Travel Guide - Portland

Portland is thought to be the greenest city in America and anyone who goes there can see why from its abundance of parks and preservation areas. Forest Park is one such area and it is 5000 acres of wilderness and it is great for taking a walk in and really getting back to nature. It also has some of the most amazing views which will make you forget that it is actually located within the city limits. Portland is also home to the smallest park in the world - Mills End Park, which is only 2 feet in diameter!

For those of you who are interested in gardening there are several botanical style parks that are open to the public such as the Leach Botanical Garden, Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden and the Hoyt Arboretum which has a huge collection over 1100 types of tress from around the world. For something a little different head to the Portland Classical Chinese Garden which has been built in the Suzhou walled style of gardening, it even has a tea house amongst its other buildings.

Art lovers should head for the Portland Art Museum which is home to a large collection with exhibits that change regularly. The Oregon Museum of Science and Industry is a wonderful experience as it features interactive exhibits and even has the USS Blueback which is the submarine that was used in the film Hunt for Red October.

One of the things that Portland is particularly well known for is its microbrewery beers and is sometimes referred to as Beervana! There are now a total of 28 breweries which include - Hair of the Dog, Widmer Brothers and BridgePort. Go there in July and experience the Oregon Brewers Festival, but don’t overdo it or you might miss out on some valuable sightseeing. Vegetarians will be pleased to know that Portland is known as the most vegetarian friendly city in America so if you are veggie you will be in for a real treat. If you are a meat eater don’t despair Portland has a rapidly growing restaurant scene and there is plenty to choose from so even the kids will be happy.

Sports fans can take advantage of the nearby Mount Hood which offers snowboarding and skiing for you to try your hand at. If you would rather sit back and watch someone else be active Portland is home to a basketball team the Portland Trail Blazers, so see if you can get tickets to watch this fast paced game for yourself.

You might not know it but Portland also has a large crafting community and there are events such as the Crafty Wonderland and it even has meetings of the Church of Craft! So if you are a keen DIY card maker or budding crafter you can stock up on some US supplies from Knittn’ Kitten and SCRAP.

So for anyone looking for a place to take a trip that is relaxed and offers relaxing walks, beautiful scenery, hundreds of species of wildlife and even craft events you must visit Portland.