24 Free Things to Do and See in Portland, Oregon

Ever since hosting its only world’s fair in 1905, Portland’s love affair with roses has turned into a citywide point of pride; just visit the International Rose Test Garden to see why. Placed among a number of attractions in Southwest Portland’s Washington Park, this scenic spot is a great destination to catch roses in full bloom and gaze at the cityscape below without spending a dime.

This free event in Portland might be for the more free-spirited, but participating in the annual Naked Bike Ride is a Portland tradition. Portlanders take unique pride in the city’s version of the Naked Bike Ride, despite its global roots. The event is thrown in the spring and summer months every year, so riders can strip down free of stress over a typical Portland rainy day.

Portland comes alive after the rainy season (usually early summer to early fall), and in the warm months, many city dwellers head to the east side’s Laurelhurst Park to relax and enjoy the town’s slow pace of life. You’ll find more than just a sunny park if you work this free activity into your day; culture comes alive across its 32 acres (13ha), offering the unique blend of nature, community and quirk that makes Portlanders proud.

Catch what makes the city the “capital of weird” at the Portland Adult Soapbox Derby, held annually in August on Mount Tabor. Pick up some beer and bring a blanket to watch racers soar down Mount Tabor Park’s winding roads in home-made oddities on wheels, typically adorned with outlandish decor and matching costumes for the drivers.

A few dilapidated stone walls and a staircase make up what’s left of the colloquially termed Witch’s Castle in Northwest Portland’s Macleay Park, but the history lives on throughout the city. Gear up for a hike into the hills from the Lower Macleay parking lot at NW 30th Avenue and NW Upshur Street to visit this city-owned structure from the 1930s, and if you’re brave, brush up on some of the ghost stories involving the house and its role in Portland history.

The Pacific Northwest’s largest bookstore is also one of Portland’s largest tourist destinations – and for good reason. Powell’s storefront downtown occupies an entire city block and 68,000sqft (6,317sqm) of retail space, laid out like a fortress and perfect for spending hours roaming up and down the aisles. Resist the urge to pick up any volumes while here, if you’d like to keep this activity free.

Every evening in September, Northwest Portland residents can expect a show like no other. Up to tens of thousands of tiny Vaux’s swifts fly in mobs into their stopover nest – the chimney of Chapman Elementary School – while migrating south. Bring a blanket and watch the sky overhead while listening to free talks from local volunteers of the Portland Audubon Society.

Stark’s Vacuum Store has been a cornerstone of Portland’s east side since 1932, so it’s fitting that the long-time vacuum vendor has an in-store museum dedicated to the history of the household cleaning tool. Wander in after a day of roaming the east side to lean into the city’s quirky reputation.

Constructed in 1985, the Portlandia statue rests over the entrance to the aptly named Portland Building on SW 5th Avenue downtown and holds a special place in the city’s collective heart. This copper depiction is the work of sculptor Raymond Kaskey, inspired by the city’s seal, and poses as the United States’ second-largest copper repoussé statue, behind only the Statue of Liberty. Check it out, and smile for a picture under the female figure’s outstretched arm.

Mill Ends Park is a one-of-a-kind park that only further represents Portland as a home of the unusual. Popularized in the 1940s as a setting for a community of fictitious leprechauns, this patch of flora in a former lamp-post well downtown measures just 2ft (0.6m) in diameter, leading the Guinness World Records to declare it the world’s smallest park in 1971. Since then, it has seen many miniature renovations and remains a quick stop on many must-see lists.

Few other cities in the US will claim a cemetery as a popular attraction, but it would be remiss to pass up a stroll through Southeast Portland’s Lone Fir Cemetery. The park’s 25,000 graves include former mayors, suffragists and even some of the city’s founders, proving to be as much an outdoor museum as it is a burial ground. It occasionally features events such as the Twilight Tombstone Tour.

Spend some time watching gifted skaters (or drop in yourself) underneath the east side of the Burnside Bridge at this community-run skatepark. In true skater fashion, this park was founded without permission but eventually received protection from the city as skateboarding grew in popularity in the area. Keep connecting with Portland’s skate scene by heading to the nearby Shrunken Head Skateboards and look at some decks with local designs.

Likely the city’s most-photographed attraction, the White Stag sign stands tall above Old Town Portland across the Burnside Bridge. Formerly an advertising tool for a number of Portland companies throughout the second half of the 20th century, this sign now beams, flashes and sparkles into the night as a historic city landmark. To get the best shot of this sign, head to the Burnside Bridge from the west side, just past the building’s eastern facade, and look up.

Honor Portland’s history as a timber town with a walk through the Hoyt Arboretum, situated in the Washington Park complex in the West Hills. Here, the common Douglas fir stands shoulder to shoulder with magnolia trees, birch trees and the incredibly rare dawn redwood – once thought to be entirely extinct. The park’s 12mi (19km) of trails should be more than enough for a day’s worth of hiking, but for those looking to see even more Pacific Northwest forest, continue on the Wildwood Trail heading north to reach the popular Forest Park, where you’ll have hundreds of miles of trails to hike and countless trees to hug.

Head southeast from Portland’s urban center to reach the cozy bubble of Reed College. This private liberal arts university is home to some 1,500 students and features a historical and quaint campus worthy of a long day of exploration. Visit the natural spring at the Reed College Canyon, pass through historical buildings or just bring a blanket and relax in the quad.

Opened in 2012, this museum dedicated to the history of the railway system in Oregon is a must-see on its own or paired with a visit to the nearby Oregon Museum of Science and Industry on the southeast waterfront. This free collection of exhibits focuses on the center’s three historic steam trains, two of which are fully operational. Conclude your trip with a ride on a real passenger train winding up and down the Willamette River.