Let’s Go! The Main Attractions

Portland is regarded as one of America's most walkable cities, so get your bearings by exploring on foot. It's well worth dropping by the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI) – particularly if you like submarines and planetariums – then strolling over the Willamette River to the Portland Art Museum, the oldest art museum on the West Coast and seventh oldest in the US. Keep heading west, and you'll reach one of the city's crown jewels: Washington Park. With an amphitheatre, picnic areas, playgrounds, an archery range, Oregon Zoo (the oldest zoo west of the Mississippi River), the 12-acre Portland Japanese Garden, an arboretum, two museums and miles of trails through lush forest, there's plenty of exploring to be done here, so be sure to put aside a whole day. For wilder hiking options, head for sprawling Forest Park in the Tualatin Mountains and explore its 70 miles of recreational trails – or for a more sedate taste of the outdoors, pay Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden a visit. Next, it's a spot of history at Pittock Mansion, a French Renaissance-style château built in 1914, then on to the National Sanctuary of Our Sorrowful Mother – more commonly known as the Grotto – a serene outdoor Catholic shrine constructed in 1924. End your trip at the quirky Roloff Farms, a self-professed “agritainment extravaganza” (make of that what you will) beloved by kids big and small, which offers one of the finest pumpkin patches around come Halloween. Now you've hit off all the major players, it's time to get off the beaten track. Read on for our local insider tips.