Top 10 fun things to do around Portland, Oregon

KOIN 6 News offers a local’s perspective on the top 10 fun things to do around Portland, Ore. March 29, 2024 (KOIN).

From Powell's Books to Voodoo Doughnuts, we have a complete rundown of fun stuff to do in Portland

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Whether it’s the recent NCAA Women’s Regionals held at the Moda Center or Portland’s annual Rose City Comic-Con at the Oregon Convention Center in the fall, it’s not uncommon for swarms of people to find themselves with a weekend to fill in a city famous for its food, Pacific Northwest beauty and quirky attitude.

So what is there to do around Portland for fun? And in particular, what do the locals enjoy most? Look no further for a multitude of ideas to make the most out of your stay in the Rose City. Here are the top 10 fun things to do in Portland, from a local’s perspective.

The Clinton Street Theater opened in Portland in 1915. New owners took over on April 1, 2022 (KOIN)

Portland is a city that loves movies, boasting a high volume of neighborhood theaters, such as The Hollywood Theatre — a favorite pitstop of Quentin Tarantino — The Clinton Street Theater, The Laurelhurst Theater and The Academy Theater. Many of these mom-and-pop outfits and occasionally, non-profit organizations, offer ticket prices that are less expensive than the typical national chain, screen films that are rare and often serve amenities such as alcoholic beverages.

Zoe Vrabel plays pinball at Ground Kontrol in Portland, Oregon, Jan. 10, 2020. (KOIN)

Portland’s annual Retro Game Expo is a testament to the city’s strong gaming culture to the point that it has more than one bar themed after videogames. That includes Ground Kontrol, which offers quarter-operated arcade cabinet fun, and Retro Game Bar, a place where you can access and play practically every videogame console generation in a living-room style environment for a cover charge. QuarterWorld Arcade on Southeast Hawthorne Boulevard offers even more gaming fun with beer on tap.

For a more family-friendly destination — full of arcade games, VR experiences and prizes — but minus the adult beverages, check out one of the many Wunderland locations. There are also a number of fine used videogame stores, such as Hawthorne Game Exchange, Video Game Wizards and TOTL Games.

Helium Comedy Club (KOIN).

While marquee-grabbing comedy acts will often perform at huge venues in Portland while on tour, such as when Trevor Noah performed at the Moda Center in 2021, there are a large number of comedy theaters that operate all year round. The Funhouse Lounge offers a variety of shows — including standup, improv and sketch comedy — from talent both local and from abroad. The Curious Comedy Theater and Kick Stand Comedy are also solid choices for all your comedy needs, particularly improv, with a seasoned cast and welcoming to newcomers alike. Helium Comedy Club is also a great pick for standup fanatics, among many other comedy venues. Check out an even more extensive list of comedy clubs in Portland here.

Portland’s Bagdad Theater. July 14, 2022 (KOIN).

While malls like The Lloyd Center and Pioneer Place are both excellent choices for getting your shopping done in Portland, there are numerous walkable strips that offer an open-air experience that can be preferable on a nice day. What’s more, you can find many of Portland’s iconic and revered restaurants, breweries, bars and music venues at these places.

Examples include North Mississippi Avenue (home of music venue Mississippi Studios), Southeast Hawthorne Boulevard (where the locally-owned Hawthorne Game Exchange can be found), Northwest 23rd (where the legendary ice cream parlor Salt and Straw can be found) and Northeast Alberta Street, known as a top arts district in Portland.

Burnside Skatepark (Pamplin Media/Joseph Gallivan)

West Burnside Street, from the base of the Burnside Bridge and moving westward, offers a condensed “best-of” experience for many of Portland’s top destinations, such as being within walking distance from the cherry blossom-filled Tom McCall Waterfront Park (and the adjacent East Park Esplanade connected by bridges), Voodoo Doughnuts and Powell’s Books (more on that later). Though it’s more spread out and may require biking or a car to fully enjoy, central East Burnside is also home to many iconic Portland locations, including the grassroots-built Burnside Skate Park that has been featured in the Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater videogame series, the aforementioned Laurelhurst Theater, the popular restaurant Screen Door, and the unmissable and sprawling record store Music Millennium, whose owner originated the phrase “Keep Portland Weird.”

Portland from Mt. Tabor from the first full weekend of October 2023 (courtesy KOIN 6 Meteorologist Josh Cozart)

Portland boasts a high number of parks, but a few of them are also high up in elevation, offering you breathtaking views of the city for not much effort. For instance, Rocky Butte in Northeast Portland — a former jail — gives a surprisingly deep viewpoint of distant mountains in Oregon and neighboring Washington state alike. Another popular place for amazing views and a wonderful array of trees is Mount Tabor Park. Both locations can be reached by car but some walking is involved. You can also find some great views perched atop the upper portion of The Grotto, the 100-year-old Catholic sanctuary open to the public in Northeast Portland that offers acres of botanical gardens and beautiful rock formations nestled in a cliff.

FILE – A woman reads a book in Powell’s Bookstore in downtown Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Don Ryan, File)

Touted as the world’s largest independent used bookstore, Powell’s Books on West Burnside Street takes up an entire city block and has three floors bursting at the seams with literature of every genre, including comic books, kids books, non-fiction, novels and science books. Even if you’re not a big reader, Powell’s is a spectacle you have to see to believe and includes an excellent coffee shop if you just need to find a home base to explore downtown on foot. They have another, smaller location on Southeast Hawthorne Boulevard and even a shop at Portland International Airport (PDX) if you need reading material on the plane.

FILE – The Oregon Museum of Science and Industry in Portland, Ore. (KOIN)

From the culturally diverse and eye-wateringly beautiful exhibits at the Portland Art Museum to the mind-expanding Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, there’s no shortage of museums of all sorts for the whole family to enjoy. The Japanese American Museum of Oregon also offers an eye-opening look at the Pacific Northwest’s dark history of how Japanese people were treated in the U.S. in World War II.

Visitors at the International Rose Test Garden in Portland, Ore., July 29, 2020. (KOIN)

The Oregon Zoo, International Rose Test Garden and the Portland Japanese Garden, among other attractions, can all be found in a fairly contained area of Southwest Portland known as Wahington Park. Touted on Portland Parks and Recreation’s website as “the crown jewel of Portland,” the 410-acre destination draws 3.5 million visitors each year. If you’re really into roses, we must also give a shout-out to North Portland’s Peninsula Park Rose Garden, though it is located in a completely different part of the city.

One of the largest urban forest reserve in the country, Forest Park, Portland, Oregon, sits an abandoned structure with only stone walls and staircase remaining. It was originally built in the 1930s and closed after heavy damage from the 1962 Columbus Day storm. It has been dubbed the Witch’s House by the locals who hike the many trails in this reserve.

Not far from Washington Park is Forest Park, a huge expanse of lush green trees and an elaborate network of hilly trails where you can find all kinds of forest creatures — from slugs to songbirds. Nestled to the northwest of the heart of downtown Portland, it offers a short drive from the hustle and bustle of the city for a slice of heavenly nature where you can choose your own adventure on the distance and difficulty of where you want to go. With 5,156 acres total and over 70 miles of meandering trails, it’s likely this destination – known as the “lungs of Portland” – contains an entire lifetime’s worth of exploration.

The book The Zinester’s Guide to Portland by Shawn Granton is another great reference for exploring Portland.