Things to do in Vancouver/Portland
Quick Links
Vancouver (things to do in town)
Vancouver Restaurants (local grub)
Portland (things to do in the coolest city)
Portland Restaurants (P-town grub)
Portland Metropolitan Area (hikes etc.)
Waterfront Area
If it's nice, we recommend walking along the
waterfront area. Waterfront Park is the 5-acre site and the starting
point for the Waterfront
Renaissance Trail. The site offers benches, a trail, and a great
view of the Columbia River. One of the easiest ways to figure out the
walk is by clicking here
and choosing option 7, the Discovery Historic Loop, for a map.
You can park either at Esther Short Park or near the east side of the
I-5 bridge at 115 Columbia Way, Vancouver, WA 98661.
Fort Vancouver
Vancouver's origins are in Fort Vancouver, a fur trading outpost of
the Hudson's Bay Company established in 1824. At its pinnacle, Fort
Vancouver watched over 34 outposts, 24 ports, six ships, and 600
employees, and it served as the nexus for fur trade on the Pacific
Coast. It was designated as a U.S. National Monument in 1948. The
buildings have been restored with period furniture and artifacts
discovered during the excavation of the fort.
Check out the National Park Service site on Fort Vancouver or some some photos.
612 East Reserve Street
Vancouver, WA 98661
(360) 816-6230
Beaches ($$)
1919 SE Columbia River Dr, Vancouver, WA
(360) 699-1592
Great restaurant for families, good light food, located near the
waterfront. You may have to wait for a table. Try the Beaches House
Salad.
Little Italy's ($)
901 Washington St, Vancouver, WA
(360) 737-2363
Located in downtown Vancouver. This place wouldn't make it into a
Michelin guidebook, but it's well-priced.
McMenamin's ($$)
1801 SE Columbia River Dr, Vancouver, WA
(360) 699-1521
Fun bar and grill next to the waterfront. It's part of a Portland
chain and it brews its own beer. Call before you go to find out how
long the wait is.
Hudson's Bar and
Grill ($$$)
7805 NE Greenwood Dr, Vancouver, WA
(360) 816-6100
Restaurant connected to the Heathman Lodge, an upscale hotel with a
real Northwest flavor. The restaurant is similar - lots of salmon and
other Northwest specialties on the menu.
Tommy O's ($)
801 Washington St. Vancouver, WA 98660
(360) 694-5107
Hawaiian food located in downtown Vancouver.
Burgerville ($)
307 E. Mill Plain, Vancouver, WA (they also have other locations)
360-693-8801
Fast food burger chain founded in Vancouver. Burgerville tends to use
fresh, local ingredients - for example, look for Walla Walla onion
rings or local berry milkshakes. Sort of like Portland's In-N-Out.
Jerusalem Cafe ($$)
106 E. Evergreen St, Vancouver, WA
(360) 906-0306
Located in downtown Vancouver, reasonably priced Middle-Eastern food
Blind Onion Pizza and Pub ($)
2900 E. Mill Plain, Vancouver, WA
(360) 750-7490
Terrific pizza, terrific beer, very low key hangout place. Close to
downtown Vancouver, but you do have to drive.
La Bottega Cafe, Deli, & Wine
Shop ($$)
1905 Main St, Vancouver, WA
(360) 571-5010
Small restaurant with friendly staff. Excellent wine selection as well.
Portland is known for its great food, breweries, one phenomenal
bookstore, and no sales tax (time for a visit to the Portland REI,
perhaps?). Spending time in the city is a great time!
Powell's
Going to Powell's Books is an
adventure of a morning unto itself. For any bookworms, this is the
place to check out. With entirely separate rooms for different genres
of books, Powell's is the largest independent bookstore in the
country.
1005 W Burnside
Portland, OR 97209
The Rose Garden
The International Rose Test Garden is in Washington Park and has more
than 7000 rose plants and around 550 varieties of roses. It is the
oldest continuously running public rose garden in the United States
and gives Portland its nickname. You can check out the
Rose Garden webpage for a few walks. Beautiful!
400 SW Kingston Ave.
Portland, OR 97205
Pioneer Square
The main square in Portland is Pioneer Square,
affectionately known as the City's "living room." It is in the heart
of downtown at 701 SW 6th Avenue, bordered by SW Yamhill, SW Morrison
and SW Broadway. There is a Starbucks right in the square, and lots
of good shopping in Pioneer
Place, with upscale stores and food, close by.
Tom McCall Waterfront Park
Tom McCall Waterfront Park, named after the former Oregon governor
credited with helping reclaim Oregon's rivers, borders the entire
south side of Portland along the Willamette River (Salmon Street spits
you out right in the center of the park). It's a popular place for
walking and jogging, and the site of many large events, including the
75,000 people who heard Obama speak on May 18. The annual Blues Festival will be
held there during the 4th of July weekend. The Salmon Street Springs
fountain is a popular place to get cool in the middle of a hot summer
day right at the foot of Salmon Street.
The Pearl
One of the cooler places in Portland is the
Pearl District (also check out this website for some maps
and shopping). It's now noted for its galleries, restaurants, and that
Powell's is there. It is a great place to explore by foot or by
streetcar.
South Park Blocks
The 12 city blocks which make up the
South Park Blocks run right through the downtown area and are a
nice walking space right in the middle of the city. The Portland Art Museum (1219 SW Park Ave.)
and Oregon Historical Center (1200
SW Park Ave.) border the blocks as does Portland State University.
Jake's
Famous Crawfish ($$)
401 SW 12th Ave. Portland, OR 97205
(503) 226-1419
A great seafood restaurant and downtown Portland landmark, this one's
a tradition with all kinds of fruits of the sea.
Le Pigeon ($$$)
738 E Burnside St. Portland, OR 97214
(503) 546-8796
This restaurant is the trendiest restaurant in Portland. It seats 20,
the chef talks with you, and the reservations are probably already
taken, but boy is the food good!
Everett Street Bistro
($$)
1140 NW Everett Street, Portland, Oregon 97209
(503) 467-4990
A great lunch and brunch bistro with delicious salads, very tasty
eggs, and the most delicious BLT you've ever had. Topped off with some
good cocktails.
Oba ($$$)
555 NW 12th Ave. Portland, OR 97209
(503) 228-6161
According to the inestimable Barbara Roberts: "Oba is good." Lunch and
dinner, Latin and Spanish-themed food.
Wildwood ($$$)
1221 NW 21st Ave. Portland, OR 97209
(503) 248-9663
Traditional Pacific Northwest food made with local ingredients like
fish, berries, beef, and everything else the Willamette Valley,
coastal mountains, and farms of Oregon and Washington offer.
Heading up the Columbia River Gorge is one of the most beautiful ways
to spend a weekend morning. The Gorge is less than an hour's drive
east from downtown Portland. Drive along the scenic Old Columbia River
Highway past the many beautiful waterfalls. Don't miss driving up
to Crown Point for one of the
best views of the Gorge (40700 E Historic Columbia River Highway at
exit 22 from I-84)
The Gorge is full of hikes, waterfalls,
and if you're lucky, maybe some fishes!
Bonneville Dam
The Bonneville
Dam is 40 miles east of Portland and Vancouver. Built in 1938 by
the Army Corps of Engineers as part of the New Deal, the locks at the
time were the world's largest (though they are now the smallest of the
upstream locks on the Columbia). Large viewing areas make the
Bonneville Dam a fun trip for those interested in cool engineering
feats. There are also fish ladders at the dam to help salmon and
steelhead spawn upriver; in July, these will probably be fairly empty,
but there might be a stray fish or two.
Located at I-84 exit 40
Multnomah Falls
Multnomah
Falls falls 620 feet in two tiers and below a bridge from Larch
Mountain. These famous falls (in every guidebook to Oregon) are
certainly worth a trip. Getting a cup of hot chocolate at the Multnomah Falls Lodge
or going on a hike over the falls can make a morning. You can see a
picture of Multonah Falls here.
The lodge's address is
50000 Historic Columbia River, Bridal Veil, OR 97010
(503) 695-2376
The falls are located at exit 31 off of I-84.
Horsetail Falls
An easy hike just east of Multnomah falls off the Columbia Gorge
Scenic highway, these are the epitome of the horsetail form of a
waterfall. The trail actually winds around behind the falls!
You can also check out this
list of many of the waterfalls in the Gorge.