11 Best Things to Do in Portland, Oregon

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I’ve been reluctant to explore Portland because I had heard of its downturn during the pandemic, but when my mom invited me to join her on a business trip there I couldn’t say no to a free hotel room (I love saving money ok!) so i decided to tag along. I’m grateful to report that Portland has made a comeback and is back to its glory as a city known for its beautiful outdoors, good food, and cultural diversity. I spent a glorious few days exploring the city and here are the 11 best things to do in Portland.

Shop Til You Drop

Oregon is a no sales tax state and if you live in a high sales tax state like I do, shopping in Portland is a must. Everything, no matter the price, has no additional sales tax! The price you see on a price tag or on a menu is the price you pay. Its basically free money back in your pocket! However, because Portland isn’t the biggest city, stores may not have everything you want in stock, so its a good idea to shop online prior to going to Portland and ordering pickup at the store. Tax is charged at the point of pickup, not the point of sale so it doesn’t matter if you purchase your items while at home, as long as you pick it up in Oregon, there wo'n’t be any tax added. I spent way too much money at Best Buy (yes a Theragun is a necessity when you’re in your 30s!) and finally bought the Burberry backup I had my eye on for years. But one of the best stores to stop at while in Portland has to be the Adidas Employee Store. Anyone can shop there (you don’t have to be an Adidas employee), just make an appointment on the Adidas app for that specific store. Everything is 50% off- its like shopping in an Adidas heaven!

Try a Food Truck!

Food trucks are popular in Portland for a reason- they serve GOOD food. The food trucks in Houston mainly serve fried foods or juices and there is only so much of that you can eat. But in Portland, food trucks serve a variety of foods from Burmese to Korea to philly cheesesteaks to bubble tea to Chinese noodles. The best thing to do is to find a food truck court (a large space where a bunch of food trucks are parked) and let everyone eat what they want. We went to Hawthorne Asylum where there were about 10 trucks parked and ate the best Burmese noodle soup and rose cream tokbokki and finished off with with boba we picked up on the drive there from Boba Cat. There was ample space for seating and the atmosphere was so relaxing.

Hike Multnomah Falls

11 switchbacks. 11 long winding breathless switchbacks. I barely made it up the Falls to see the view from above (because 11!) but it ended up being such a rewarding morning hike (yes get there as early as possible because parking is scarce) and the fresh air was so nice. The view from the bottom of the Falls is actually better than the top (which is great because anyone can access the bottom portion), but the hike to the upper Falls allows you to see more scenery and truly experience everything Multnomah Falls has to e offer. Even though the Falls is one of Portland’s biggest tourist spots (being only 30 minutes away from the city), it was still one of the highlights of my trip because I remember growing up staring at a photo of the Falls my dad had taken when he lived in Oregon while in college. It was so amazing finally seeing the Falls in person so many years later!

Go on a Donut Tour

Portland is synonymous with the word donut. Donuts are everywhere in the city and the most famous one, Voodoo, is a household name. I choose the Underground Donut Tour and had zero regrets starting my Saturday on a 2 hour walking and donut eating tour of Portland. The Donut Tour not only took me to 4 different local Portland donut shops and explained the history behind each one, all while also highlighting the history of Portland. The two tour guides were so sweet and friendly and the donuts were all different and delicious! Here are the donut shops the Tour stopped at:

  • Sesame Donuts- Owned by a Lebanese American family, Sesame started near the Portland State University campus and has expanded to several locations around the city. They serve classic donuts, but are mainly known for the sesame donut holes. The sesame donuts were an interesting twist on regular donuts because they were savory!

  • Coco Donuts- 3 Oregon friends decided to open a pink themed donut shop after graduating college, which turned out to be a great decision because the mango mochi donuts at Coco were so yummy that it would have been a real miss to not have eaten them. Another flavor that was popular with our tour group was the lavender cake donut (this seemed dry to me so I ranked it lower).

  • Toki Restaurant- Not really a donut shop, its more of a Korean fusion brunch restaurant. But Toki actually served my favorite donuts on the trip! They were so chewy and the mix of flavors was SO GOOD. I loved the pomegranate basil flavor so much! The flavors rotate all the time so its definitely worth another trip.

  • Voodoo (duh!)- The tour guides prefaced our visit to Voodoo that they didn’t have the best tasting donuts, but since they are an extremely popular donut shop originating from Portland (and now all over the country including Houston), the tour had to stop there. Since I’d had Voodoo donuts several times before, I knew what to expect. The donuts are huge and the flavors are interesting (we had the maple bacon and peanut butter chocolate), but other than that, the donuts are average. Its still a Portland institution though so still worth a visit! The original pink shop is located on Third Avenue in Old Town.

Stay Caffeinated

Amazing coffee and adorable coffee shops are all over Portland and as a huge coffee lover, I knew I had to hit up a few cafes while in Portland. There were so many options (and lets be real, so little time!), but because I didn’t have access to a car, I wanted to choose cafes located near other places I was planning to go. I decided on the cafes below with a certainty that I was going to have to revisit Portland one day and try the coffee shops I didn’t have time for on this trip.

  • Prince Coffee- My first experience with Portland coffee was off to a great start at Prince. The cafe was so bright and refreshing and my stroop latte (think caramel ice cream vibes) was on point! I chose the Northwest District location because its actually located just a 10 minute walk from the popular Ken’s Artisan Bakery where I stopped by after for a grapefruit macaron.

  • Keeper Coffee- Keeper had the cutest exteriors- I thought I was in California when the Uber first dropped me off! The interiors are also aesthetically pleasing and the food is displayed in a way where everything looks so delicious and I had to take forever to decide what I wanted, I ordered the jasmine elderflower iced latte and the scone with lemon curd and had a quiet morning reading in this adorable cafe.

  • Jim and Patty’s Coffee- Located on a corner in the Fremont neighborhood, Jim and Patty’s is a huge airy coffee shop that usually has a line out the door waiting for their coffee and unique breakfast snacks. I tried the Friggin Fremont Latte (a latte made up of honey, cinnamon, and vanilla and somehow isn’t super sweet) and a pig newton (a sausage and cheese wrapped in a cheddar chive biscuit) and thoroughly enjoyed reading my Kindle while gazing out the giant windows into the foggy Portland sky.

  • Snow Bunny Coffee- A cute bunny themed cafe in the Pearl District that serves Asian inspired drinks. The Tokyo Banana tea latte was so unique and creative- I loved it! The cafe was the perfect place to take an after hiking break. Its also located across the street from The Fields Park, which is a newly built park with plenty of walkways and green spaces to enjoy the beautiful Portland spring weather.

  • Pip’s Original Donuts and Chai- Donuts and coffee? I was so excited to go here and Pip’s did not disappoint! The donuts are mini and come in sets of 6- each with a different flavor. I loved the nutella donut and the raspberry flavor the best, but they were all a great mid day snack. The chai is made in house and comes in different flavors as well.

 
 

Pedal Around the City

Portland has so many bike routes and remains a dedicated cyclist city despite being part of car dependent America. My mom and I joined a bike tour from Cycle Portland and cycled around the city for 2 hours all while learning more about the city. The tour was strenuous at times thanks to the many hills of Portland, but overall it was a great opportunity to see the city in a different way.

Smell the Trees at Hoyt Arboretum

The collection of amazingly tall trees at Hoyt Arboretum is breathtaking. We don’t have trees like that in Texas so it was nice to wander the paths of the Arboretum exploring redwoods and magnolias and many other different types of trees. The Arboretum is located in Washington Park, is open 7 days a week, and has free entrance.

Don’t Forget to Smell the Roses at the International Rose Test Garden

The roses weren’t fully in bloom when I was in Portland in mid May, but come June and July, the colorful roses should be out in full force. The International Rose Test Garden is also located in Washington Park across the street from the Portland Japanese Garden and also has free entrance. The Garden has all kinds of rose bushes and the other flowers and is beautiful to walk around. I saw a group of girls having a picnic while I was there and it looked so fun!

Hike to Pittock Mansion

Kill two birds with one stone by hiking the Lower Macleay Trail in Forest Park to Pittock Mansion. This was my first solo hike ever so I picked a short 1 hour uphill trek in the well populated Forest Park, located in the middle of Portland. Its just unfathomable to me that such a huge green forest can be in a bustling metropolitan area! The Lower Macleay Trail starts in the Lower Macleay Park- the best way to do the one way hike (although it could be both ways if you have time) is to get dropped off by Uber here. The trail starts by passing through a vivdly green group of trees and over a trickling creek. It then goes uphill to a Witch House and then further uphill to Pittock Mansion, a house museum located at the other end of the Park. Pittock Mansion was the home of Henry Pittock and his family, who made their money in the newspaper industry by owning The Oregonian. I booked a behind the scenes tour of the Mansion and had the chance to walk around the basement, attic, and maids’ quarters to see how the home was ran in the late 1800’s/early 1900’s. Hiking to the Mansion was one of my favorite things to do in Portland- it combined nature with a museum! What could be better?

Eat Pizza

My donut tour guide said that Portland doesn’t have its own style of pizza because its too busy excelling at everyone else’s pizza style. And I have to say I agree. Pizza is everywhere and its DELICIOUS. We tried Detroit style square pizza, which was my absolute favorite, at Ranch PDX. Their homemade ranch matched with their pepperoni pizza slices was beyond delicious- I wish I could fly back just to eat here again! I also tried Neopolitan pizza at Oven and Shaker and was amazed at how crispy and flavorful the garlic mushroom pizza was and how cheesy the arancini balls were. Make sure to make a reservation because Oven and Shaker is highly rated and crowded every night!

Powell’s City of Books

I love reading- no surprise if you’ve read my posts here and here (and here!). And I love checking out book stores when I’m traveling because they’re all so unique and diverse, plus it feels great to support local independent book sellers. Powell’s City of Books is THE largest independent bookstore in the WORLD so spending hours wandering through its various color coded rooms was a must for me. Any kind of book you can dream of is here- from memoirs to comics to rom com bestsellers to #booktok picks! I loved it so much here I visited twice and picked up some great read for my upcoming travels.

Oregon was such a beautiful experience and I’m already planning to go back next year to see the Tillamook cheese factory and drive the coast AND hike the dreamy beaches. Got any Oregon recommendations? Let me know in the comments!