Summer vacations in Portland come alive with sunny days, ideal for visits to art galleries, leisurely tasting tours through wine country and alfresco dining with a sunset backdrop. Book a summer hotel in Portland and uncover the city’s unique delights.Spend a day in the city’s playground. Pack a picnic basket and head to the Oregon Zoo for one of its many summer concerts. Laze on the grass, sip wine and listen to live jazz, rock, blues or Celtic. After the show, see giraffes and zebras frolic about or hang out with the elephants. Take the miniature train to The Japanese Garden for a peek at the large irises in full bloom. Or take a guided tour of the lush Hoyt Arboretum.
After a busy day of shopping and sightseeing, find an outdoor café or bistro and savor Oregon’s bounty. Spoil yourself with an elegant dinner of rabbit ravioli on the front porch of Paley Place. Or sip pinot noir and ponder the skyline view from the rooftop terrace at Noble Rot. Watch boats ply the marina as the sun dips below the horizon from the balcony at McCormick & Schmick’s. Café culture abounds here, and so does people- watching. Pick a sidewalk café along Northwest 21st Avenue in Nob Hill, settle in with a steaming cup of café au lait and watch Portland roll by.
With sunny days and warm temperatures, spend a summer vacation in Portland scouring some of its best shopping venues. Browse the designer wares at Pioneer Place Mall near Pioneer Courthouse Square. Duck in and out of hip shops like Bubble Boutique or CoCo Gets Dressed along Northwest 10th and 11th streets in the Pearl District. No Portland visit is complete without getting lost in the stacks of Powell’s City of Books or browsing the craft stalls at the Portland Saturday Market. Best of all? Portland has no sales tax.
On the first Thursday of every month, downtown art galleries stay open late, as crowds skip from one art opening to another, checking out the newest exhibits. Wine, hors d’oeuvres and live music add to the intoxicating mix. Book a Portland summer hotel and be steps away from the fun, as the lively crowd buzzes under the warm, starry nights.
A summer holiday in Portland beckons outdoor enthusiasts with a plethora of earthly delights. In-line skaters can glide past the fountains and sculptures along the riverfront at Tom McCall Waterfront Park, where shade trees invite afternoon picnics. Immerse yourself in a tranquil oasis of ponds and flowers at the Portland Classical Chinese Garden. Wonder why Portland is called Rose City? Stop and smell the 400 varieties of roses at the International Rose Test Garden.
Take a day trip out of Portland to tour the rolling hills of Willamette Valley and its string of wineries. Many of the best wineries lie a few miles outside of Portland, between Newberg and Rickreall. Compare the subtleties of the pinot noirs produced at Archery Summit and Domaine Drouhin Oregon. Pinot gris fans should stop at The Four Graces and Rex Hill Vineyards for a taste of the white grape at its finest. Bring some goodies along for the trip, as many of the wineries encourage picnics.
