1. World Forestry Center

1. World Forestry Center

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Portland, OR

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World Forestry Center

4.0 (60 reviews)
Closed 10:00 am - 4:00 pm

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Community Service/Non-Profit

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Cheatham Hall
Mandi E.

We had our wedding in Cheatham Hall with Cocktail Hour in the Discovery Museum. It was perfect! The communication was great throughout. Jessica worked with us on floor plan and answered all our questions. I would definitely recommend this venue.

Petrified oak stump, estimated to be between 11-25 MILLION YEARS OLD!
Nancy H.

My daughter, who lives in Portland, recently discovered this "tree museum", and she raved about it. I'm not really into forestry, but hey, it was a rainy, dreary January day, so we decided to go. And boy, was I impressed! The building itself is super impressive, akin to a huge, open and airy lodge, the kind you'd expect to see at a posh ski resort: open interior, lots of warm wood tones, exposed beams, vaulted ceilings, tons of windows letting in a forested view.... Truly beautiful. When we arrived, the place was empty save for a family of four. It's like we had the whole place to ourselves. My kid mentioned that the last time she was here, it also was fairly empty, as if nobody knows this place exists. Wow. No crowds! Bonus. I should note that the admission prices have increased, from reading all the past reviews. Adult admission is now $8 (if you're a "senior" like me, over 62, it's $7). Less for kids, but I forget how much. Still, I think it's a great deal. The lodge-like building has a large main floor and a smaller second floor, with an attached outdoor patio area with a meditative waterfall feature for reflection. This museum is such a perfect place for adults and kids alike. It's super educational and informative, but in such a fun, interactive way. The hands-on displays are all so clever, and so enjoyable, and many are truly fascinating. I honestly didn't think I'd love this place as much as I did. Some of the displays and interactive features on the main floor: crawl-through "caves" for kids and those nimble enough to do this (!), cross-sections of various trees to see their rings and calculate their ages, a humongous tractor-like vehicle to climb into and sit in the driver's seat, buttons to push to hear various sounds of the animals in the forest, a reading nook for the younger kids to play and read in, and lots more I can't remember right now (sorry!). Some of the displays and interactive features on the second floor: a fun pedestrian "bridge" overlooking the main floor below, lots of hands-on musical instruments and tools made from wood, a fascinating history of the actual museum building and its place in Portland's history, and way more. My favorite feature was a "trip around the world" 4-part interactive display here on the second floor. This 4-part display was SO fun and SO clever, - and so educational, too, - discussing the role of forestry in four separate countries around the world, and how these countries are working to preserve their trees, and the role of forests in their diverse ecosystems and economies. First there was a trip on the Trans-Siberian Railroad through Russia. Next was a water boat tour of the temperate forests in China. Next was a jeep safari ride through a subtropical forest in South Africa. Lastly, there was a canopy crane ride in the Brazilian tropical forest. Imagine all these features with movement and sounds like you're surrounded by the actual conveyance. SO smart! These types of immersive displays make learning so enjoyable. I learned so much, and had a blast doing so. My only suggestion to improve this museum would be to have a larger gift store area, where we visitors could purchase items related to trees and forestry in general. There's a small area by the entrance with Smokey the Bear stuff, and some pencils and a few items, but this area could - and should - be increased, as visitors like myself would love to get mementos of our visit or gifts for others. Other that that, though, this museum is such a wonderful, informative, beautiful place, I can't recommend it enough.

World Forestry Center
Kim R.

I somehow had no idea this place existed until I saw a segment about it this week on the local news. As one whose happy place is any forest, I felt I owed it to the trees to check it out pronto. We arrived this Saturday around opening, and while there weren't many people around when we walked in, by the time we left a decent amount had appeared. And although it didn't seem like it would be considered a busy day, there were enough kids in attendance we were playing some involuntary human pinball at many exhibits. It's not a big museum, but it's pretty spacious inside the building...a stunning work of wooden art itself. There are plenty of interactive exhibits...hence the bouncing kiddos. Outside of the entertainment for the younger crowd, there are lots of interesting and informative pieces for the adult visitor too. I wouldn't say there's enough inside to take up an afternoon...I think we were there for about an hour. But with a low $5 admission fee it's most definitely worth a visit!

Take a ride on the Moscow subway to learn about forests in Russia
Lauren M.

Awesome museum for all ages! There were 8 of us total, ranging in age from 2 to 73 and we all enjoyed it. The toddler and my veteran husband got free admission, and it was $5 each for the rest of us- a steal! Tons of great information on forests, sustainability, and wildlife. Great activities for kids too, while they learn! As an avid environmentalist, I thoroughly enjoyed learning about forests across the world, and how all living things depend on forests. There was a beautiful art installation there as well for a little "culture" :)

Lauren R.

Visiting from the desert so it interesting and informative being at the center. Since there was no one else around, I ask one of the worker/volunteers to take a quick photo and right away you can tell she was extremely annoyed because I asked her while she was putting snacks in the building. Can't even see our faces & she didn't say anything. That was the only downfall with the experience. I guess it was my fault for asking while they were doing something.

Andria G.

Stunning building located in the Washington Park area is a great place to spend a few hours. Personally I went it in while waiting for the bus to take me to the Japanese Gardens. Wow! Glad I had a stopover! Lots of interactive exhibits for kids. Many interesting things for adults to read and learn. Very friendly staff and very clean building. This museum has many free days but the admission is about $7/adult and less for kids. Well worth the price! Large parking lot is shared with the zoo. Right across the street from the subway stop also. Families could easily spend several hours here letting the kids play while they learned. Well planned exhibits allow easy crowd control. Movie was good but slightly outdated and redundant of things in the museum. It was a comfortable theater and a nice place to sit a minute. Perfect outing for a cold or rainy day.

The museum was a winter wonderland in February
Jen K.

I'm surprised to be the first Yelp review, but maybe that's because this museum is overshadowed by the Oregon Zoo and Children's Museum which are all located together in the hills of Portland. I've had a family membership here for a few years and it is a great place although my affection is really more for what they do rather than the museum as an entertainment venue. Since I have little ones I've been to a lot of museums and this one has a few unique exhibits. Our family favorites are pretending you're a smoke jumper, riding the rapids and trying your hand cutting down trees with a high tech logging machine. The smoke jumper and tree cutting exhibits require some hand-eye coordination and aren't for little kids. In fact, I'm still hopeless working the controls of the tree cutter. The raft ride has you sit in a real inflatable raft with life jackets and watch your image on a screen with the river projected behind you so it appears as if you are rafting down a river. They take a digital photo you can buy from the gift shop. Upstairs is a little more educational with an explanation of deforestation around the world as you watch videos while sitting in a jeep (Africa), a train (Russia) or a river boat (China). You can also take a vertical lift (similar to a ski chair) up through the center of the museum (this is free if you are a member or you pay as a visitor). There isn't a ton to do here, but it has a nice vibe and it is a place unique to our area, so my annual membership helps to support the work they do. My kids also love climbing on the steam engine just outside. The best time to visit the museum is during the annual Chocolate Fest. It is usually spread out among three buildings with lots of vendors throughout the region handing out samples both traditional and unusual: chocolate fountains, truffles, nibs, chocolate beef jerky, curry and wine tasting. The store is also a great place to pick up some unique gifts. If you have tried the other museums and want a casual change of pace and a little education, you should give them a try.

Adrian Robert H.

I came here for the adjoining conference space at Cheatham Hall for a several day event. Note that I did not visit the actual museum next door other than their gift shop and enjoy the building from the outside. The design of the museum is most pleasing to the eye, blending in nicely to the greenery surrounding it. It has a comforting presence at times with the morning mist enveloping it. Without delving deep enough into the museum and paying for the entrance fee of $7, I found the interior to be fairly empty and quiet rather than bustling with visitors. With items outside the museum, I loved the petrified wood stumps redwood stumps planted next to the trees. Supposedly the story is that the stumps were buried under rock and were cut off from oxygen such that they could not decompose, but the minerals somehow had seeped through the wood through thousands or millions of years or whatever. Visually, it reminded me more of slabs of marble and I regret not taking pictures. The gift store was simple and quaint, with a few stuffed animals and subtle if not tasteful memorabilia. There isn't a coffee shop inside, but there is one at the children's museum a 2-5 minute walk away. The conference space at next door Cheatham Hall was a very pleasant experience. Design was contemporary yet warm. The circular space was warm with light wood walls and ceilings and inoffensive carpeting. The premises were well maintained and showed no signs of wear. Bathrooms were kept very clean despite the event I attended had around 100 participants throughout the course of a 9am to 6pm day. The acoustics worked well when there was a speaker in the room, but tended to be a tad louder than desirable with larger crowd. If I had to nitpick, the only thing I did not care so much for about Cheatham hall was the lighting was a bit more harsh than I would have preferred, although to be fair I think it could have been adjusted and that was more the fault of the event coordinators in their choice of lighting. World Forestry Center is at a very accessible location accessible from the Blue or Red MAX mass transit. From downtown Portland, it would take around 20 minutes. From Portland airport, around 50 minutes to an hour from the Red line. I once took a Lyft ride from Cascade station close to the airport to World Forestry Center during a weekday rush hour, and it took around 40 minutes to get there.

Mary N.

Great little museum for a rainy day. So bummed I didn't get to wander the gardens but a good alternative. Good for kids, lots of hands on and vehicles to climb around.

Eric B.

The World Forestry Center is located in Washington Park and is across the street (with a shared parking lot) to the Zoo and a significant Portland Public Transit Stop. The main building is stunning in its Cascadian (I assume) architecture, including the grand entry, and the interesting carvings and other stuff outside. Inside (and for a modest entry fee) are a nice series of hands-on exhibits that are family friendly and fun. Best of all, they tell a great story about sustainability and our trees and forests.

Special Exhibit - TreeHouses: Look Who's Living in the Trees! (2.2.13 - 5.5.13)
Becca S.

We stopped by this museum today for the first time ever after I found a 1/2 price membership deal on google offers. (It made a 1 year family membership cost less than 1 day's admission would have been!) It is definitely a discovery museum that is geared towards kids. There are a lot of hands-on exhibits and things to climb around on (giant tree cutter, raft, plastic log with little cutout windows inside, etc.). Considering how crowded the shared parking lot was for the zoo / children's museum, I was surprised how few people were inside of the forestry center. It was nice because it wasn't crowded, easy to explore, and everyone got a turn on the interactive exhibits without having to wait a long time.

The first dance of a bride and groom getting married at the World Forestry Center!
Alice F.

We are professional wedding photographers here in Portland. We've had the pleasure to photograph a wedding there this past 7.31.09! The World Forestry Center is GORGEOUS! Lots of light and room and nature. Very photogenic and organized. I would recommend this venue for large and small events in a heartbeat!

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Just one more voice saying it's a hidden gem. The two year old that we took really liked it. As well as the 74 year old.

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13 years ago

This is great place to bring the little ones, to began teaching them of the importance of the forestry's of the world.

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Review Highlights - World Forestry Center

I came here for the adjoining conference space at Cheatham Hall for a several day event.

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Oregon Museum of Science and Industry

Oregon Museum of Science and Industry

3.8
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OMSI is a museum that is full of natural sciences, physics, and innovation. Though very large with…read morea theater and planetarium, I'd heed the warnings from other Yelp reviews: this museum is for kids!! Not adults!! I truly didn't look at Yelp before buying tickets to the museum and a showing of the planetarium. My fiancé and I finished walking the museum in 30 minutes because it was full of children from camp. We weren't going to play or interact with the museums when children were there and it was sciences we already knew. I was saddened thinking it was a museum for adults. In addition, we absolutely bought the wrong tickets for the planetarium. We ended up at a KPOP Delon Hunters Laser Show. We didn't know what to expect. Whoever made the show did an exceptional job, but we wanted to see something that completely encompasses the entire planetarium. Ultimately, perfect for children. Not adults. The 4 stars is that it is still a great museum.... For children.

I think for the value of the Family Membership, OMSI gets 5 stars. Hot tip, purchase the year-long…read moremembership during Black Friday when it's 20% off and stretch your dollar even further! My kids can spend the whole morning or afternoon here. There's something for everyone, from toddlers to high schoolers, adults and beyond. I always learn something new here too. Bonus, mention that you're a member in the gift shop and get 10% off your purchase.

Hopscotch - Portland

Hopscotch - Portland

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My best friend took me to Hopscotch while I was visiting Portland, and it ended up being one of the…read morebest parts of the entire trip. We went with her 3 year old, and honestly, I think we had just as much fun as him. Every room had something different to see or interact with, and it felt like there was always another surprise waiting around the corner. The mix of lights, art, music, and creative exhibits made it easy to lose track of time. One of my favorite areas was the Secrets room. You could step into a phone booth, record a secret, and then hear anonymous secrets playing through the giant speakers overhead. Some of the kid-submitted ones were absolutely adorable and had everyone smiling. The biggest hits for our group were definitely the interactive light rooms, where the lights seemed to react to your movement, and of course the giant rainbow ball pit. Watching everyone dive in and immediately turn into kids again was pretty entertaining. We also checked out the gift shop on the way out. I ended up grabbing a magnet, a postcard, and a few stickers that I thought were really cool. And I have to mention this: I was oddly happy to find out there was an actual hopscotch game inside. After walking through the whole experience, I was starting to wonder if the name was just symbolic. Nope. There was hopscotch, and it made me laugh. Overall, we had an amazing time. It's fun, colorful, interactive, and works just as well for adults as it does for kids. If you're looking for something different to do in Portland, I'd definitely recommend checking it out. For us, it was absolutely worth the price of admission.

Super interesting place! While we did have fun, I was a bit underwhelmed. Honestly, I was thinking…read moreit was more a "Meow Wolf" type of place... so I guess I should've just entered the space without any expectations. The bar in the beginning was a nice touch. You can walk around with your drinks and explore the different rooms they had. You can even take a break and grab food- once you get in your time there is unlimited! One of the best rooms was the Secret Garden. This is where you stand under a cloud like dome and hear secrets from people who have recorded them from a month or two ago. They have a recording booth within the room and you sit there and confess things. Then it plays it back after a couple of months to make sure you remain anonymous. The secrets we heard were gnarly... Won't repeat any, just go there and see! That was probably the best room we went into. The other rooms were super cool, which included a ball pit, infinity room/light looking room as well as a semi-bouncy room. Really interactive and creative space. Entrance fee is not bad for the type of space it's in [Around $22ish?]. Just don't be a jerk and be respectful of peoples' spaces. Not that anyone was disrespectful to us, just saying!

Freakybuttrue Peculiarium

Freakybuttrue Peculiarium

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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 is a quirky throwback to Portland high-weirdness and is more like a circus sideshow exhibition…read moreof yesteryear. Like a lot of these places in Portland, it's a gift shop in front with exhibits in the back. It's an eclectic collection of oddities covering everything from sci-fi & horror, to bigfoot, to exhibitions to urban folktales. It might be slightly pricy for what is there, because the museum portion is quite small, maybe taking thirty minutes to navigate. However, it has a few instagrammable exhibits for fun photos, my favorite was the one they dedicated to the Talking Heads lead man. The staff is friendly and welcoming and very chill. The gift shop is a parade of off-side oddities that's very different than anything most anything I've seen, but so different I couldn't find anything for me.

Pittock Mansion

Pittock Mansion

4.4
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Fabulous and beautiful historic house above Portland - restored and with period furniture. Those…read moreinterested in the details of living at that time will find much to see. One caution fir visitors. Our car in the Pittock parking lot was broken into. Nothing to take but expensive to repair the window. There are plenty of warning signs about leaving no valuables. This is a paid parking lot. Wish they would arrange for some security at a popular tourist destination.

Overall this was a great experience! First time I have ever been & I picked the perfect day. 75°…read moreoutside! The tour is done by yourself which is nice. You can go at your own pace! Items that are there are some of the original items that were donated to the mansion they have a Blue P next to the item. Other items there are antiques that have been placed to fit the theme. Lots of photos of the family and context to the photos! This was great. Outside was clean and there were ton of labels for all the plants. Flowers and plants full bloom! We did the WildWood Trail to the Witches Castle! It's a nice hike. Wear appropriate shoes and clothes! 2.3-5 miles round trip. It's a big enough path for multiple people but some areas narrow. The climb down is good but man back up lol you will feel the burn. They have restrooms onsite indoor and then they have a bathroom in the mansion basement. Toilets flush loud don't be alarmed. At the bottom of the trail when you cross the street, there was a porta potty. Map as well. Parking is expensive: weekend Saturday it was roughly $24 for all day! There are benches and picnic tables towards the view! Staff are very nice! Gift shop as well with snacks, plants, jewelry, postcards, and all sorts of items.

Portland Japanese Garden

Portland Japanese Garden

4.3
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Been a good few years since I visited the Japanese Gardens, and a lot has changed. But wow if they…read morearen't still worth a visit. The plants and water features are outstanding, and it is such a delight to just wander around and soak it all in. Really, what can I say that hasn't been said by many other visitors? If you aren't captivated by the running water, the intricate rock gardens, or the lovely koi fish, then there is something wrong with you. This is such a gorgeous gem, and a must-see attraction in Portland, especially if you are already wandering around the Washington Park area. Some of the changes in the years since I visited are a whole new entranceway, with an amazing water foundtain. Plus, a redesigned plaza with new gift shop, cafe, and a library. Oh, and speaking of the the cafe, do try out some of the excellent teas and Japanese snacks on offer here. Plus, all the staff and docents working here were very friendly and helpful. As for a few things to be aware of: First, the parking situation is a pain. There are pay-to-park spots, but not enough for the crowds. So you should really plan to either walk over to the gardens from somewhere else in the park, or take the park shuttle service. Also, as some have also noted, the number of people visiting can sort of harsh the serenity a bit. So do your part, and be a courteous visitor, and try to keep things mellow, chill, and quiet enough for others to also enjoy. In a city so full of other gorgeous gardens, I have to say these stand out. It's a city favorite for a reason.

Was a well maintained garden. Super pretty but not sure if it's worth the price tag for it. If you…read morepartner it with the rose garden it seems a bit more reasonable but probably closer to being worth a $10-15 experience. We took our time strolling through and were out around in an hour. Highlights were the waterfall and view of Mt Hood. They do have a shuttle that also takes you to the gardens itself. Parking can get busy in the area.

World Forestry Center - museums - Updated July 2026

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