so much to do, so little time. beyond our favorite eating, drinking, and shopping destinations, we recommend exploring some of portland - and wider oregon's - finest activities:
- COLUMBIA RIVER GORGE: about half hour outside portland begins one of the most awesome natural settings you'll ever see. take the historic columbia highway for views of the gorge from vista house, drive by dozens of waterfalls, and go for an amazing hike along the way. our favorite hike is the eagle creek trail to punchbowl falls.
- FOREST PARK: a massive, totally wild forest that's a designated park on the edge of northwest portland. go for a run, bike ride, or walk along miles of trails on leif erickson or wildwood. our saturday morning run will explore part of forest park.
- INTERNATIONAL ROSE TEST GARDEN: they don't call it the "rose city" for nothing. come check out dozens of rose varieties and learn more about botany than you ever thought you'd care to know.
- PORTLAND ART MUSEUM: like everything else in portland, the art museum prioritizes quality over quantity. the wedding weekend overlaps with a small ai weiwei installation and an exhibition chronicling four iconic photographers' portfolio processes (ansel adams among them).
- PORTLAND JAPANESE GARDEN: an authentic japanese-style garden on the edge of portland. worth a visit for the beautifully maintained plants and flowers.
- MULTNOMAH FALLS: located in the gorge, multnomah falls is the largest waterfall in a sequence of 77 waterfalls lining the historic columbia river highway. we also love horsetail and oneonta falls, but nothing multnomah's impressive size.