Home Destinations USA Oregon Portland Sights Governor Tom McCall Waterfront Park

Governor Tom McCall Waterfront Park Review

Read our Portland sights reviews. Or post your own.

Governor Tom McCall Waterfront Park

Address: S.W. Naito Pkwy. (Front Ave.) from south of Hawthorne Bridge to Burnside Bridge, Downtown, Portland, OR | Map It

Category: Parks
Location: Downtown

Write a review

Fodor's Review:

The park named for a former governor of Oregon revered for his statewide land-use planning initiatives stretches north along the Willamette River for about a mile to Burnside Street. Broad and grassy, it yields a fine ground-level view of downtown Portland's bridges and skyline. The park, on the site of a former expressway, hosts many events, among them the Rose Festival, classical and blues concerts, and the Oregon Brewers Festival. The four-day Cinco de Mayo Festival in early May celebrates Portland's sister-city relationship with Guadalajara, Mexico. Next to the Rose Festival, this is one of Portland's biggest get-togethers. Food and arts-and-crafts booths, stages with mariachi bands, and a carnival complete with a Ferris wheel line the riverfront for the event. Bikers and joggers enjoy the area year-round. The arching jets of water at the Salmon Street Fountain change configuration every few hours and are a favorite cooling-off spot during the dog days of summer.

Find more sights in Portland »