should we visit portland

We are driving from Seattle to San Francisco in September and are wondering about stopping off in Portland for a day. What are the best things to do/see and what area should we stay in. Any other tips for our tour.

should we visit portland

Scotland??

How many days do you plan Seattle to SF? Northwest not a city place to me. It is a natural beauty place.

Some thoughts. Mt St Helens, Columbia Gorge, Oregon Coast, Redwoods.

should we visit portland

I agree with Phirl... there are many interesting things to do and see in Portland (and Eugene, and many other cities on the I-5 corridor), but for a ';uniquely Oregon'; experience you might want to go off the beaten path.

How many days you have planned for the drive? If you aren%26#39;t in a hurry consider detouring either thru Central Oregon or the Oregon Coast. Either way the terrain will be different.

Depending on the size of your group and whether you are traveling with children, there are many interesting stops along the way on both routes. You will find more activity AND more traffic on the coast route, which passes through many small coastal towns with LOTS of great scenery, and the redwood forests in N Cali. The Central Oregon route (over Mt Hood then South via 97) will take you through the high desert, pass by Lake Klamath, and through the Mount Shasta area.

I agree, get off the usual path a bit. Since you have amazing coastlines in Scotland (loved our visit there!), I would skip it here. Instead, coming down from Seattle, I would take I-84 east at Portland and drive thru the Columbia River Gorge. It is very scenic, with some nice stops along the way, and then at Hood River head down HWY 35 to HWY 97 and head towards Bend. The High Desert down there is really interesting. We always stay just south of town at Sunriver Resort, but there are oodles of places to stay. Then the next day keep going down 97 and head to Crater Lake. That is just a phenominal sight! After that continue down 97 and meet back up with I-5 for the rest of your drive down to California.

I will offer another perspective. I think Portland is the most charming big town/little city in the world. Accordingly, I would invite all who travel near to spend at least a day and night with us. From Seattle it%26#39;s a 2 hr or so drive to Portland.

Once you are here and settle into a nice hotel downtown, it would indeed be a treat to drive up I-84 to Multnomah Falls or Hood River and have a bite to eat and drive back. The drive is about 40 minutes each way. When you get back in Portland consider a play and a nice dinner, or if your interests vary, let us know and we can help you find something special to do.

The drive from Portland to San Francisco is a long haul. You might want to consider breaking it up with an overnight stay in Ashland, Oregon. It is a delightful place.

Have fun!

If you%26#39;re flying from Scotland-sure-you%26#39;ve gotta stop! :)

There are so many things to do around here-it depends on how much time/interests in what you want to do.

Portland is a pretty compact city-I%26#39;d suggest staying in downtown so you will be close to everything in the city.

September is one of the best months to visit the NW. Places to think about in Oregon...

Columbia River Gorge- Old historic highway-with the waterfalls and in september the Bonneville Dam is kind of interesting w/ salmon going up the fish ladder.

The coast is beautiful most of the way down to California-my favorite part is from Newport to Florence and from Port Orford to Brookings.

Crater Lake National Park-bluest blue you will ever see! If you have time/energy to hike down to the lake the boat ride is worthwhile.

The N. Umpqua River Highway up to Crater Lake NP is one of my favorite drives.

McKenzie Pass to Bend is a road that goes through a national Forest and lava fields over the Cascade Mountains.

I would also suggest stopping somewhere between Portland and SF-it is a long drive. Ashland is always good.

I briefly mentioned this in my earlier post, but I would skip the OR coast if I were you. Don%26#39;t get me wrong, it is beautiful, BUT it doesn%26#39;t hold a candle to your Scottish coastline at all. Yours is so dramatic and ours is a wimpy version by comparison, lol!

Hi there and welcome to the forums, cjt9t9! We really enjoy the Riverplace Hotel, it is located down by the waterfront and is very nice. It is just about 5 minutes from city center in Portland. There are many nice amenities there that we enjoy. If you want to stay downtown, the Heathman Hotel is where we enjoy staying.

The Rose Gardens, Chinese Classical Gardens, Pittock Mansion and the Nob Hill Area are some of the attractions we like in Portland. If you like zoos they have a pretty nice one in Portland, also. Finish off your day with a nice dinner, Paley%26#39;s Place, Wildwood, Park Kitchen, Bluehour, Fenouil, Carlyle or clarklewis are some of our favorite places to dine in Portland. If you like seafood and you are down by the riverfront, The Harborside has really fresh fish and their dining room is very pretty, we like to sit up on the second or third tier for pretty views of the river while we eat.

I agree about Ashland, it%26#39;s a great stopping point. We like the Ashland Springs Hotel for lodging or the Ashland Plaza %26amp; Suites. There are many fine places to dine in Ashland Chateaulin and The Peerless at the Peerless Hotel are a couple of our favorites. LIthia Park is a fun little park with a pond where you can sit and relax or walk the paths around the park. There is a main street there with some nice boutiques and cafes, also. Have a fun trip! :)

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If you are here just for a day, I don%26#39;t know if you want to stay in a hotel, or not. If you do, I would suggest any of the hotels Downtown, within easy reach of sights that you can walk to or take a quick streetcar ride.

5th Avenue Suites Hotel

Hotel Lucia

Hotel Vintage Plaza

over in the NW side of town is the charming Inn@Northrup Station.

And of course, the usual hotels are here, Hyatt and Marriott and Embassy Suites which a lot of people like.

The Chinese Gardens are in town, the Japanese Gardens and Rose Test Gardens and Pittock Mansion require a car...but if you have one, I highly recommend going to see them.

To be here for only a day will be frustrating, there is so much to see and do!

My lists give you ideas, hopefully you will see something that appeals to you..you will have a very full day, which is great :)

I would have breakfast at Mothers or the Pearl Bakery and see the Gardens then in town just take the streetcar and get on and off at whatever stop grabs you..

Powells Books

in the Pearl you hve all the galleries and shops as well as on NW 23rd street, shops and more shops and more places to eat.

It will be a very full day, and in September, most likely a warm and dry day...

Hope this helps!

';Yours is so dramatic and ours is a wimpy version by comparison, lol!';

Them%26#39;s fightin%26#39; words, Mtngrl! ;-) If you%26#39;re golfer%26#39;s, cjt9t9, you should at least stop at the coast long enough to compare Bandon Dunes to your courses there. It%26#39;s rated at the top of public play courses in the country. But, it%26#39;s in a fairly remote section of the southern Oregon coast.

The things Portland%26#39;s most noted for are the already mentioned rose test garden in Washington Park, and the Columbia River Gorge, east of the city. Roses will still be in bloom in September, and gorge scenery is spectacular year round. The other thing unique about Portland is Powell%26#39;s Books, the largest independently owned bookstore in the country (world?).

Portland to San Francisco is 10 - 12 hours, so if you%26#39;re driving I-5, Ashland would be a good overnight stop. Ashland is most noted for the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. I%26#39;m sure you%26#39;d enjoy seeing a play if you have the opportunity.

LOL, mistletoe!