We'll be in Portland for 2 days in mid-June... what are the "must sees"? We've never even been to that side of the country before.

We live in Florida, so the mountains will be on the schedule for sure; any suggestions on where to go while we are there would be greatly appreciated!

It helps to know the kinds of things you enjoy seeing when you visit a place, but here a few suggestions:

The International Rose Test Garden in Washington Park is awesome. I think the roses should be blooming by then - a must-see I'd say.

If the weather is nice, check out the Columbia River Gorge just east of Portland. Some of the most beautiful scenery in the country. North of Portland an hour or two is Mt. St. Helens. You can go up to the observation point and see the damage from the erruption. The presentations at the observations points and parks are terrific.

The Oregon coast is quite different from yours in Florida: rocky but gorgeous. With short time a day trip to Cannon Beach might be good.

If it's rainy (not impossible for June) and you like books, Powells Books downtown is an amazing book store - a whole city block of new and used books. A local legend.

The Portland Art Museum is pretty good...but what other kinds of things do you like? Portland has nice urban neighborhoods, too. You might try shopping along NW 23rd Ave or SE Hawthorne Blvd at some of the foo-foo shops if you are into that, but these are good people-watching places, too.

I'd leaf through a Portland guidebook, jot down a few things that interest you, and ask questions about them if you're not sure what's cool to see and what's not.

Andrew

For me, the "must see" site is the Japanese Garden near the Rose Test Garden. Not very large, but it is the most beautiful one I've ever seen outside of Japan.

Thanks! I'm mostly interested in the outdoors... beautiful scenery. I love going to places that are different than what I'm used to. I will definitely take your suggestions for the beach and mountains! The Columbia River Gorge is a perfect idea... thanks!

The Rose Gardens are beautiful. Also, the Japanese Gardens right across the way. Go to the waterfront (Tom McCall Waterfront Park.) It is beautiful. There is a walkway that starts at the River Place Hotel where you can shop and have lunch or dinner at The Harborside or Newport Bay down on the water.

Pioneer Place is a great place to shop, have a meal at Jake's Crawfish. Also, not mentioned too often is Sauvie Island. They were recently featured in Sunset. Amazing flower gardens, where you pick your own. We like to go to the blueberry farms and pick your own there, also. Definitely worth a few hours of time to sight-see.

Walk around the Pearl District, lots of funky places there. A day trip to CB is only an hour and a half.

A few more minutes away is Seaside where you can walk the prom, feed the seals, shop, etc.

Astoria is very historical and one of my favorite places on the coast. I just read they recently opened a new bistro across from the Hotel Elliott which sounds very good. www.oldoregon.com is the website. The Maritime Museum is a must as is a trip to the Astor Column and Fort Clatsop.

It's also fun to take a carriage ride through town. They leave from the parking lot at the River Place Hotel. Where are you staying? The River Place Hotel is simply the best in town for luxury, location, service, etc. www.riverplacehotel.com Have fun!! ***kim***

One more suggestion, I left out. The Portland Zoo is great fun for a few hours. It's one of my favorites1 I've heard the butterfly exhibit was really interesting, but I don't know if it is still there. ***kim***

Two days and mountains is easy. First day, do the Mt. Hood loop. You can find brochures of it, probably when you get to Portland. I'd start with the Columbia River Gorge and go on the scenic hwy, visiting Vista House; then Louterall (sp?)falls. Multnomah Falls is the big tourist attraction. You can take a hike just past it, starting at Lower Horsetail Falls, and go up hiking behind Upper Horsetail falls so it is like a veil in front of your face. You walk back down and have a short walk on the road back to your car. Then the Bonneville dam fish ladders and displays of the Columbia River, if you think you have time. (Plan this out so you get to Timberline Lodge before dark).
Going on around, you go to Mt. Hood from the backside, seeing the apple trees and climbing up and around to Timberline Lodge, where you can also hike around. Then return back down on Hwy 26 to Portland. You can do this in one day if you skip the hike to upper horsetail falls or the salmon ladders. You'll have a lot of light into the evening, and can count on decent visibility to about 10:30 at night.

I'd suggest Mt. St. Helens for day two. The entrance at Castle Rock is one hour up I-5 from Portland. Again, that is an entire day trip (12 hours easily), with incredible visitors centers to see on the way up and little hikes to enjoy. Go to the National Pk. Visitors Centers (skip the others except maybe Weyerhauser). At the first center you can get a guide to the park (actually it's a National Monument, but it's the same thing for all practical purposes). You can take a picnic lunch and enjoy it at the new lake that is visible from the middle visitor's center that emphasizes the return of plant and animal life.

As people say, the Oregon Coast is also awesome and you can get a nice feel for it on a day trip to Canon Beach and on down doing the three Capes Loop at Tillamook. Given that you have only two days, that is an alternative you might want to consider.
Chosing between these three options would be difficult. I'd say the Columbia Gorge and Mt. Hood for scenic beauty; Mt. St. Helens is pretty but more of an educational attraction; and the Oregon Coast again for scenic beauty, only a contrast from the mountains.
You can't go wrong!

Wow, thanks so much for all the wonderful info! I have definitely decided to do the Columbia River Gorge/ Mt. Hood trip. It is so completely different than what we have here in Florida- and I can't wait to take tons of pictures!

I think that we may hit the rose gardens as well, since June is the prime time for that.

Thanks again to everyone for being such a great help, and if anyone has further suggestions, I'd love to hear them as well!

Since you are going to do the Gorge, area, check out the Columbia River Gorge Hotel for a nice dinner. www.columbiagorgehotel.com It is a beautiful property. We may be staying there again this summer when we tour the Gorge. The country farm breakfasts, are very unique. You will not find another place like it. ***kim***

Thanks Kim! I checked it out, and it looks like a wonderful place! Just one question... I wondered if it is "kid friendly." Our kids will be 12, 10, and 7. What do you think? Thanks again for all of your help!

Our three kids were right around those ages last time we stayed there. They are very kid-friendly at the CGH. Our Vizsla stayed in our room with us and they even made her a goodie bag after breakfast.

Your kids will love the spacious grounds. The place is perfect in every way. Have fun! ***kim***

One of my favorite things to do when I go to the International Rose Test gardens is to grab a picnic lunch from Elephants Delicatessen (13 NW 23rd Place) on the way. You'll pass right by it, and they have wonderful tomato orange soup, crusty bread, and just about anything suitable for a great lunch. Often, they will have musicians playing in the garden, and you couldn't ask for a better view of Mt. Hood or the city below. Have a great trip!

I've started my search for upcoming trip to Portland, OR at the end of June, and for now I have one question: there are Chinese gardens, what is the difference between Chinese and Japanese gardens? Is it worth visiting? Fodor's doesn't have any info on Chinese gardens, and I'm curious to know why.

The Chinese and Japanese gardens ARE different. The Chinese gardens are actually relatively new to Portland but also beautiful- in fact I found them more interesting then the Japanese gardens simply because its much harder to find Chinese gardens to visit, and personally I like the juxtaposition between the "mountains", water, and plants better then seeing the Japanese rock gardens and the path along the stream. Both were very calming escapes to nature and I recommend both.

The Chinese gardens have a teahouse there as well so you can try various Chinese teas, which is a big plus! Do note though that while the Rose garden and Japanese garden are near each other, the Chinese garden is actually in the Chinatown/Old Town area which is much closer to downtown.

http://www.portlandchinesegarden.org/

vs

http://www.japanesegarden.com/

Orange, you're right, Chinese gardens is not easy to find, that's why I want to see them. I hope the teahouse will be opened when I visit!

Multnomah falls is a must see. Eat lunch in the restaurant there. Its just 30 minutes east of Portland .

May I ask a silly question? Portland streetcars - is it an interesting ride like cable cars in San Francisco? I'm thinking if I get tired I can take a ride... worth the time?

Nothing compares to the cable car of SF, which is unique in the world.

The Portland street car, however, is a great means to get from the Downtown area to the shops and restaurants on 23rd street.