Portland, Oregon, offers residents and visitors plenty of free activities to enjoy the city at its best.
On top of the many free things to do in the city is the chance to enjoy several parks scattered around the city where adults and children can enjoy stunning gardens, play fountains, or hiking trails.
Museum-lovers can also take advantage of the Free Museum Day in Portland to visit their favorite exhibit for free!
Washingon Park International Rose Test Garden
Located inside Washington Park, the International Rose Test Garden is the oldest official continuously operated public rose test garden in the United States.
Portland Parks approved the garden in 1917, and today, it hosts over 10,000 rose bushes of approximately 610 varieties across an area of 4.5 acres.
The garden is curated by the Portland Rose Society, a nonprofit organization with the aim of educating people on roses and encourage their use, founded in 1889.
Volunteering positions are always available for locals willing to help maintain the park and help with other non-gardening tasks.
The garden is open daily and admission is free, and tour groups for 10+ people are available upon booking at $5 per person. The best period to enjoy the rose bloom goes from May through September, and even if you are tempted, remember that it's illegal to pick the roses' flowers.
Thanks to this fantastic garden, Portland's city has also gained the nickname of "City of Roses."
User:Cacophony, CC BY-SA 2.5 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5>, via Wikimedia Commons
Forest Park
Forest Park is the largest urban forest in the United States located within a city. It is located in the Tualatin Mountains, 10 minutes west of Downtown Portland.
The park spans over more than 5,200 acres (2,064 ha) of thick vegetation featuring mainly Douglas-fir, western hemlock, western red cedar. More than sixty-two mammal species, 112 species of birds, and several other wild animals have been reported in the park. A perfect ecosystem made rich in rivers and waterfalls.
It has more than 70 miles of trails, including the Wildwood Trail segment of the city's 40-Mile Loop system. Both residents and visitors come here for hiking, cycling, or ride on horseback.
Oregon Rail Heritage Center
Oregon Rail Heritage Center, which opened in September 2012, hosts the most significant number of working steam locomotives than other places in the United States!
The volunteer-run museum exhibits three vintage steam locomotives, two of those still working. The most famous of them is probably the Southern Pacific Daylight Locomotive 4449, which covered the route between Los Angeles and San Francisco in the 1940s. It also pulled the American Freedom Train that toured the country for the 1976 Bicentennial.
Steve Morgan, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
Springwater Corridor
The Springwater Corridor is a 14.2 miles one-way multi-use trail and the major southeast segment of the 40-Mile Loop. It runs from SE Ivan St. in Portland to Boring, OR.
The Springwater Corridor connects several parks, including Tideman Johnson Nature Park, Beggars-tick Wildlife Refuge, the I-205 Bike Path, Leach Botanical Garden, Powell Butte Nature Park, and Gresham's Main City Park.
The trail is 10-12 feet wide and paved, meaning that even families with young children on strollers and wheelchair users can enjoy the path. While east of I-205, there is a separate soft surface path for equestrian use.
Historic Belmont Firehouse
As stated on the City of Portland website, "Jeff Morris Fire & Life Safety Foundation and Portland Fire & Rescue have teamed up to bring you a remarkable facility known as the "Safety Learning Center & Fire Museum," at the Historic Belmont Firehouse with the mission to share the history and heritage of the fire service in Portland and promote fire and life safety education."
The Safety Learning Center hosts a decorative timeline on the wall that guides the visitors through the progression of the city of Portland and Portland Fire & Rescue,
150+ years old firefighting equipment like the 1859 Jeffers Sidestroke Handpump Fire Engine, the 1879 Amoskeag Steam Pumper, or the 1860 Hose Cart have been restored and can now be admired by guests.
Access to the Historic Belmont Firehouse is free, and tours are easily self-guided. The firehouse also hosts events and guided tours, but you can get an Audio Tour for a $1 donation that lasts 30 minutes if you wish to visit on your own. Firehouse staff is always available to help you out or ask your questions.
During the tour, you can try the "Fire Engine Experience," an emergency response simulator, and the firehouse fire pole. There are also the "James Crawford Safety Education Theater," a theater room dedicated to safety education, unique exhibits, a gift shop, and a safety shop.
Another Believer, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
Pioneer Courthouse Square
Since 1984 Pioneer Courthouse Square is considered Portland's "living room," a gathering area for events and festivals for the community to enjoy. It is also a place for city celebration and over 300 all-year-round events and concerts.
Its story began in 1974 when the city obtained the land previously occupied by a city school in 1856, the Portland hotel in 1890, and a two-story parking lot in 1951 to create the lovely space that exists today.
Since most money used to restore the square was donated by private citizens to honor them, the city has engraved the patrons' names on the plaza bricks to remember their donations and show appreciation.
Would you like to see your name on a Pioneer Courthouse Square brick too? You can purchase one on the plaza official website!
Jamison Square
Acquired in 2000, Jamison Square was the first park created in the Pearl District. It is located between NW Johnson and Kearney, and it's dedicated to William Jamison, an exceptional person with an essential role in the development of the River District.
Jamison Square outdoor park's main attraction is a water fountain that forms a shallow pool that gets drained, the water gets recycled, and the circle goes one creating the pool again.
An exciting idea to make children play during the warm months.
The park also has four 30-foot-tall sculptures located at its edge. The sculptures are the "Tikitotemoniki Totems," created by artist Kenny Scharf.
The other two renowned sculptures located at the par are the "Contact II," a 1972 metal sculpture by Alexander Liberman donated by Ed Cauduro to the City of Portland in 2002, and the brown bear looking red granite sculpture made by artist Mauricio Saldaña and commissioned by the Portland Pearl Rotary Club called "Rico Pasado," meaning "rich past," in allusion to the history of the bears once wandering the area of Portland and the Rotary International Centennial.
At night, when the fountain gets drain, free concerts take place at the plaza that is also a relaxing place where to have lunch or read a book at the tables and seats available.
Ian Poellet, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
Governor Tom McCall Waterfront Park
Governor Tom McCall Waterfront Park is a 36.59-acre park in Downtown Portland, located along the Willamette River. After the removal of Harbor Drive in 1974, the park was opened to the public in 1978.
In 1984, the park was renamed to honor the Oregon governor Tom McCall, who pledged his support for the Willamette River west bank's renovation plan, intending to create parks and greenways along it.
The park is bordered by RiverPlace to the south, the Steel Bridge to the north, Naito Parkway to the west, and Willamette River to the east.
The park is commonly used for jogging, walking, biking, skateboarding, fountain play, lunching, basketball, fireworks viewing, and boat watching.
The park also houses several events like the Waterfront Blues Festival, the Oregon Brewers Festival, the Bite of Oregon festival, and many of the Rose Festival events. The Governor Tom McCall Waterfront Park is a must-visit place on Saturdays to enjoy the famous Portland Saturday Market.
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