Portland is a young, vibrant city with a lot going on. Whatever your taste, whatever your pleasure, there’s bound to be somewhere here that provides it. Whether you’re here to work, rest or play, the list of entertainment options on this page should be plenty enough to be getting on with while you get to know the city.
Here are a list of what we think are great things to do while you’re in Portland!
The Roseland Theater is a cool place to watch music performances as it has a great atmosphere, get very crowded, in a good way and has some great rock and hip-hop acts. If you like your music loud and prefer to stand close to the performance rather than miles away, this is for you.
The 2410 used to be an underground rave venue, but has moved on since then. It’s still a mecca for electronic music, but now it’s legitimate. It regularly holds events and attracts people from all walks of life. Great music, great atmosphere and a great night out.
The Oregon Museum of Science and Industry has hundreds of interactive exhibits and plenty to see, do and learn. It’s a great day out for all the family where you can have fun and learn something too. The USS Blueback is moored outside, there is also a planetarium and an IMAX theater onsite too.
A tour of the Portland Underground is an amazing experience as long as you’re not afraid of the dark. The underground is a series of tunnels underneath the city that connects many cellars and basements of hotels and bars. This is Portland like you have never seen before.
The Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden is a spring and summer must-visit. The garden has over 2,500 rhododendrons, azaleas, and other plants and is a riot of color, scent and beauty that is difficult to describe, let alone do justice to. It’s a must-see on many visitors and residents list.
No trip to Portland would be complete without a visit to Oregon Zoo. It’s a good sized zoo with a wide range of animals from across the world. There is also a successful breeding zoo and plenty of other entertainments to see and do.
The Crystal Ballroom is a ballroom in art-deco style and one of the nicer venues in the city. It has a mechanical dance floor and is a nice place to hang out. It’s one of the main performance venues for the big name acts that tour the country and the world. It also features local acts regularly too.