Portland, Oregon, United States: Self-Guided Walking Tour

Looking for things to do in Portland, Oregon? The city combines museums, historic neighborhoods, public art, theatres, parks and distinctive cultural institutions, from Old Town Chinatown to the West Hills. Neywo offers a free audio guide for Portland, Oregon with 156 narrated places, so you can explore the city while hearing the story of each stop.

What to See in Portland, Oregon

The best places to visit in Portland reflect the city’s varied history, from Native American art and Japanese American heritage to rail travel, science and the performing arts. Here are some of the places worth adding to a Portland itinerary.

Portland Art Museum

Founded in 1892, the Portland Art Museum is described as the oldest art museum in the Pacific Northwest. Its permanent collection contains more than 42,000 works, including European art, modern and contemporary art, Japanese ukiyo-e prints, sculpture, photography, Native American crafts and Asian art.

The museum also includes an outdoor public sculpture garden and the Northwest Film Center, extending its program beyond the main galleries.

Oregon Museum of Science and Industry

The Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, commonly known as OMSI, is a hands-on science and technology museum designed especially with children and teenagers in mind. Its permanent exhibitions invite visitors to experiment and interact with displays about the natural world, industry and technology.

OMSI also has temporary exhibitions, three auditoriums, a large-screen theatre and a planetarium.

Old Town Chinatown Museums and Theatres

Portland’s Old Town Chinatown neighborhood brings together several places connected with the city’s cultural history.

The Japanese American Museum of Oregon is dedicated to Japanese American history and experience in Oregon. The Portland Chinatown Museum, which opened in 2018, focuses on the Chinese immigrant experience in Portland. Nearby, The Armory occupies a building constructed in 1891 by Multnomah County to house the Oregon National Guard. Now home to Portland Center Stage at The Armory, it contains two theatres and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2000.

Darcelle XV Showplace is another notable theatre in the neighborhood. This historic drag venue carries the name of Darcelle XV, the drag performer who opened and formerly operated it.

Pittock Mansion

High in Portland’s West Hills, Pittock Mansion is a historic house museum built as the private home of publisher Henry Pittock and his wife, Georgiana. Completed in 1914, the house combines French Renaissance style with Beaux-Arts design and stands on a 46-acre estate made from Tenino sandstone.

Its elevated position provides panoramic views of Downtown Portland. The mansion also has a dramatic preservation story. After the 1962 Columbia Day Storm caused extensive damage and demolition was considered, local residents raised 75,000 dollars in three months to help Portland acquire the property. The city purchased it in 1964, restoration took 15 months, and the mansion opened to the public in 1965.

Laurelhurst Park

Laurelhurst Park is a 26.81-acre green space in the Laurelhurst neighborhood. The city acquired the property in 1911 from land connected with the estate of former Portland mayor William S. Ladd, and it was developed the following year according to a design by park superintendent Emanuel Mische based on the Olmsted Plan.

The Pacific Coast Parks Association named Laurelhurst Park the “most beautiful park” on the West Coast in 1919. In February 2001, it became the first city park listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

USS Blueback and OMSI

The USS Blueback is a Barbel-class submarine preserved as an exhibit at OMSI. Built by Ingalls Shipbuilding Corporation in Pascagoula, Mississippi, it was laid down on April 15, 1957, launched on May 16, 1959, and entered service on October 15 of that year under Lieutenant Commander Robert H. Gautier.

The submarine served in the United States Navy from 1959 to 1990. It was the second Navy submarine to carry the name Blueback.

Oregon Rail Heritage Center

The Oregon Rail Heritage Center in Southeast Portland preserves some of the city’s most significant locomotives. Its collection includes three steam locomotives owned by the City of Portland: Southern Pacific 4449, Spokane, Portland and Seattle 700, and Oregon Railroad and Navigation Company 197.

Southern Pacific 4449 and Spokane, Portland and Seattle 700 have been restored and remain operable. The museum opened to the public on September 22, 2012, following the work of the nonprofit Oregon Rail Heritage Foundation.

Herschell–Spillman Noah’s Ark Carousel

At Oaks Amusement Park, the Herschell–Spillman Noah’s Ark Carousel is a historic carousel constructed around 1913. The park itself is a 121-year-old trolley park, and the carousel is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Paul Bunyan Statue

The Paul Bunyan Statue rises 31 feet above Portland’s Kenton neighborhood. Made from concrete and metal, it portrays the mythical logger in larger-than-life form.

The statue was built in 1959 for the Centennial Exposition and International Trade Fair, held in the Kenton area, commemorating the centennial of Oregon’s statehood.

Portland’s Contemporary Art Spaces

Portland has several places to explore contemporary art beyond its major museums. Elizabeth Leach Gallery, established by Elizabeth Leach in 1981, is especially known for artists from the Pacific Northwest while also presenting artists from elsewhere.

The Hoffman Art Gallery, formally the Ronna and Eric Hoffman Gallery of Contemporary Art, opened in 1997 on the Lewis & Clark College campus. In the Pearl District, the gallery scene includes Elizabeth Leach Gallery and other creative spaces in an area shaped by contemporary art and urban culture.

One former institution is the Museum of Contemporary Craft, known as MoCC. It closed in 2016 after operating from 1937, when it was founded as the Oregon Ceramic Studio, until its closure. Its mission explored the relationship between art and craft.

Portland, Oregon Self-Guided Walking Tour with Neywo

A Portland, Oregon self-guided walking tour lets you explore at your own pace while connecting landmarks, museums and public art. Neywo’s free audio guide includes five walking tours, one bus route and one bike route, with 156 narrated places across the city. Narration is available in 11 languages.

The walks include:

• Downtown Icons: Portlandia, the Umbrella Man and the Transit Mall Sculptures — 1.64 km, 83 minutes and 12 stops.
• South Park Blocks: Museums, Fountains and Campus Art — 1.98 km, 91 minutes and 12 stops.
• Old Town Chinatown: Gateways, Theatres and Memory — 1.87 km, 90 minutes and 12 stops.
• Steeples and Stages of Northwest Portland — 2.69 km, 93 minutes and 11 stops.
• Hawthorne and Laurelhurst: Theatres, a Park and a Mansion — 2.42 km, 73 minutes and 7 stops.

For a longer route through the city, the bus line Downtown Art, Chinatown and Hollywood covers 7.2 km in 31 minutes and has 9 stops. The bike route Eastbank to Oaks Park: Coliseum, Submarine, Steam Trains and a Carousel covers 8.8 km in 44 minutes and has 5 stops, including the USS Blueback, Oregon Rail Heritage Center and Herschell–Spillman Noah’s Ark Carousel.

Download Neywo and Explore Portland Your Way

Download Neywo to explore Portland with a free audio guide that tells the story of each place as you reach it. Choose one of five walks, the bus route or the bike route, then follow the city at your own pace: no group and no schedule.

Portland is part of Oregon, in the United States. If you are planning a wider trip through the state, you can also continue towards Salem, Oregon, Lincoln City, Baker City or Ashland.