International Rose Test Garden, Washington Park
On my recent trip to Portland, Ore., I explored many of the outstanding sights for which Portland is famous. Washington Park is one of the finest city parks in the nation.
Here one can find the truly extraordinary International Rose Test Garden, where some 8,000 colorful bushes encompassing more than 600 varieties are displayed on three terraces overlooking the city. Nearby is the peaceful Portland Japanese Garden, one of the most authentic outside of Japan itself.
Among other park attractions are the Oregon Zoo, the World Forestry Center Discovery Museum, Hoyt Arboretum, and the Portland Children’s Museum. Portland also boasts the restored Pittock Mansion, a French Renaissance showplace filled with priceless antiques, the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, the Lan Su Chinese Garden and the Oregon Historical Society.
Visitors can also explore Chinatown and the Old Town Historic District, take a cruise on the Willamette River aboard the Portland Spirit, and even learn of shady deals and unscrupulous characters from Portland’s colorful past on an Underground Tour.
