You don’t need to spend a fortune to enjoy Portland.
They say the best things in life are free. Connect with nature, discover local artists or learn something new – all without spending a dime.
Central Library
Portland’s Central Library is the oldest public library on the West Coast. Built in 1913, the library boasts more than 17 miles of bookshelves and artwork, much of which reflects a “Garden of Knowledge” theme. Highlights include the ornately decorated stairs and a 14-foot (4 m) cast-bronze tree in the children’s room. The tree’s bark is a sculptural relief of images that intrigue children: vines, musical instruments, toys, ballet slippers, animals, storybook characters and letters.
Oregon Rail Heritage Center
Portland was home to more working steam locomotives than any other city in the country, and you’ll find them at the volunteer-run Oregon Rail Heritage Center. Guided interpretation, presentations, exhibits and events tell the story of Pacific Northwest railroads and, during the holiday season, light-adorned “Holiday Express” trains tour passengers along the Willamette River. Located near OMSI and accessible via Portland Streetcar.
Explore History
Oregon Rail Heritage Center
The free museum features three vintage steam locomotives, including the one that pulled the U.S. Bicentennial Freedom Train in 1976.
Oregon Historical Society
The Oregon Historical Society collection includes thousands of historic artifacts (including the “Portland Penny”) that shaped the land now known as Oregon, with permanent and rotating exhibits and an extensive research library.
Hoyt Arboretum: Portland’s Museum of Trees
Hoyt Arboretum is Portland’s “living museum of trees” — and is home to 2,300 species of trees and shrubs, as well as 12 miles (19.3 km) of hiking trails in Washington Park near downtown Portland.
Monthly Gallery Walks
During the monthly First Thursday event, in Old Town and Pearl District, galleries stay open late, inviting the public to mingle with the artists and explore new exhibits. The streets buzz with performers, sidewalk artists and enthusiastic crowds, and many galleries offer free appetizers and wine. See a map of participating galleries.
Complementing First Thursday is Northeast Alberta Street’s Last Thursday event, which falls on the last Thursday evening of each month. Held on Northeast Alberta Street between 15th and 30th avenues, this event offers gallery shows, sidewalk vendors, and live music. Participating venues include Antler and Guardino Gallery and others.
Portland’s newest monthly art event is First Friday in the Central Eastside district. Several First Friday shows and events are held in artists’ studios, cafés and other nontraditional exhibit spaces.
Free Admission Days at Museums
The Oregon Historical Society has free admission days throughout the year. Check their website for details. At the Portland Art Museum, admission is always free for ages 17 and under.
The Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art at Portland State University is a free art museum featuring works by Northwest artists and Portland State University faculty and students, along with special events and exhibitions by national and international artists.
Forest Park
For outdoor enthusiasts, winter and fall are wonderful times to hike through Forest Park, the nation’s largest urban wilderness. This 5,000-acre (2023 ha) wilderness has seemingly endless trails for hiking, jogging and mountain biking that are relatively free of traffic during the cooler winter months. Autumn sees the park’s mostly evergreen forest dotted with vibrant fall colors. Although, anytime of year is a good time to escape to the quiet solitude of the woods — and all within a 10-minute drive of downtown.
The Grotto
The Grotto, a 62-acre Catholic sanctuary, is one of Portland’s most visited attractions, greeting more than 175,000 guests of all faiths each year. Visitors can stroll through this natural gallery in the woods; view the marble replica of Michelangelo’s famous Pietà, carved into the base of a 110-foot cliff. The entire lower level is free. Ride the elevator (about $10) to the top of the bluff for an impressive, panoramic view of the area’s highlights, including the Columbia River Valley, the Cascade Mountain Range and Mount St. Helens.
Hoyt Arboretum
Home to plants from seven continents, this 185-acre (75 ha) hiker’s paradise contains more than 2,000 species of trees and 12 miles of trails. At the south end of the Hoyt Arboretum is the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. An interpretive center offers restrooms, maps and brochures.
International Rose Test Garden
In Washington Park, you can also explore one of the country’s largest and oldest rose test gardens for free. This is the largest of Portland’s rose gardens. Started in 1917, the International Rose Test Garden, just minutes from downtown Portland, has 10,000 rose bushes, spectacular views of the city and an on-site gift shop. Free tours are offered daily at 1 p.m. from Memorial Day to Labor Day.
Parks & Gardens
Lush forests, gorgeous gardens and scenic views await in Portland’s parks and gardens
Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden
Round out your floral explorations of the Rose City with a visit to Southeast Portland’s lush Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden. The park boasts more than 2,500 rhododendrons, azaleas, with blooms from late February -June.
Lan Su Chinese Garden
This year-round wonder houses an authentic Ming Dynasty-style garden built by Suzhou artisans, offering a peaceful escape in Portland’s historic Chinatown.
Portland Japanese Garden
A haven of meticulously maintained, tranquil beauty, proclaimed one of the most authentic Japanese gardens outside of Japan, the Portland Japanese Garden offers meandering streams, intimate walkways and an unsurpassed view of Mount Hood.
Pioneer Courthouse Square
Located in the heart of downtown Portland, Pioneer Courthouse Square is affectionately known as the city’s “living room.” Once a grim parking structure, the square is now a thriving urban park and one of the most-visited sites in Oregon, attracting more than 11 million visitors annually. The square’s on-site resources include TriMet’s bus and light rail ticket office. The square is also one of Portland’s leading outdoor venues, hosting 300 events yearly, from large-scale concerts to cultural festivals.
Portland Farmers Market
Enjoy live music and samples of wonderful locally grown and prepared foods. During peak season, farmers’ markets are held on most days of the week around the city.
Locations/dates: The flagship market is held year-round on Saturdays in the South Park Blocks at Portland State University. On Mondays, the market comes to Pioneer Courthouse Square (June-Sept.), and Wednesday’s market is held in the city’s Cultural District at Shemanski Park (May-October). Hours vary by location.
Portland Saturday Market
Even though the Portland Saturday Market shuts down in January and February, it’s still a great summer, fall and early winter attraction. You don’t have to buy anything, just browse through booth after booth of handmade crafts, jewelry, clothing and artwork. Street musicians, local performers, tarot card readers and international food kiosks round out the scene. The people staffing the booths are typically the artists who created the crafts for sale and they’re always happy to talk about their trade.
Affordable Attractions
Traveling on a budget? There’s a lot to see and do without overspending.
Powell’s City of Books
Spend an afternoon exploring Powell’s City of Books, the world’s largest independent bookstore, covering an entire city block. Boasting more than 1 million titles, Powell’s is a mecca for bibliophiles searching for used, out-of-print, rare or autographed books. While the browsing is free, book-lovers will be hard-pressed not to purchase something — especially from the bargain tables. Browsers are welcome to take up to three titles into the coffee shop for perusing. Ride Powell’s three-door elevator — one of only a handful in the United States — or check out the Rare Book Room.
Free Events
Discover More Free Things to Do in Portland
First Thursday in the Pearl District
Starting in 1986, First Thursday in the Pearl is a district-wide celebration on the first Thursday of each month. Originally a gathering of art collectors and dealers, the celebration has grown to a monthly event of over ten thousand people, including art enthusiasts, wine aficionados, and scenesters looking to see and be seen. Art galleries in…
Farmers Market at Portland State University
The Portland Farmers Market at Portland State University will be open every Saturday, year-round. April through October hours are 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. November through March hours are 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Market at PSU is located in Downtown Portland in the South Park Blocks between SW College & Montgomery Streets.
Hollywood Farmers Market
Year-round on Saturdays, the Hollywood Farmers Markets hosts 50+ vendors, bringing you the best of the region’s agricultural bounty. In addition to amazingly fresh, local food, you’ll find live music, children’s activities, and fun events throughout the season. April through September, every Saturday 8 AM to 1 PM,, October and November, every Saturday 9 AM…
Trillium Festival
Welcome back Spring. The Annual Trillium Festival at Tryon Creek State Natural Area is an educational event for the whole community that celebrates the season of renewal in the forest and beyond. For 44 years, Friends of Tryon Creek has celebrated the return of the Trillium, an early-season perennial native to our local forests. This…
Brain Fair
Discover the amazing things our brains can do at the free annual OHSU Brain Fair. Science fans of all ages will be fascinated by hands-on exhibits, displays and more.
Portland Saturday Market
Open every Saturday from March–December, Portland Saturday Market is the largest arts-and-crafts fair in the U.S.
Fertile Ground Festival
See Portland’s newest theater and dance works every April at the annual Fertile Ground Festival.
Portland Bazaar
The PORTLAND BAZAAR is the city’s finest holiday gift showcase and sale. Started in 2011, their mission is to create an exciting event highlighting the skilled artists, makers and small businesses of Portland, Oregon. When you shop small, you are putting your dollars directly back into the community by supporting someone’s small business and their…
Rhododendron Show & Sale
The Early Blooming Rhododendron Show returns to Crystal Springs. Presented by the Portland Chapter of the American Rhododendron Society, this show focuses on rhododendron species and hybrid plants that are among the first to bloom. Note: This show is being presented on the second Saturday in April, rather than the first as in years past….
Earth Day Oregon in Forest Park
Come and join in for Earth Day Oregon 2024 Earth Day is celebrated throughout Forest Park with multiple stewardship opportunities. This stewardship event is accessible to everyone, so please join, and bring along all your friends and the whole family. All training, tools, and materials will be provided by FPC, along with snacks and coffee. Register…
Rockwood Market Hall Music Series
Each month, on a late Sunday afternoon, the Rockwood Market Hall hosts a local artist to perform for community members who enjoy their food while listening to live music in a relaxed, laid-back atmosphere. With various cuisine options, the Rockwood Market Hall is a great place to enjoy dinner with family and friends. See you…
West End Wednesdays
West End Wednesday exists to ignite new energy and define a common vision for downtown SW Portland. Building relationships with neighbors and business partners is not just organizing a once-a-month event… it is actively creating, together, a neighborhood everyone can love to live, work and play in. West End Wednesdays is the West End’s signature celebration…
Come Thru: Black & Indigenous Market
Come Thru Market is an incubator market centering on Black and Indigenous Farmers, Makers, and Friends. Come Thru supports BIPOC growers in taking their small business dreams to the farmers’ market environment. It’s a vibe – Come Thru and get what you need.
St. Johns Bizarre and Parade
The St. Johns Bizarre is a uniquely crafted celebration that kicks off Portland’s summer street fair season. Held annually on the second Saturday in May, the Bizarre brings music, crafts, and food to the crowds who traditionally attended the St. Johns Parade. After the parade, a portion of the business district in St. Johns is…
Portland Flea + Food
The Portland Flea + Food is a gathering place for the creators, curators and collectors held the last weekend of the month from April to October in Portland, Oregon. Every market features 80+ local artists, makers, and curators of the best vintage, handmade and locally sourced goods in town. Saturdays at Ecotrust: 721 NW 9TH AVE Sundays at Nova…
Rose Festival Fleet Week
Since 1907, visiting ships have made their way to Portland’s waterfront. The City of Roses is known to be a favorite port of call for military (and non-military) visitors, as Portland’s citizens thank them and make them feel welcome. The Portland Rose Festival is extremely fortunate to be one of a few U.S. Ports of…
The People’s Market
The People’s Market was created to serve the diverse community of Rockwood. By empowering Black, Indigenous and other People of Color (BIPOC) farmers and makers, we are creating a space that is made for community, by community. Spending your dollars at our market supports your neighbors in building their dreams and creating a legacy for…
Mississippi Street Fair
Bustling North Mississippi Avenue closes down for a day of food, vendors, music and fun at Portland’s largest street fair, Mississippi Street Fair. This year the fair will have the following: Three Music Stages, Kids Zone, Grandfathers Rib-Off Competition, Hundreds Of Vendors, Shopping and Dining,
Portland Pride
Every summer, the Portland Pride Festival & Parade makes a name for itself — and LGBTQ+ community members — all over town.
Sneaker Week
Sneaker Week offers fun events for sneaker addicts and footwear newbies alike.
Chinese Festival
Join the Oregon Chinese Coalition for the Chinese Festival in the Square. Celebrate Chinese American culture and enjoy nonstop entertainment, delicious Chinese food, authentic arts and crafts, and much more. For more information visit pdxchinese.org.
Elephant Garlic Festival
The Annual Elephant Garlic Festival is a three-day festival celebrating, you guessed it, elephant garlic. The family-friendly event includes a parade, a 10K and a 5K run, live music, a kids’ play area, crafts vendors and more. Fun stinks.
Portland Adult Soapbox Derby
The PDX Adult Soapbox Derby at Mt. Tabor Park pits grown-up kids against each other every August in pursuit of speed and laughs.
El Grito
Join in the most important holiday celebrated by the Hispanic community in Oregon. El Grito 20th Anniversary immerses the rich traditions of the Latinx community with delicious Mexican cuisine and family-friendly entertainment, folkloric and Aztec dancers, live mariachi, salsa, cumbia and pop music, and interactive and educational community booths. The event also features contests, prizes, raffles,…
Portland Veterans Day Parade
The Portland Veterans Day Parade is an inclusive, nonpartisan, family-friendly event honoring all Veterans, past and present, living and deceased. It is officially permitted by the City of Portland and was established in 1974 by Vernon E. Ross, proprietor of Ross Hollywood Funeral Chapel. All community members are welcome to register to be in the…
Alberta Street Gallery Exhibit
The Fiber Art Invitational features the immense talent and dazzling work of local members of Studio Art Quilt Associates ((SAQA). SAQA members are renowned for their layered and stitched visual masterpieces that will challenge your perception of what quilts can be. Flora and Fauna of PDX is a colorful celebration of the beautiful blossoms and…
Comedy Darlings
Comedy Darlings is a FREE comedy show every Monday located in North Portland at Bar Salut Cherie hosted by Danelle Porter and Erica Figueroa with some of the funniest comedians around. Make sure to follow on Instagram and Facebook @comedydarlings to stay current on all upcoming lineups.
Arlene Schnitzer Visual Arts Prize
The Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art at Portland State University is pleased to present the Arlene Schnitzer Visual Arts Prize exhibition. A public reception will be held on Wednesday, March 6, from 5 to 7 p.m. The School of Art + Design and the College of the Arts celebrate the eleventh year of the Arlene…
FROELICK GALLERY: Tom Prochaska and Kevin Kadar
Froelick Gallery presents two outstanding solo exhibitions of new work by Portland artists Tom Prochaska and Kevin Kadar. Prochaska’s solo features new and historic paintings plus work on paper. The Hallie Ford Museum of Art recently hosted a retrospective of his decades-long career; the monograph is now available. Kevin Kadar’s show includes 12 new landscapes…
Labor of Love
The artists featured in Labor of Love produce work that aims to expose and highlight labor practices that have been historically and systematically concealed from the public sphere. Working across a wide variety of media and using a range of conceptual approaches, the eight artists exhibited here seek to explore that which is often hidden just under…
Arn Strasser Reading The Asymmetry of Silence
Broadway Books is excited to welcome back Arn Strasser for a poetry reading of his sixth collection, The Asymmetry of Silence. An emotional journey across time, people and places, this volume draws from a life being fully lived. The journey is varied: poems of loss, longing and silences, Zen-like meditations, stories of mermaids and make-believe…
Eat, Drink, and Draw
Come every Tuesday in March and April to eat, drink, and draw with fellow artistic folks to raise funds to make Flashback. Bring your own art supplies or borrow some of theirs. Coloring books will also be available to draw within the lines (no shame). What is Flashback, you ask? When it’s done, it will…
Gol Trivia Bowl
Fun trivia with host Luke. Enjoy a classic Portland bar for a fun night of trivia. Gol is a Portland Timbers-centric bar for the fútbol enthusiast, showing the MLS, Champions League and international soccer matches. Located in inner-SE Portland, a unique soccer bar with a European feel and Portland’s home to the World Cup.
The Landscape Show
Grey Raven Gallery hosts a free month long exhibition of art featuring the landscape to celebrate Earth Day. Enjoy work by a large group of local NW artists in a variety of media including painting, printmaking, glass, and encaustic. Our gallery is open Wednesday-Saturday from 11am-5pm. The exhbit runs from April 3, 2024 through April…
Managed Retreat by Dawn Stetzel
Managed Retreat, about the moving and relocating of people, infrastructure, and communities in response to climate change, is a large-scale sculptural exhibition by Washington Coast artist Dawn Stetzel. Many of the sculptures in this exhibition imply movement, odd contraptions of sorts that include wheels, skis, floats or backpack portability and are used to physically navigate…
Head Games Trivia Night
Live multi-media trivia every Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. Free to play. Win prizes. Teams of up to 6. Please arrive early for best seats. General knowledge trivia combines movie clips, sound effects, pictures and popular music to give players a one of a kind 2-hour experience. The pace is relaxed so there is plenty of…
OSA Photography Showcase
OSA proudly presents the 2024 Photography Exhibit in partnership with the Portland Photographers Forum. This year’s theme is Visual Poetry: Looking for the Meaning. How do your photos engage with the viewer? Do your photos tell a story? Do the images evoke feelings, memories, or a search for meaning? The Juror is Fritz Liedtke, a…
Policing Justice
Portland Institute for Contemporary Art (PICA) presents Policing Justice, an exhibition and related programming with local, national, and international artists. Guest curated by Nina Amstutz, Associate Professor of the History of Art and Architecture at the University of Oregon, and Cleo Davis, local social construct artist, designer, educator, historian, and community leader, this exhibition examines policing practices…
Celebrate National Poetry Month with Ekphraestival
This 1st annual event arose from a collaboration between 25 poets and 26 visual artists, bringing together poetry and art. Named for the rhetorical term ekphrasis, which is often understood as a literary interpretation of visual art, Ekphraestival uses the term more broadly, celebrating the creation of visual work in response to poetry. During April,…
Bangerz Comedy
Portland comics Bjorn RG and Eliza Butler host this weekly show at Neighbors Taproom with curated lineups of local and nationally touring comedians. 21+
OuterVoice: Kinds of Time
Outer Voice: Kinds of Time will present recent works and works-in-progress from the 2023/24 Outer Voice Season with Portland artists Claire Barrera, Roland Dahwen, Erin Boberg Doughton, Rubén García Marrufo, Sarah Rushford, Ash Stone, and Qi You. Outer Voice and Jason Le, an arts writer and thinker based in Portland, collaboratively curated this show. This multidisciplinary…
Concerts at Ardiri Winery
Allow Ardiri Winery to appeal to your senses with delicious wines, stunning views, and intimate concerts by various local artists and performers. Featuring concerts from a number of artists who bring the dulcet tones of jazz and funk to the winery while Ardiri brings the wine. Whether the Oregon forecast brings rain, shine, or snow,…
Grey Raven Gallery First Friday Reception
Grey Raven Gallery hosts their free First Friday Receptions. April celebrates Earth Day by honoring art inspired by the planet. So come to the reception to see The Landscape Show filled with art created by local artists while enjoying live music and light refreshments. May’s reception features jewelry and watercolor. Enjoy live music and light refreshments…
S2: Small & Self-Publishing Faire
Grab your favorite book totes and head to Portland’s newest book faire. S2 features amazing books published exclusively by small presses and self-publishers at its reading, reception, and book faire. Buy books and swag, meet authors, and win prizes. Cohosted by Two Rivers Bookstore and Indigo: Editing, Design, and More.
Gallery Opening: Rattle Can Revival
Join ADX for the opening of a new open-call gallery show: The Rattle Can Revival. The Rattle Can Revival open-call show offers an homage to street art and the repurposing of discarded objects, inviting artists to breathe new life into a rattle can through transformative artistry. In this open-call show, artists were prompted to transform…
At Least We’re Not Alone Now | Erika Rier Solo Show
Explore the marvelous world of Erika Rier in this solo show. At Least We’re Not Alone Now is a show about creating art within a community. Using snippets of overheard conversations and creating creatures in the hopes of bringing a smile to a friend’s face these are the jumping-off point for many of the ceramic pieces…
Mallets of Mass Percussion: Marimba Music of Zimbabwe
Put on your dancing shoes and enjoy eight marimba bands playing the high-energy music of Zimbabwe and beyond. All performers are students of MyLinda King of Boka Marimba. FREE All ages are welcome Come for any part of the show. Donations will benefit Humwe.org. Feeling lucky? Raffle tickets for an exquisite African-inspired quilt lovingly made…
Country Music Night
Every Sunday Portland’s premier country music DJs, The Country Co-Op plays outlaw country and honky tonk music at The Sandy Hut. The bar is always packed with people dancing and singing.
Sube y Baja
On July 28, 2019, three pink teeter totters were placed on the border wall of Ciudad Juárez, Mexico and El Paso, Texas, which stands as the most-crossed border in the world and a continual site of political divide. For 45 minutes, these teeter-totters brought children and adults together to a wall that was made to…
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