Portland & Surrounding Area Weekend Guide!
Have you been to Portland? If you haven’t maybe stop reading & jump in the car or plane & head there. Okay I don’t want to sound dramatic but Portland is amazing! I love it so much. Oregon just has something special about it- whether it is the fun people, the food, the beach or the green scenery it’s amazing!
We just got back from Portland for a couples trip & we had a blast. We have left Beck before but this was our first true couples trip & we kinda want to make it an annual thing now. We drove from Utah to Portland & the drive wasn’t too bad especially without kids haha. I am excited to share about some of the fun we found.
Mural Hunting
You know I love to share about pretty murals on my instagram with the #theworthofwalls When we travel I like to find unique walls but Portland is full of color! The most murals I have seen anywhere! Here are some of my favorites & where you can find them!
Pizza mural- across the street from Powell’s- 926 W Burnside St, Portland
Scandinavian & block wall- 7741 N Lombard St, Portland
Pink floral wall- 2020 N McClellan St, Portland
My favorite mural, it is huge & gorgeous- NE 22nd Ave and Alberta Street, Portland
Green Floral Wall- Across the street from Powell’s- 1005 W Burnside St, Portland
La Bonita Floral Wall- 2839 NE Alberta St, Portland
Classic Keep Portland Weird- 350 W Burnside St, Portland
This mural isn’t my favorite just because it is busy & there are always cars here but why not?!
Best Treats
Salt & Straw really does live up to all the hype! The flavors are unique & just amazing. They let you sample things while you are in line so the line really does move quick. I love their salt caramel! Another yummy treat we got was at Nola’s- beignets & cronuts in Lake Oswego. We of course went to Voodoo Doughnuts just because you have to & I did really like the Oreo Peanut Butter one!
Mural above with ice cream is located at NE 22nd Ave and Alberta Street, Portland- across the street from the walls you build mural featured above.
In the City
Powell’s is amazing & it is probably the most touristy thing in Portland along with Voodoo Doughnuts.
It is a book lover’s heaven! A whole city block filled with new & used books. You feel a little overwhelmed but they organize it so well & have maps etc. You have to stop here!
Also across the street from Powell’s there is a Buffalo Exchange. We love Buffalo Exchange and seek them out in every city! If you haven’t heard of them they are a used clothing store but with pretty brands mixed with some vintage & electic things. The Portland location is actually our favorite- we always leave with a bag full & this time was not any different.
Saturday Market-if you are there on Saturday or Sunday during the day it is really fun. Fun fact- it is the longest going market & it is full of food, jewelry, music, alligator jerky haha there is just something for everyone there!
We rented scooters in town, there are a bunch of brands- Bird etc It was really hard to find 4 at a time that worked but it was fun while it lasted & is a really fun way to explore the city. The scooters are all over town & you just find them on the app. They are all $1 to ride and then 15 cents a minute. Do it!
Unique Fun
There is a magical wishing tree in Portland! I almost got teary eyed reading people’s wishes. The tree is in front of the cutest house on a white street. The tree even has lights in it so I feel like it is so magical at night. You add your own wish & read other wishes so they will come true. Some of the wishes were hilarious but most were really deep & kinda gave you the chills. There are so many good people out there.
See Paul Bunyan! There is a giant Paul Bunyan right by where we stayed. He is fun to look at and there are murals all around him- it is an artsy coffee area- N. Interstate Ave., Portland
Check out St. John’s Bridge & explore Cathedral Park. Under the amazing green bridge that is my favorite bridge in the city is a fun big park. You can even go down to the water & play in the sand or walk on the docks. There was a really cute LOVE sign at one of the docks there also. The bridge is just so pretty & there are amazing architect views here.
Sauvie Island is the coolest little place. Okay I shouldn’t say little because it is a river the size of Manhattan in the middle of the river! So cool! There are tons of You Pick berry, fruit, flower, lavender & more fields! It was amazing! I want to go back one time to this magical Christmas tree lot with lights we saw. There is a lot to explore & we went to Sauvie Island Farms & has a blast! We also dipped our feet in at one of the beaches. If you are looking for a good time- Collins beach is a nude beach just FYI haha.
Northern Oregon Coast
Head to Astoria! It is only about an hour and 40 minutes from the city & well worth the drive. Everyone says oh where goonies was filmed & yes but it is so much more. Go to the Astoria Column- it is only $5 & comes with an amazing view of Mt. St. Helens & lots of other beautiful things. There is a fun dock with Sea Lions & eat The Bowpicker- it was closed the day we went but we have heard they are the best fish & chips ever & it is in a boat so it’s just cool.
We also went to Seaside which was fun! It is more touristy but has a fun Main Street full of souvenirs. We ended up at a Saltwater Taffy Outlet that had over 150 flavors & tons of unique Jelly Belly flavors too. There is a fun promenade walkway where you can walk by the water & admire the dreamy beach houses.
Cannon Beach may be touristy but I loved it & am glad we went since I had never been. Haystack rock is even bigger than I thought it was. Also we saw puffins so that was cool. We dug for sand crabs & looked in tidal pools- go there so you can see it for yourself. We went during low tide so we could look in the tidal pools which was really fun too.
On the Way out of town
Of course Multnomah Falls- it never gets old & is basically just a walk to the bridge- so do it.
Something we grew up doing was going to the Bonneville Fish Hatchery as we passed through. You can see all different sized sturgeon fish & there was our favorite gift shop of the trip there haha.
If you are driving through Idaho back home headed to Utah or somewhere where Idaho is along the way you will go through the town of Pendleton. This town of course is the namesake for the Pendleton company- blankets, clothes & just wool goodness. It is very pricey. You will be driving through Oregon & see Pendleton outlets that really aren’t a good deal still. We stopped at their mill where the blankets are made & it’s so cool- they even do tours & you can see the times online. I found a Aztec blanket that is a second because the color is slightly off- not that I would have ever known. I love it & plan on having it forever & just kinda cool I got it at the factory itself.
Moral of the story- visit Portland! What did I leave out that is your favorite thing to do in Portland?
