Portland, Oregon

Portland has been on my bucket list for a while, and I finally marked it off last October. We went for a 3 day weekend, and I found myself wishing I had more time there. It’s a great weekend, or week long trip because it’s very versatile! On one hand you’ve got the big city life, yet you’ve also got several beautiful destinations within an hour drive time of the city!

Willamette Valley

Willamette Valley was one of my main draws to wanting to go to Portland. I love wine, and it is the Pinot Noir region of the West Coast. I found a wine tour on Viator (which I honestly use all the time for tours when visiting different areas). There are tons of wine tour options, all of them relatively inexpensive – ours picked us up from our hotel and drove us out to 3 different vineyards. Since we were drinking and unfamiliar with the area, it was great to have a knowledgeable driver who could get us there safely while educating us on the region. It actually rained the day we did the wine tour, which is not too uncommon, but the rain was light enough we were still able to enjoy the vineyards!

Multnomah Falls

We rented a rental car for the day to explore the outskirts of Portland and this was a great outdoorsy stop. There are so many great overlooks and hiking spots around here as well!

Where we stayed: AC Hotel Downtown Portland

I love staying at AC Hotels because they are always in a good location and have all the modern and trendy touches! This hotel in particular was in a great spot, within walking distance from a lot of good restaurants and shops.

Where to go in Portland:

I always do research before any of my trips, and these are some of the places that we tried, that I really enjoyed!

Tusk – Great dinner spot for Middle Eastern cuisine. Very cute inside, and a charming patio! Near other bars/restaurants as well! https://www.tuskpdx.com/

Besaw’s – Really great brunch spot with a historic atmosphere! https://www.besaws.com/

Nostrana – Great Italian spot we went for dinner https://nostrana.com/

Luc Lac Vietnamese Kitchen – This was right behind our hotel. Very casual but cool spot for amazing Vietnamese food! https://luclackitchen.com/

Departure Restaurant + Lounge – Swanky rooftop dinner spot. We came here for drinks after dinner! https://departureportland.com/

Sidecar 11 – Cozy Whiskey bar on one of my favorite streets, Mississippi Ave! (I’m from Mississippi so we had to visit this trendy area). There are tons of bars and cute shops on this street, it’s a must do area! P.S. This place has a great happy hour! http://sidecarpdx.com/