Here’s a quick guide for things to do in Portland, Oregon that includes local eateries, hotels and attractions to take the guess work out of planning a fun filled weekend.

Things to Do in Portland, Oregon

Traveling has become one of my favorite things to do, so when one of my best friends asked me to come to her destination wedding, I eagerly jumped aboard! My friends randomly decided to vacation there, and got engaged there. They loved it so much that they wanted to get married there as well. As we were flying into Portland, I could easily see why they loved Portland so much. The beauty of nature there is amazing. So let me break our weekend down for you.

Where We Stayed:

The hotel we stated at brand spanking new and just opened in June 2017. It’s a brand new hotel called Aloft Hillsboro-Beaverton. Thanks to my Starwood Preferred American Express,  we stayed there for FREE for THREE days. (You can get double my points by signing up here). It has a clean modern vibes with a splash of color. It had everything we needed including a bar, pool table, gym, indoor pool, a little shop with food and goodies so we didn’t even have to leave the hotel.

Other Places to Stay in Portland, Oregon:

The Orenco has some beautiful cozy rooms with a homey feel. Some even with courtyards or jacuzzis to make your stay more enjoyable. If you don’t want to travel to the city, there are many restaurants and activities to do near the hotel.

Check out AirBnB for some great places at a low price. Use my link to get $40 off your first stay.

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What We Ate:

Breakfast:

Screen Door

We mainly went out to eat since most days were taken up by wedding festivities. One of our favorite stops was at the  Screen Door. It was recommended by the brides and it’s easy to see why. The owners were transplants from Louisiana, so of course we loved their Southern vibe.

I created my own breakfast since I wanted some mixed fruit. Most places that serve mixed fruit consist of cantaloupe, honey dew, pineapple and grapes. But I was happily surprised when they served me cherries, blueberries and blackberries. Along with the fruit, I also had scrambled eggs, chicken apple sausage, and oatmeal. All delicious.

Others had biscuits and sausage gravy, shrimp and grits, amazing french toast and eggs benedicts. Everyone was pleased and the service was great. [The ones pictured above are the bananas foster french toast, Pimiento cheese and sausage biscuits sandwich, huevos rancheros, and cathead biscuit sandwich.]

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Biscuits Cafe

We also ate at Biscuits Cafe for breakfast. Their motto is “to serve fresh food as fast as we can.” I think they lived up to that as the wait wasn’t too long and the breakfast was tasty. I order eggs with spinach and mushroom with hash browns, toast, and fruit. ( A girls gotta eat!)

Lunch:

Stella Taco

Stella Taco was a great little corner restaurant in the arts district that serves up some delicious tacos. You order up at the counter and you are given a number. When your order is ready, you go pick it up. This was not an issue for us as its a small place. They also offer a variety of hot sauces to put on top your tacos.

This particular day we went, they were offering a special on tacos and margaritas that were themed to Southerners, but Texas in particular. Proceeds from those special items were going to  benefit Houston after the all the flooding and damages the hurricane left behind. Since we were very familiar with how devastating a hurricane can be, we ordered almost every special that benefited our Houston neighbors. I thought it was awesome of this small business that they would offer to help even though they are not located anywhere near Houston. Kudos to them! They’re tacos were delicious and their margarita was as well. It had a nice kick to it to go with their Texan theme.

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Tin Shed

The Tin Shed is another great restaurant in Portland that serves brunch, lunch, and dinner. Small, cozy, and complete with a covered patio but the best part is, it’s dog friendly. Not only is it dog friendly but you can have a doggie date. They offer a canine menu as well and on Tuesday if you purchase a regular price menu item, you get a doggie meal free. How cute is that?!

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Dinner:

Chevy’s Mexican Restaurant

First night in calls for Mexican! Chevy’s Mexican Restaurant was perfect to have a margarita after a long day of travel and hang out with the bride. They also had a special going on for the margaritas if you sat in the cantina so that’s exactly when we did!

Henry’s Tavern

Another great restaurant was Henry’s Tavern, where the wedding “reception” was held. Although I say wedding reception, it was just one big dinner party and we had a great time. Its an upscale pub with a wide variety of choices on the menu, include beer and liquor.  The staff was great and handled our large group of 30 very well. Their food was delicious, and the wait wasn’t overly long being a big party. Also, no one had issues with their order so that was a huge plus.

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Dessert:

I mean it’s vacation right? You have to get dessert, and boy did we pick a great place! After the recommendation from our friends that had previously been there suggested it. There was a nice long line so we knew  we were standing in line for something pretty darn delicious.

Salt & Straw

Salt & Straw was the perfect way to end the walk of a hot day. It is a small store with minimal seating but most people seem to take their ice cream to go anyway. Ice cream and cones are handmade and they even offer some interesting seasonal  flavors as well. I can’t remember all of them but they did have flavors like honey lavender, peach cobbler, strawberry honey balsamic with black pepper. You can sample any of the flavors as well. I sampled the honey lavender which had a great flavor, but I felt the lavendar would have been too much to have a whole cup of, but it was very refreshing.

I played it safe and got the peach cobbler in a waffle cup. They made the waffle cup fresh in front of me. Let’s just say, there was none left by the time we got back to the hotel. I see they have a few locations on the west coast, but if you are from the south or anywhere else, it is surely a nice treat.

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Ruby Jewel

If you are looking for small business or something only in Portland, check out the Ruby Jewel. Two sisters first opened their ice cream shop in 2010 and have since expanding to 3 shops across Portland including one downtown. It is handmade ice cream that is locally sourced and made. They do seasonal flavors along with everyday flavors, so you can always get something new each time.

Attractions & Things to do in Portland, Oregon :

Oneonta Falls:

We did a lot of walking this trip, even walking to breakfast one day. Since Nathan and I were determined to not rent a car, it was one of the best options to do besides Uber. We got around just fine through these options and friends.

Hiking was on the list to do this trip to enjoy the beauty of Portland in its entirety. We headed out to the Gorge with friends and planned on seeing Multnomah falls but decided to explore east of it at Oneonta Falls, particularly Horsetail Falls.

They have short trails that only go 1-3 miles but you can hike further and end up in Multnomah Falls. The sites were beautiful we got a lot of great pictures. You can see for yourself  🙂

St. John’s Bridge:

It is a suspension bridge that stretches across the Willamette River in Portland Oregon and is one of three suspension bridges in Oregon. Cathedral Park is located right next to it. This gorgeous park was where two of my best friend were married. They were married right under the bridge and the pictures came out amazing, but it just never does it justice like seeing it in person.

Alberta Arts District:

The Alberta Arts District is a great area to just walk up and down the streets and aimlessly wander into all the little shops along the way. There’s some great treasure hidden among those streets. It’s very similar to Magazine Street in New Orleans, with an eclectic assortment of shops and restaurants. Colorful murals are strewn across many buildings which gives the whole neighborhood a fun vibe.They also do a fair on the last Thursday of every month.  Definitely check it out if you’re in the area. (This is the same area we had Stella Tacos and dessert at Salt & Straw.)

There ya have it! A jammed packed weekend of adventure, food and fun! Our adventure didn’t stop here! We kept heading north by train up to Seattle, Washington and then to our final destination, Alaska.

Let me know about other fun things to do in Portland, and share your adventures in Portland with me. I’d love to hear more great ideas!

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