Pioneer Courthouse Square

We all love a free tour and this introduction to Portland was a perfect one. What’s the tour, you ask? Well, it’s the Secrets of Portlandia tour of course! The walk covers all of the weird facts, sites, and signs that make Portland the crazy fun city it is. Eric’s personality really makes the walk downtown an enjoyable one. The tour ends at Vodoo Doughnuts and across the street is the Keep Portland Weird sign for those irresistibly awkward photo ops! Note: This tour doesn’t discuss the show at all. I’m actually really surprised nobody has jumped on the bandwagon and decided to do a tour spotting the highlights of the show. Eric, our tour guide, points this out in the beginning of the tour.

The local food movement has been rapidly evolving in Portland since the 1990s. Today it has taken hold of the shopping scene with more markets than you can count on both hands! Now an integral part of life here, you can find a market almost anytime during the week—even a special winter market. Working directly with local farmers and producers, the self-sustaining market community is dedicated to helping each other. True to that spirit, the official Portland Farmers Market (PFM) even promotes and provides information on the area’s other markets (including specialty and seasonal events) as well! Visit its website for great things to do.