Portland wasn’t necessarily a destination that was high on our travel list. We ended up there because of a conference, and honestly, that is sometimes one of the best ways to discover a new place. the conference was bringing us to Oregon anyway, we decided to build in some extra time to explore. We had one completely free day, along with some mornings and evenings around the conference, and Portland turned out to be a really pleasant surprise.
Our trip ended up having a little bit of everything: a beautiful Japanese garden, the Oregon Coast, a cheese factory, one very large bookstore, some excellent meals and, of course, plenty of coffee.
Starting Our Mornings the Portland Way
One thing we quickly learned is that Portland takes its coffee seriously, which was perfectly fine with us.
One of our first stops was Caffè Umbria, an Italian-style coffeehouse that was a great introduction to Portland’s coffee scene. We also tried Case Study Coffee Roasters, another local shop where we enjoyed excellent coffee in a relaxed atmosphere.
Another find during the trip was Drip Drop Coffee. One of the things we enjoyed about staying downtown was having so many independent coffee shops nearby. Rather than heading to one of the familiar chains every morning, we made a point of trying local places whenever we could.
As you’ll see, we even managed to find another great coffee shop when we left Portland for the day.
A Day Trip to Tillamook and the Oregon Coast
Our biggest sightseeing day started early. We left Portland in the morning and headed west through the Oregon Coast Range toward Tillamook.
Our goal was to arrive at the Tillamook Creamery right when it opened, and we’re glad we did. We had heard that it could get very busy, particularly on a weekend, so we wanted to beat the crowds.
That turned out to be a very good decision.
When we arrived, we were able to explore without it feeling overly crowded. By the time we were finishing up, however, the Creamery was getting noticeably busier. If you’re visiting during the summer or on a weekend, we’d definitely recommend getting there at opening if you can.
The self-guided experience takes you through the history of Tillamook and explains how their dairy products are made. You can look down into the production area, sample some cheese and browse a large store filled with Tillamook products and Oregon souvenirs.
And naturally, we couldn’t visit Tillamook without having some ice cream. Ice cream in the morning might not be part of our normal routine, but when you’re at the Tillamook Creamery, normal breakfast rules don’t really apply.
A Great Coffee Find in Tillamook
After finishing at the Creamery, we were ready for coffee.
Conveniently, Five Rivers Coffee Roasters is located right across the street, and it turned out to be a great find. It’s a local coffee shop that roasts its own beans and was exactly what we needed before continuing toward the coast.
Our advice would be to do exactly what we did: get to Tillamook Creamery when it opens, enjoy it before the biggest crowds arrive, and then head across the street to Five Rivers for coffee afterward.
From there, caffeinated and ready to keep exploring, we headed west toward the Oregon Coast.
Oceanside and the Oregon Coast
Our next destination was Oceanside, a small coastal community about 20 minutes from Tillamook.
This turned out to be one of our favorite parts of the day.
Oceanside has a beautiful beach with the Three Arch Rocks just offshore. The Oregon Coast has such a different feel from the beaches we’re accustomed to on the East Coast. The dramatic rocks, cool air, cliffs and rugged shoreline make it incredibly scenic.
We spent some time walking along the beach and simply enjoying the view. With only one day to explore outside Portland, we were very glad we decided not to skip the coast.
From Oceanside, we continued along the coast to Cape Meares.
Cape Meares offers beautiful views of the Pacific along with forested trails and the historic lighthouse. The combination of huge trees, cliffs and ocean views really gives you that classic Pacific Northwest scenery.
If you find yourself in Portland with a free day, we would absolutely recommend getting out of the city and seeing at least a portion of the Oregon Coast.
Combining Tillamook Creamery, Oceanside and Cape Meares gave us a great taste of the area without trying to cover too much coastline in one day.
Exploring Portland
We also made sure to spend some time exploring Portland itself.
One of the highlights was the Portland Japanese Garden.
The garden is tucked into the hills above the city and is beautifully landscaped with water features, stonework, trees and traditional Japanese garden design. After a busy day of sightseeing, it was a peaceful place to slow down and wander for a while.
The International Rose Test Garden is located nearby. We didn’t manage to fit it into our schedule, but several people attending the conference with us visited and told us it was beautiful. If you have a little more time than we did, it would be very easy to combine the Rose Garden with the Japanese Garden.
You Have to See Powell’s
Another Portland must-do for us was Powell’s City of Books.
Calling Powell’s a bookstore doesn’t quite prepare you for how enormous it is. It occupies an entire city block and sells both new and used books.
Even if you aren’t planning to buy anything, it’s worth stopping in just to experience it. There are rooms and rooms of books, and it’s very easy to lose track of time wandering around.
Powell’s also puts you in the Pearl District, which is a great area for walking, eating and exploring.
We Ate Very Well in Portland
As usual, food ended up being a pretty important part of our trip.
One of our favorite dinners was Khao San, a casual Thai restaurant in the Pearl District. We love Thai food, and this was exactly the kind of restaurant we enjoy finding when we travel: relaxed, reasonably priced and really good.
We even encountered blue sticky rice, which led us to discover that the beautiful blue color comes from butterfly pea flowers. It’s always fun when dinner turns into a little travel lesson.
For a completely different evening, we visited Deschutes Brewery Portland Public House.
Portland and craft beer pretty much go hand in hand, so visiting an Oregon brewery seemed like something we needed to do. Deschutes has a comfortable brewpub atmosphere with burgers, sandwiches and other pub favorites along with a large selection of their beers.
It was casual, easy and a fun way to experience another side of Portland’s food scene.
We also had dinner at Pastini, where we enjoyed a casual pasta dinner. After a long day of conference activities and sightseeing, sometimes a comfortable bowl of pasta is exactly what you want. Pastini was relaxed and reasonably priced, which made it an easy choice.
Happy Hour at Fogo de Chão
Another fun stop was happy hour at Fogo de Chão.
Most people probably think of Fogo de Chão as a place for the full Brazilian steakhouse experience, but happy hour is a completely different way to enjoy it.
It gave us a chance to sit down, relax and have a drink and something to eat without committing to a big, expensive dinner. It worked especially well as an after-conference stop and is something we’d consider doing again.
Don’t Forget Dessert
One of our favorite sweet stops was Wailua Shave Ice.
If your idea of shaved ice comes from the snow cones you had as a kid, this is something very different. The ice is incredibly fine and soft, with fresh fruit flavors and toppings that turn it into a real dessert.
After walking around Portland, it was a fun and refreshing treat and definitely something we’d recommend.
Portland Is a Great City for Coffee Lovers
Looking back at the trip, coffee deserves its own mention.
Between Caffè Umbria, Case Study Coffee Roasters, Drip Drop Coffee and Five Rivers Coffee Roasters, we managed to sample quite a few local coffee shops.
And that’s exactly what we’d recommend doing.
Rather than looking for the same coffee shop you visit at home, use Portland as an excuse to try somewhere local. There always seemed to be another independent coffeehouse around the corner, and seeking them out became one of the simple pleasures of the trip.
Five Rivers was probably our most unexpected coffee find because it fit so perfectly into our Tillamook day. Get to the Creamery early, beat the crowds, and reward yourself with a good cup of coffee across the street afterward.
That’s our kind of travel strategy.
Portland Was a Pleasant Surprise
The biggest takeaway from this trip may be that sometimes a place you weren’t necessarily planning to visit can surprise you.
The conference was the reason we went to Portland, but we’re really glad it gave us the opportunity to experience a part of the country we hadn’t spent much time exploring.
We found great local coffee, excellent casual restaurants, interesting neighborhoods and some beautiful places right in the city. Then, within a couple of hours, we could leave downtown behind and find ourselves standing on a spectacular stretch of the Oregon Coast.
If we were planning the trip again, we would absolutely make time for the coast. Tillamook, Oceanside and Cape Meares gave us some of our favorite memories of the trip.
We’d also continue our unofficial rule of trying local coffee shops whenever possible.
We certainly didn’t see everything Portland has to offer, and in a way, that’s a good thing. Sometimes the best trips aren’t about checking every attraction off a list. They’re about finding a few places you really enjoy, eating some good food, discovering something unexpected and coming home pleasantly surprised by a destination you might not have chosen on your own.
For us, Portland was definitely one of those surprises.