things to do in portland

June Events

May 31, 2022 by Jessica Berger and Tekela Fisher Leave a Comment

It’s June! That also means it is the start of festival season! We are kicking things off with the rose fest, pride, and some beer! If you don’t love festivals, we have some other great things to do this month also! We are excited to share these June events!

Peony Festival

Visiting the gardens will include walking 25 acres of production fields, strolling through 2 acres of display garden, and enjoying many different colors of gorgeous peonies!
Adelman Peony Farm, Salem

*Free*

MORE INFO

May 1st – June 15th 9am – 6pm daily

Rose Festival

Parades, rides, fireworks, greasy food, what more could you ask for?
Tom McCall Waterfront Park

Parades are free, city fair requires a ticket

MORE INFO
May 27th – June 26th

Portland Pride Festival

Portland is widely known to be a gay-friendly destination, but you can count on us being even more fun for the pride festival and parade!
Tom McCall Waterfront Park
*Free*
MORE INFO
June 18th and 19th

First Thursday in The Pearl

Stroll through the art galleries in the pearl for an evening of art, music, and wine! Parking is difficult so public transit is recommended
The Pearl District
Free Event
June 2nd 5pm – 10pm though gallery hours vary.

Crush on Oregon

Enjoy Wine tasting, local eats, and entertainment at this annual wine festival!
Castaway

$50-$70

GET TICKETS HERE

Sunday June 5th

Cider Summit

The regions largest cider festival is back! With 150 different selections made by 40 producers, you’ll fund something here to love!
The Fields Park
$40 for general admission
GET TICKETS HERE
June 10th and 11th

PDX Beer Week

We may not need a special week to drink beer, but this 11 day “week” will feature specials, rare beers, and fun events!
Various locations
Prices Vary – find all the events on the FB page
MORE INFO
June 17th -26th

Festival of Balloons

Hot air balloons take flight every June and you can enjoy the view with just a quick trip to the south!
Cook Park – Tigard

$12

MORE INFO HERE

We hope to see you at some of these awesome events!

Cinemas

March 27, 2022 by Jessica Berger and Tekela Fisher Leave a Comment

It’s Oscar Night and you know what that means…it’s time for a list of Portland’s Best Cinemas! Whether you are looking for the latest releases or experimental arthouse films, our list has got you covered for all of your cinephile needs.

Academy Theater

7818 SE Stark St

Historic theater in Montavilla neighborhood.

Bagdad Theater

3702 SE Hawthorne Blvd

McMenamins theater and brewpub in the heart of Hawthorne.

Cinema 21

616 NW 21st Ave

Independent art house movie theater showing a mixture of independent, foreign, and classic films.

Clinton Street Theater

2522 SE Clinton St

Historic theater with a focus on experimental and arthouse films, plus a weekly midnight showing of The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

Empirical Theater at OMSI

1945 SE Water Ave

This theater at the science museum features documentaries, film fests, and IMAX blockbusters.

Hollywood Theatre

4122 NE Sandy Blvd

Historic theatre showcasing a mix of new and classic films, plus ongoing film series’ such as B Movie Bingo and Kung Fu Theater.

Living Room Theater

341 SW 10th Ave

Theater that’s 21+ in evenings offers indie films, recliners, & food & wine delivered to seats.

St John’s Twin Cinema and Pub

8704 N Lombard St

Casual first-run cinema that serves pizza and beer.

Which of these Portland Cinemas is your favorite? Let us know in the comments below!

Portland Distilleries

February 28, 2022 by Jessica Berger and Tekela Fisher Leave a Comment

Here in Portland we love our alcohol, distilleries are no different! Most people know Portland for our IPA’s or for our pinot noir, but we also make some incredible liquor! Sorted by location, here are some of the places we think you should visit! As a bonus, these distilleries are all a part of Portland’s distillery row, you can buy a passport and have many of the tasting fees waived, or get other fun perks! You can see all the details over on the website.

Freeland Spirits

12-6 pm daily
2671 NW Vaughn St
Women owned and operated
Gins and Bourbon

New Deal Distillery

12-6 pm daily
900 SE Salmon St

Vodka, whiskey, gin, rum, liqueurs, pre-made cocktails.

Westward Whiskey

12-7 pm Thursday – Monday
65 SE Washington St

A variety of whiskeys

Straightaway Cocktails

Hours vary, visit website for details
901 SE Hawthorne Blvd

premixed cocktails made with various liquors

Stone Barn Brandyworks

11-5 pm Monday – Friday, 12-5 Saturday and Sunday.
3315 SE 19th Ave B

Brandy, Whiskey, Liqueurs

503 Distilling

3-9 pm Thursday – Sunday
4784 SE 17th Ave

Cocktails in a can!

Shine Distilling

4-10 pm Wednesday – Sunday
4232 N Williams Ave

LGBTQ owned and operated
Vodka, Gin, Whiskey

Wild Roots Spirits

12-6 pm daily
77 NE Grand Ave

Vodka, Gin, Vodka sodas

Aimsir Distilling

4-10 pm Wednesday – Sunday
2117 NE Oregon St

Gin, Whiskey, Bourbon

Aria Portland Dry Gin

12-6 pm Daily
2304 NW Savier St

Gin

Bull Run Distilling

12 – 6 pm Wednesday – Sunday
2259 NW Quimby St

Whiskey and Vodka

Did we miss anywhere that you love? Let us know in the comments!

Steeplejack Brewery

November 29, 2021 by Jessica Berger and Tekela Fisher Leave a Comment

Portland has a ton of breweries, some amazing, some mediocre, so when a new one opens up, everyone gets very excited! The most striking thing about Steeplejack is it’s location. The brewery is on the corner of 24th and NE Broadway in a 110 year old church. The owners kept the stunning architecture that you find in churches, from soaring wooden beams to bright stained glass. The space is really warm and inviting and makes you want to hang out for hours.

Steeplejack is aiming to please and has something on their menu that anyone can enjoy. I wanted to try as many things as possible, so I opted to do the taster sized pours. I tried the Witbier, Travers, Amelia (A smoked beer), and Fletcher. The smoked beer wasn’t for me, but others at the table loved it! The other beers were smooth, true to their style and really delivered on flavor.

They also have a full menu, and kids menu, that you can order from. We only popped in for a quick drink, but after looking it over, we will definitely be going back! You can find things like burgers and sweet potato fries, or tacos and avocado toast. They also have a killer looking brunch menu if that is more your speed.

I know we will be going back again and again to see what these awesome brewers are putting together!

Game Shops

September 12, 2021 by Jessica Berger and Tekela Fisher 1 Comment

Fall is just around the corner and what is cozier than gathering around the table with friends and family for a board game night? The hobby of board gaming has been around for ages, but has had an even bigger resurgence in the last decade. Luckily, Portland has some amazing game shops where you can buy, rent, or play different board games and find your new favorites! Here are our favorite Portland area game shops.

Cloud Cap Games

1226 SE Lexington St, Portland, OR 97202

Open Daily 11 am- 7pm

Check them out Here

Guardian Games

345 SE Taylor St, Portland, OR 97214

Monday-Saturday 10 am- 10 pm

Sunday 12 pm- 7 pm

Check them out Here.

The Portland Game Store

922 N Killingsworth St, Portland, OR 97217

Sunday, Monday, Thursday 11 am- 7 pm

Tuesday, Wednesday 11 am- 9 pm

Friday, Saturday 11 am – 10 pm

Check them out Here.

Rainy Day Games

18105 SW Tualatin Valley Hwy, Aloha, OR 97003

Monday-Friday 11 am- 8 pm

Saturday 10 am – 7 pm

Sunday 12 pm – 6 pm

Check them out Here.

Red Castle Games

7160 SE Foster Rd, Portland, OR 97206

Daily 11 am – 8 pm

Check them out Here.

Make sure to stop by one or all of these great game shops the next time you want to pick something up for family night, a fun gift, or just to stop in and make some new friends at the table! Did we miss your favorite Portland area game shop? Let us know in the comments! And for other great spots to shop in Portland, check out our other lists Here.

Hammer & Stitch Brewing

January 31, 2021 by Jessica Berger and Tekela Fisher Leave a Comment

This week we ventured to Slab Town to check out one of Portland newest breweries. Hammer and Stitch opened October 10th with 5 standard beers. The brewery has since added 4 more creations to their collection. The goal of this brewery is to keep it simple, and just make good quality beer. The name Hammer and Stitch is an homage to makers of all sorts, but specifically the late mother and father of some of the partners behind the company. Their mother was an apparel designer and seamstress and their father was an architect and builder. This pairing is what makes up the logo for the brewery.

The team behind the beer is one of the things that makes this brewery so special. Ben Dobler, who has been making beer in Portland for the past 27 years, brought his skills and expertise to Hammer and Stitch. He isn’t alone in the brew house however. Head Brewer Cam Murphy has been working with beer for several years. These two have worked at many breweries on their way to Hammer and Stitch, those include at places like Widmer, Mt. Tabor Brewing, Laurelwood Brewing and Von Ebert.

The beers here are all easy drinking and don’t weight you down like so many other beers can. We couldn’t try everything on tap, but we certainly tried. The IPA is hop-forward with piney aromas balanced by citrus notes. The Lager is crisp, clean, and just slightly hoppy in the finish. The Amber has a little bit of everything in it, caramel and chocolate malt flavors with woody floral aromas. The Porter is warm and toasty with chocolate malts but is still incredibly smooth and light in the finish. The Cozy is a Russian Imperial Stout that has bold coffee and chocolate aromas which hit your senses immediately, but it finishes with hoppy, woody, and floral notes. If you’re looking for a fruity finish the Berry Cozy is the same Russian Imperial Stout but they added raspberry puree to it.

Are you feeling thirst for a beer yet? you can get more information about the brewery and their beers Here. If you didn’t quite find what you were looking for you can check out some of our other Hot spot Here

Flower Bomb Floral

December 14, 2020 by Jessica Berger and Tekela Fisher Leave a Comment

Audrey Hepburn once said, â€œTo plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow.â€ This quote seemed very fitting as we near the end of 2020. Audrey Hepburn certainly knew what she was talking about and I love flowers. This week we headed to Flower Bomb Floral!

Once we walked into the boutique we were welcomed with a warm hello and immediately offered help creating a bouquet. Solara, the shop’s owner, had fun creating a unique and tropical bouquet for us. She was mindful of our budget and what style we were looking for. With all the rain we were thrilled to have something that reminded us of a beach vacation and warmer weather. The bouquet was unlike anything I’d seen before. Solara is a magician with flowers!

The rest of the shop is filled with house plants, both large and small, pre-arranged potted perfections, cards, chocolates, and some awesome local art. Though the shop is small, it was easy to spend much more time in there than expected. While we were waiting we learned that Flower Bomb was Portland’s first mobile plant and flower boutique. Then in early 2020 she opened her very own brick and mortar shop. If you are looking for something to brighten your day or to brighten your home, be sure to go support this amazing local business!

If you want to check out their website head HERE to see what they have to offer. And if you make it into the shop, be sure to tag us on social media and let us know! Do you have somewhere else we should visit? Let us know in the comments!

Christmas Tree Farms

November 27, 2020 by Jessica Berger and Tekela Fisher Leave a Comment

Ah the holidays, the time of year when we can all eat too much food, drink too many drinks, and decorate our houses with little twinkling lights. Regardless of how you celebrate, one of the high points of the holidays is having the smell of fresh pine take over your home. Luckily, we have tons of great tree farms right here in the Portland Metro area! Here are a list of some of our favorites!

*many farms have changed how they are doing things because of the pandemic so please check their websites for updated information*