What are Some Tourist Attractions in Portland, Oregon?

You can find many interesting tourist attractions in Portland, Oregon. Portland has a diverse selection of museums as well as many different outdoor activities. The Japanese Gardens, Fort Vancouver Historic Park, the Oregon Jewish Museum and the 3D Center of Art and Photography are just a few of the great attractions in Portland.

The Japanese Gardens attraction is designed by Professor Takuma Tono and he notes that "the Garden speaks to all the senses, not just to the mind alone." The Japanese Gardens is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Portland and offers calming settings with sounds of waterfalls and scents of fresh greenery and fragrant blossoms. Portland's Japanese Gardens includes five types of soothing Gardens: the Flat, the Strolling Pond, the Tea, the Natural, and the Sand and Stone Garden.

Fort Vancouver Historic Park takes a look back at the time when Fort Vancouver was at the center of the British Hudson's Bay Company's fur trading operation in the Pacific Northwest. John McLoughlin led the Fort and gave basic supplies to 1830s and 1840s American immigrants who had reached Oregon County. Fort Vancouver is one of the most popular historic attractions in Portland as it was reserved as a historical site in 1996 and has an education center. The Fort is the namesake of Captain George Vancouver and has rustic buildings, a museum and picnic areas.

The Oregon Jewish Museum is one of the most unique attractions in Portland as it is the Pacific Northwest's only Jewish museum. The Museum has several permanent collections including the Aber collection with silver mid-eastern jewelry and Jewish head wear. The Oregon Jewish Museum also has photographs of businesses dating back to 1910. The Museum is known for hosting events such as movie nights and readings by Jewish writers.

The 3D Center of Art and Photography is another one of the most interesting museum attractions in Portland. The Center has displays that relate to the use of three-dimensional (3D) technology as early as the American Civil War. The Center compares the oldest 3D cameras with the newest 3D technology and has slide shows that let visitors experience the visual depth of 3D. The use of 3D in the American Space Program is also featured here.