The city of Portland has some amazing places for the photographer. Here’s a list of some of our favorite places to go for photographs. This is not in order of our favorite places. It’s just a list of what hops in my mind as I think of the fun we’ve had through the years.
OMSI is on the east side of the Willamette River. Behind the museum is a walkway above the river that offers wonderful views of the city. We especially love to go here for night time photography.
OHSU is high up on the west-side of Portland. It offers beautiful panoramic views of the Willamette River and Mt. Hood. Our favorite way to get there is via the Tram located on SW Bond Avenue.
Portland Saturday Market located in Waterfront Park. The park itself is nice, but the people are my favorite subject here.
Old Town China Town has a beautiful ornate gate that goes over the road. It’s located in northwest Portland.
Rocky Butte Park in northeast Portland offers stunning views of the city.
Pittock Mansion in northwest Portland is beautiful inside and out. The historic house has lovely architecture. The grounds are beautifully landscaped and the views of the city are very nice.
Ira Keller Fountain Park located in southwest Portland.
Portland City Grill is located in northwest Portland on the 30th floor of the US Bank building. They offer a great Happy Hour Menu (all day Happy Hour on Sunday) and the view of the city is amazing.
The Oregon Zoo in southwest Portland. The zoo offers many wonderful photo opportunities. Many of the exhibits allow nice views of the animals without the enclosures ruining the photos. If the train is running, it goes to the International Rose Test Gardens.
Cathedral City Park and St. John’s Bridge in north Portland.
International Rose Test Gardens in southwest Portland. The flowers are the view are incredible. The roses typically bloom from late June through September.
Whitaker Ponds Nature park is a great place to go in the fall. It’s located in northeast Portland.
Tryon Creek State Natural area in southwest Portland. As the name implies, this is one of many nature parks in the Portland area. There are nice hiking trails and plenty of pretty things to photograph.
Chinese Garden is a nice place to visit. It is located on the west side very near the Willamette River. The gardens have a walkway made of smooth stones that massage your feet as you walk around. There is a lovely pond to enjoy. It is a very beautiful and interesting place to visit even on a rainy day as much of the gardens are under cover.
Japanese Gardens is also on the west side, but closer to the zoo and the International Rose Gardens. it is much larger than the Chinese Garden and is all outdoor. There’s a stream that meanders through the immaculately manicured grounds. A pond filled with irises are a highlight of the spring. The trees are filled with color in the fall. It’s well worth the price of admission.
Powells Bookstore - the largest bookstore selling new and used books in the world. It is just across the street from Portland City Grill. The store is several city blocks. It’s huge.
One of the events most loved by the Portland natives is the Portland Rose Festival. The events of the festival begin in late May and are mostly over by mid-June. There are 3 parades that are part of the festival: Starlight, Jr. Rose Parade, and the granddaddy of them all - the Rose Festival Parade. The Starlight Parade is our personal favorite.
The Starlight parade takes place the Saturday evening prior to the Rose Festival parade. All of the entries are lit with beautiful lights. Most have some type of music as well. The entries are more community and neighborhood service organizations. It’s very crowd interactive. Typically, the Rose Festival parade is the first weekend in June, so you can plan that the Starlight parade will be the latter part of May. Always do a search though to see when the events are taking place. http://www.rosefestival.org/event-calendar/highlight-events The Starlight Parade is May 30 this year (2020) We get there early and park in one of the many parking garages near Pioneer Courthouse Square. (We don’t live in the Portland area so the Max line isn’t a good option for us.) Bring your camp chairs and be prepared to enjoy the festivities. There are plenty of people that are kind enough to watch your chairs if you want to wonder around and buy a coffee and something to eat. We like to sit near the grandstands. They have an MC to tell you about each entry. This parade takes place on the west side of Portland (west side of the Willamette (pronounced will-a-met) River.
The Junior Rose Parade is the largest children’s parade in the world. It’s reported that nearly 10,000 children participate in the parade. This parade is held the Wednesday morning prior to the Rose Festival Parade. The parade takes place on the east side of the river in the Hollywood District of Portland. The kids love this parade. There are bands, baton groups, bike riders, dance teams…basically a big recital for the city of Portland. It really is a fun parade.
The Rose Festival Parade begins at the Memorial Coliseum (east side) and ends at Lincoln High School (west side). If it is raining, sitting inside the Memorial Coliseum is a good option. We prefer by far to sit out on the street to enjoy the parade. Again, we drive to the west side and park in a garage. You have to get there very early though because they close the roads off several hours before the parade begins at 10 am. The floats at the Rose Parade have to be covered with all natural products. They truly are a work of art. After the parade the floats are on display on Naito Parkway near the Rose Festival City Fair.
We aren’t huge on rides as so we typically skip the City Fair. You have to pay for the privilege of paying to ride the rides. Also, it’s not the safest place to be at night. Something that we really do enjoy though is looking at all the military ships that come in for Fleet Week. You can tour some of the ships. Again, you’ll need to search closer to the event to find out what ships are open for tours and when the tours are taking place. The ships usually arrive the Wednesday prior to the Rose Festival Parade and leave the Monday after the parade.
Another favorite activity that we always enjoy is the Portland Saturday Market. The Saturday Market is also open on Sundays. Anyway, the market is located under and around the west side of the Burnside Bridge. There are many vendors selling their handmade items. There are also some amazing food vendors.