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Southwest Portland contains the city’s downtown core, where free public transportation, bicycle and pedestrian-friendly streets are part of the Portland culture. The city’s major institutions – the main branch of Multnomah County Library, the Portland Art Museum and the Oregon Historial Society, City Hall, Portland State University – all are in the downtown section of Southwest Portland.
Pioneer Courthouse Square is the city’s open public square and the site for the annual Christmas tree lighting and other public events. If Pioneer Courthouse Square is Portland’s living room then Waterfront Park is the front lawn. A green strip along the Willamette River, it is host to the amusement park rides during the annual June Rose Festival and other events.
The many neighborhoods of Southwest rise into the hills affording spectacular views of the city. Just minutes from downtown and still in Southwest are some of the city’s major attractions including the International Rose Test Garden, the Japanese Gardens, Hoyt Arboretum, the Children’s Museum, and the Oregon Zoo.
Southwest Parks and Gardens
The 130-acre Washington Park can be entered at S.W. Park Place where one finds a bronze statue of Sacajawea holding her son Jean-Baptiste is located near the east entrance to the park.
Washington Park is home to the International Rose Garden which features more than 8,000 rose plantings and attracts roughly 750,000 visitors a year. Many come to the Rose Garden to marry and to have their wedding pictures taken.
The Japanese Garden is also within Washington Park. Designed in a classical Japanese style, it lends itself to meditation and contemplation.
Other Attractions
Portland Children Museum The mission of Portland Children’s Museum is to inspire imagination, creativity and the wonder of learning in children and adults by inviting moments of shared discovery. The Museum is now the sixth oldest children’s museum in the country, and each year the Museum welcomes more than 245,000 children from birth to age ten and their caregivers.
Forestry Discovery Center Founded in 1964, the World Forestry Center’s mission is to educate and inform people about the world’s forests and trees, and their importance to all life, in order to promote a balanced and sustainable future.
Vietnam Memorial The curved black granite wall lists the names of all Oregon residents who died in Vietnam or who are missing in action. The wall also chronicles three years of the conflict and concurrent local events, providing a poignant contrast.
Hoyt Arboretum lies on the west side of the Arlington Heights neighborhood. The 232 acre wooded site possesses the largest group of distinct species of any arboretum in the U.S. Its plant collection contains 10,000 individual trees and shrubs, representing nearly 1,000 different species from around the world. The arboretum is a favorite place for hikers and runners with its 10 miles of trails.
