9 Offbeat Attractions to Experience in Portland
Hale Pele
A true tiki bar in the heart of Portland, Hale Pele merges traditional tiki-style cocktails with specialty drinks and a small menu of Polynesian plates. It’s a colorful oasis, especially in the winter, where locals and tourists go to warm up from the inside out.
With its fun tiki-style decor and a soundtrack that includes the approaching sounds of a thunderstorm, a visit to Hale Pele is a fully immersive experience. If you’re traveling with a group, be sure to give the Volcano Bowl — a rum punch with fresh fruit and tropical spices— a try which serves up to six people.
Portland Saturday Market
On Saturdays and Sundays, from March through December, Portland hosts an outdoor market in the Old Town neighborhood. Over 350 artisan vendors are onsite selling jewelry, art, knit goods and beauty items. In typical Portland fashion, craft beer makers, indie bakeries and even kombucha sellers populate the rows of vendors.
After perusing the stalls, take a break at the international food court in the middle of the market where you can try everything from Ethiopian to Mexican food. You can also enjoy live music in the afternoons while the kids participate in a structured activity at the onsite Kids Korner.
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Washington Park
Although it’s only half the size of Central Park, Portland’s Washington Park houses an arboretum, rose garden, zoo, children’s museum, forestry center and Japanese garden. Most of the attractions and facilities are free, but even those with admission prices are affordable at $15 a person or less.
Enjoy relaxing, cultural performances and demonstrations at the Japanese Garden or take a self-guided tour through the Shakespeare section of the International Rose Test Garden, where flowers are named after some of the playwright’s most famous characters.
Kids will love experimenting with different careers in the permanent exhibits of the Portland Children’s Museum or observing the 232 species inside the Oregon Zoo. Old or young, boredom doesn’t exist inside Washington Park.
