My husband has always wanted to visit, so while we were in town on our honeymoon we made the stop…read more It was a glorious day and parking was a bit hard to come by with how popular it was. We had a lovely time strolling the different scenes and had a great time learning more about their plants. But we were surprised that it was a lot smaller than we had thought. We were able to walk the whole thing in an hour and a half. We particularly enjoyed the bonsai and the wood cut art show.

Absolutely beautiful garden. Great loop, lots of shade. We were blessed with stunning weather (a…read morelittle warm, but no clouds) so the views were incredible. Loved how peaceful and quiet the walk was. We went at 4 PM on a Monday, so definitely less busy than a weekend but still a good amount of people. A great getaway from downtown! There is a cafe on site, but they close around 5 PM.

I found this place on Atlas Obscura and I felt like visiting with my partner and our dog. To our…read moreluck, our well behaved dog got us 1 free admission! We spent about 15-30 minutes in here just taking it all in and reading as much information as we could. There are plenty of photo ops as well as interactive things to play with. We were lucky to find a parking spot a few steps away and paid about $1-$2 to park for almost an hour. The person behind the front desk was kind and welcoming. The merch selection was vast and interesting. I just wish they had a photo booth because it would tie into the place perfectly. Overall, highly recommend as it is a fun spot to hangout for under an hour.

This place is weird--in a fun way. The Peculiarium is a quick, quirky stop that totally leans into…read morePortland's "keep it weird" vibe. Lots of odd displays, creepy mannequins, aliens, Bigfoot stuff, and random photo ops. It doesn't take long to go through, but it's entertaining and definitely memorable. The gift shop is actually one of the best parts--tons of strange, funny, and unique items you won't see anywhere else. Staff was chill and friendly, and the whole place feels like it doesn't take itself too seriously. Not a full-on museum experience, but if you're killing time, visiting Portland, or just want something different, it's worth checking out. Great for pictures!!

Had a wonderful time! They've started doing themed nights and tonight's was 80's! Carmen made the…read moreexperience wonderful!

I'm so glad Hopscotch exists in Portland. If you've heard of Meow Wolf or Team Lab, this is a…read moresimilar concept. It is an "immersive art experience." What does that mean in reality? It means big murals to look at, wall projections that are responsive to movement, sounds meant to augment what you see, and more. Two rooms (trampoline and ball pit) require shoes to be off, socks to be on, and stairs to be climbed, in order to access them. The rest of the place is flat concrete floors. They do also have a food and drink program that I have not personally gotten to enjoy. I recommend everyone who visits brings their sense of wonder and play. You may also want to dress confidently and snag some new photos of yourself. If neither of those (playfulness or selfies) are of interest, this may not be for you.

If I could give it ten stars, I would. So my better half told me about this place and that may have…read morebeen part of why I picked a hotel where I did. So that we would just be around the corner and popping in here would be easy during our stay. Luckily I was able to come in on two different days, and at different times! We got both the night life experience and the day time experience. I think I preferred the day time because it wasn't as busy. Night means cover charge ($4) and bag check. And no kids. You might see some kids during the day. What a cool place, with yummy drinks (no food), and all my favorite arcade games, and then some! They operate on a card system, so no coins needed when you visit. My pinball wizard friend had been traveling arcade ready with coins in her bag, but it turns out they weren't needed. Ground Kontrol supplies free lockers to store your stuff; just follow the instructions and don't forget your code. I learned a lot about pinball during my visits here, and played more pinball than I usually do because of that. I mean, why not? I played one of the newest pinball games, released within weeks of my visit, which was Pokemon themed, and I played one of the more vintage pinball machines, Xenon. And everything in between! It was awesome. $20 loaded onto a card will get you 15ish games, but there is a different cost depending on which game you're playing. I was satisfied with the value and would, and did! come back again. Highly recommend stopping in if you're in the area! Make sure to check out the whole place, as it's bigger than you think and there are more games (mostly pinball) upstairs.

A little smaller than I was expecting. The place is really cool tho…read more It seems like majority of the games were pinball machines or old school classic arcade games. There's a parking lot right across the street for easy parking. I didn't try any food or drinks from the bar this time around but the staff at the entrance were nice and friendly. Overall, this place was a bit underwhelming but if you're into drinking and pinball machines, this is the place! I just wish they had a little more variety with their games.

Woohoo! I just hit my 6,000th review! Whenever I hit a landmark review like this I go write about a…read morelandmark in the Pacific Northwest. Some say they haven't seen an account with this many reviews but there is indeed some accounts that have way surpassed my amount of reviews. I believe there is a Yelper out there (Bruce K.) that is from Charlotte, North Carolina that comes in with 23,000 reviews and 61,000 pictures for his reviews as of 2024 so I have waaaay more review writing to do to even get remotely close to this guy. The reviews I write is for something that is unique only to the place I have adopted as home ( or the region that I call home as opposed to a city). Previously I have written about the mountains of our region like Mount Rainier but this time around I wanted to write about something more urban and a place I always love visiting...Portland! The White Stag Sign is so signature Portland! We have seen it lit up at night and have seen it during the day. All of which we have managed to get different angles to look at. As other reviewers say the admission is free... which kind of makes sense since it's a sign. This sign at times seems to be so obvious that it's hard to miss but other times on the Interstate we miss it completely giving it that "camouflaged" notion in amongst the building and bridges... of course we may just be looking in the wrong place too...keeping one's eyes on the road is an upmost priority... which should go without saying. But you can still stroll by here as a pedestrian and get some great pictures of this Portland landmark and a landmark that totally smacks of Cascadia and the Pacific Northwest!

Finally got the chance to see and be where the stag sign is after many years! Street parking is…read moreavailable in the area and a quick walk towards the park where you have a better view of it. You can also go up the stairs and see it from a closer view. Tree branches do obscure the view a bit. Very satisfying experience!

We had an amazing time at Wonderwood Springs! Everyone was super friendly, John Paul even did a…read morespecial scavenger hunt for our son's birthday! I don't recall the 2 servers behind the bar but they were amazing too and the food was delicious and so interactive! Will definitely be back!

We came here for lunch after the Aquarium and were very happy with the friendly staff! The decor…read morewas fluent with the aquarium's artistic animal experience and the kids enjoyed that. We ordered Kids Chicken Tender Basket, Kids Cheeseburger Basket, Portobello Mushroom sandwich, Fried Chicken Sandwich protein style which had 2 small chicken strips. The chicken strips from the $12 kids meal were bigger and had more! Wonderwood Cheeseburger protein style came with waffle fries. When I got my burger it was the patty only, they forgot all the toppings which they apologized for and remade for me. When they brought back the new burger the fries were very cold. I think this place would be as unique as the artwork if they were able to create their own house made sauces and flavors for the food and drinks. It's store bought ranch, BBQ sauce and Talenti syrups disappoint the thought and care of the uniqueness of its atmosphere. I would not come here for food, but maybe a quick coffee if you're in a rush. Wouldn't recommend this place.

These are some cool modern takes on the northwest Totem Poles. They are located on one side of…read moreJamison Square. Brightly colored the full name is Tikitotmoniki Totems There are 4 of them in all. They are interesting and really fit into the area. Fun Fact: they hide poles for the trolley inside.

If you are anywhere near Vancouver and have even the slightest appreciation for history, do…read moreyourself a favor and walk the waterfront, then wander over to Fort Vancouver National Historic Site and soak it all in. Right nearby sits Old Apple Tree Park, home to what was known as the oldest apple tree in the Pacific Northwest. I remember seeing the old tree standing there like some weathered pioneer that had witnessed centuries pass by. The original trunk finally died, but shoots from its living roots were replanted, and the tree lives on through its offspring. Considering apple trees were not native to this land and had to be brought across oceans and continents, there is something downright incredible about standing next to the very beginning of Northwest orchard history. Fort Vancouver itself is fascinating. Established by the Hudson's Bay Company in 1825, it became the center of trade, farming, and industry in the Pacific Northwest long before Washington or Oregon were even states. Back then this place was a bustling multicultural settlement with trappers, traders, farmers, blacksmiths, sailors, and families from all over the world. They cultivated massive gardens, orchards, and farmland here to feed thousands of people traveling through the region. It was essentially the headquarters of the Pacific Northwest during the fur trade era. Walking through the fort today feels like stepping into another century. Between the wooden palisades, parade grounds, river breeze, and views of the Columbia, you can almost imagine canoes arriving loaded with furs while smoke curled from fireplaces inside the fort walls. It is peaceful now, but this place once shaped the entire region. I honestly think one of the best afternoons you can have in Vancouver is to stroll the riverfront, grab a coffee, walk through the historic reserve, and end up here reflecting on how much history happened on this patch of ground. Relish it. So much of the Northwest rushes forward so fast that we forget where it all began. Fort Vancouver reminds you.

We love visiting this 191 acre site! There's so much to see...Officer's Row, barracks, gazebo, the…read moreFort, gardens, land bridge trail, and the Pearson Air Museum. We've been to almost everything this historical site has to offer. Our favorite part is just walking around any time of year and seeing what's in bloom. In the spring they have gorgeous cherry blossoms and tulip trees. In summer there's tons of hydrangeas around the historic buildings along Officer's Row. The Fort Vancouver gardens are gorgeous in summer with a wide variety of plants and flowers. There's a lot of vegetables too! Overall a great place to explore. I feel so lucky to have such a gem so close to home! Would highly recommend.

Animals in Pools, by Georgia Gerber and installed in 1986, is a neat public art piece in downtown…read morePortland between 5th and 6th avenues, on SW Yamhill Street. There are several bronze sculptures of various animals, such as ducks, otters, bears, and deer, frolicking in water fountains. It's one of the neatest public art installments I've seen, and I loved the animals. If you like statues and public art, you won't want to miss this, and kids will love the animals. After reading up about the sculptures on Wikipedia, I realize that I only saw part of the installment, so if I'm in the area again, I'll definitely want to look for the sculptures I missed -- according to Wikipedia, there are 25 in all. Addendum, July 7: I had a chance to go back to the area and saw the other sculptures (beavers and seals) on SW Morrison Street. [Yelp collections: West Coast 2018; Public Art]

This is the most adorable little sculpture and fountain group in Portland, Oregan!…read more Known for its designer fountains, Portland's Animals in Pools is a set of sculptures in fountains, consisting of a bevy of otters and a family of bears. The fountain part is usually turned off in the winter, but will also boast knitted hats on several of the animals for the season. This was probably my favorite fountain in the city (Benson bubblers not withstanding) and was a super adorable stop during our Portland trip!