Portland has so many cool things to do, especially for makers! We’re famous for food trucks, Saturday Market, being close to the mountains and the Pacific coast. Here are some of the creative things to do in and around Portland, Oregon.
While in Portland, make sure to visit Multnomah Falls in the Columbia River Gorge, and if you have the time, take the drive to the Oregon Coast to visit Seaside and Cannon Beach and the famous Haystack Rock.
Portland Art Museum is the oldest art museum on the West Coast and the 7th oldest in the United States. Their mission is to engage diverse communities through a variety of arts including film. One of their core values is “The arts are at the core of our humanity, representing a timeless human impulse.”.
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The National Hat Museum is a one-of-a-kind place to visit. Claiming to be the largest hat museum they say they are “brimming with information that will definitely go to your head!” Their collection spans a large variety of styles and eras.
Visit Washington Park, right in the middle of Portland, to let nature inspire your art. Plan your trip April – June and be delighted with smells and sights within the International Rose Test Garden.
While you are being inspired by nature, take time to visit the Japanese Gardens in Portland with serene waterfalls and lush vegetation – a place to open your eyes and hearts to another culture.
Learn more about how important forests are to our overall environment and what can be done to keep them sustainable at the World Forestry Center located in Washington Park.
Looking for peace and natural beauty? Visit The Grotto, which is a Roman Catholic ministry of the Order of Friar Servants of Mary. The 62 acre location is located in the Northeast Portland, and is the National Sanctuary of Our Sorrowful Mother.
Interested in vacuums? I know I rely on mine to pick up all of those small threads I drag around the house working on my projects! Visit the Starks Vacuum Museum and learn more about the history of vacuums – and life before Dust Busters!
Inspired by science? Make sure to visit OMSI, Oregon Museum of Science and Industry on the banks of the Willamette River. From the physics lab, chemistry lab, space science and natural science halls, you’ll find something interesting to spark your creative juices.
A landmark in Portland is Powell’s Books – a must visit on your list. They claim to be the world’s largest independent book store. Make sure to visit their primary location on Burnside to get the full experience. Browse through all of the full rooms to be inspired by poetry and prose.
SCRAP PDX is a donation-based creative reuse store and donation center in Southwest Portland. You’ll find all kinds of reused materials for arts and crafts. The inventory changes constantly so you never know what you’re going to find! The hunt is part of the fun.
Learn about the Japanese American experience in the 1940s at the Japanese American Museum of Oregon. Visit their permanent exhibit Oregon Nikkei, Reflections of an American Community to learn more about that era. The Museum is in the oldest part of Portland in what was once known as Portland’s Japantown (Nihonmachi) until World War II.
Take a short drive to visit Marquam Hill Ranch, a working alpaca ranch. Get close and personal with the animals and browse through their shop for handmade items, including gorgeous yarns.
Take another short drive to Tillamook on the Oregon coast and visit The Latimer Quilt & Textile Center, a vibrant, living, working museum whose mission is to preserve, promote, display and facilitate the creation of and provide education about the textile arts.
The Latimer Center’s collection includes quilts from the mid-nineteenth century to the present, quilt blocks, quilt templates and fabric samples. There are also clothing, hand-woven coverlets, looms, spinning wheels and other quilting and weaving textile tools and implements.
The greater Portland Oregon area still has a vibrant local and independent fabric store community. Plan your own shop hop with this map of the fabric stores in and around Portland.
Is knitting or crochet more your thing? Check out these amazing yarn shops in and around Portland Oregon.
Add a little bling to your projects or create custom jewelry. Visit these bead stores in and around Portland Oregon.
