canopy area. You can pretend to be a smoke jumper, someone who does parachuting into a forest fire. There is also a jet boat on the Willamette River, which is great for families, they do high speed tours and lots of 360 degree turns and everybody gets sprayed with water, kids to seem to love that.
If you are you know may be an older couple or someone who is traveling without children, then you are going to want visit The Portland Art Museum which just went through a $45 million renovation. It just reopened and they have opened a new contemporary arts gallery within the museum. They have an outstanding collection of Native American arts, especially from the Pacific Northwest. The Oregon History Center is right across the street. That's another great thing if you are interested in pioneer history and the history of the Oregon Trail.
We have lots of garden like the Japanese Gardens and the Portland Classical Chinese Garden, Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden, Grado Botanical Garden, and the International Rose Test Garden, where you can actually see new varieties and hybrids of roses being grown and tested. These are all open to the general public.
There is a lot to do and a lot of people come for the food, wine, and beer. There's great wine country right outside the city. People come in the winter, stay in the city, and drive up to Mount Hood for skiing or snowboarding.
