Summer in Portland, Oregon is hard to beat. Come and enjoy the beautiful green foliage lining the city's streets, the vivid colors of its roses, and the cool breezes drifting off the Willamette River that make this one of our favorite times of year.

To enhance your Oregon experience, we've compiled a list of some popular afternoon and day trips that you can do in a single afternoon or in just one day.

Spend an afternoon exploring Portland
Drown out the city noise in the Portland Classical Chinese Garden, an entire city block of tranquility.
Ride the only three-door elevator west of the Mississippi at Powell's City of Books, the world's largest independent bookstore. Powell's spans a full city block and rises three stories to house its selection of 1 million new, used and out-of-print titles.

Visit the Oregon Zoo, where more Asian elephants have been born than in any other North American city.

Find jewelry for yourself or your pet or hundreds of other unique handcrafted items from local artisans at the Portland Saturday Market.

Get caught in an earthquake registering 5.5 on the Richter scale at the Oregon Museum of Science & Industry (OMSI).

Visit turn-of-the-century Victorian and Georgian homes along the tree-lined blocks of Northwest 21st and 23rd avenues that have been reincarnated, housing more than 250 unique shops, brewpubs, art outlets and eateries in the Nob HIll neighboorhood.
Hob-nob with local artists in the Pearl District's elegant cafes, exotic boutiques, and fine art galleries.

Learn about the mysterious past of the Old Town/Chinatown District. Or experience some of the nightlife that Old Town is best known for today.
Catch dramatic city views as you stroll or bike along the new Eastbank Esplanade.

Spend a day exploring the region
Visit the tasting rooms of some of Oregon's best vineyards and wineries.

Discover the magnificent beauty of the Columbia Gorge National Scenic Area. One of the largest concentrations of high waterfalls in the nation spills forth from the cliffs and ledges that wall in the mighty Columbia River.

Travel along the Pacific Coast Highway (U.S. 101) visiting the picturesque communities along the northern Oregon coast. Every twist and turn along this amazing highway has postcard-perfect vistas, views of dynamic architectural bridges and lighthouses.

Visit one of the following web sites to learn more about our fabulous city and great state:

Portland Oregon Visitors Association - the official tourism and meeting web site for Portland, Oregon.

Oregon Tourism Commission - the official tourism web site for Oregon.