Kids are allowed in Hopscotch, but the focus is for adults to have a place to be playful too. | Photo by Hopscotch
Museums are the cultural hubs of Portland. Whether you’re looking to learn something new about the City of Roses or plotting a way to spend your Saturday afternoon, here are 25 museums to visit in our city.
History
Japanese American Museum of Oregon | $5+
Formerly known as the Oregon Nikkei Legacy Center — “nikkei” means a Japanese emigrant and their descendants who are not citizens of Japan — this cultural research institution inside the Naito Center highlights life in Portland’s Nihonmachi (Japantown) and the ramifications of Executive Order 9066.
Arts
Hopscotch | $15+
Immerse yourself in this spectacular newcomer to Portland’s Goat Blocks. Each room holds a mind-bending experience, including a cosmic trampoline, laser graffiti, an out-of-body VR playroom, a rainbow ball pit... we could go on, but you need to discover it for yourself.
We want to hear your local first date stories — send us your romantic (or not so romantic) tales and we just might shout you out in an upcoming newsletter.
Washington County Fair | Thursday, July 24-Sunday, July 27 | Times vary | 801 NE 34th Ave., Hillsboro | Free | It’s your last weekend to head out to the fair for games, animal demonstrations, activities, and more.
Portland Sketch Comedy Festival | Thursday, July 24-Saturday, July 26 | 7 p.m. | Siren Theater | $18+ | Prepare for three nights of belly laughing at jokes from local and visiting comedians.
Friday, July 25
Cloud Forest Washington Park Volunteer Event | 10 a.m.-12 p.m. | Washington Park | Free | Lend a hand with weeding and gardening to keep the park’s Cloud Forest in ship-shape condition — volunteers will meet near the restroom building by the Oregon Holocaust Memorial entrance.
Santa’s Jingle Bash | 2-4 p.m. | Sprinkles of Joy Bakery, Newberg | Free | Celebrate Christmas in July with Tropical Santa and kid-friendly activities, including cookie decorating and an ornament scavenger hunt.
Saturday, July 26
Unity Center Walk-Fest | 10 a.m. | 11818 SE Mill Plain Blvd., Vancouver, WA | $25+ | The annual walk-a-thon — which includes vendors, games, and live performances — supports the Unity Center’s summer camps and year-round youth initiatives.
Basking with Books | 1-4 p.m. | Esther Short Park, Vancouver, WA | Free | Meet local authors, munch on snacks, and read among other bibliophiles in the park, just north of the Salmon Run installation — BYO book.
Sunday, July 27
Pretty Powerful Girls’ Day Out | 11 a.m.-2 p.m. | The Oregon Golf Club, West Linn | $35+ | This fundraiser event hosted by Fighting Pretty, a local nonprofit supporting women with cancer, includes beverages and bites, vendors, speakers, and raffle prizes.
Forest Grove’s Vintage Pop-Up | 11 a.m.-4 p.m. | Zesti Food Carts, Forest Grove | Free | Find something new — to you, at least — at this one-day pop-up ft. clothing and other goods.
Set on scenic Sauvie Island, these unforgettable evenings unfold among fields of fruits, veggies, flowers, and animals. Each dish bursts with flavor, thanks to the farm’s deep commitment to regenerative growing practices.
From the moment you cross Wapato Bridge, you’ll be swept into a magical experience where the land, the meal, and the moment come together.
Snag tickets to an upcoming dinner before the season ends.
Portland Dream Plaza, a community space featuring skateboard ramps, basketball hoops, and public art, opened in Central Eastside this week. The space created by Dream Big City will house the nonprofit’s weekly Fan Jam block parties for at least the next year. (KGW)
Arts
Speaking of Central Eastside, a new, 2,000-sqft mural pays homage to the neighborhood’s industrial history. The 54-ft-tall on the side of the Eastbank Commerce Center took five weeks for muralist Alicia Schultz to complete, and depicts colorful, stacked cargo boxes. (FOX 12)
Sports
ICYMI, after two years away, Damian Lillard will return to the Trail Blazers’ roster this season. Catch up on the news and hear more of the biggest stories every day from the local experts of the Portland Trail Blazers with Locked On’s daily podcasts.
Open
In-N-Out, but make it vegan. That’s the aim for Face Plant, a new fast food burger joint in North Portland. The fully plant-based menu features burgers, nuggets, fries, and handspun shakes.
State
Most new, out-of-state Portland residents are moving to our city from Seattle and the Bay Area, according to U-Haul’s Midyear Migration Report. Within Oregon, top migration comes from Salem and Eugene. To all our new Portlanders out there, wherever you come from: Welcome.
Coming Soon
Goodbye, Baon Kainan food cart, hello, Baon Kainan restaurant. The Filipino food cart on Alberta Street will close tomorrow, July 25 and reopen a brick-and-mortar in The Hoxton hotel on Wednesday, Sept. 3. The residency is initially slated to last six months, but may be extended. (Eater Portland)
Try This
Ready for adventure? Ride Portland Spirit’s 7 Wonders of the Gorge on the Explorer Jetboat — an exhilarating, scenic tour of the Columbia Gorge offered nine times weekly through September. Save your spot.*
Home
Have a project you’ve been itching to work on? Think: bathroom renovation, upgrading your HVAC system, or maybe a backyard makeover. Wondering how to pay for it? Hint: A HELOC isn’t the only way to access your home’s equity. Enter: Unison.*
Despite being the No. 1 myth about reverse mortgages, the lender never owns the home if the owner passes away — heirs still inherit it and any leftover equity. See how these top lenders can help retirees cover home improvements (and even other expenses) without dipping into retirement funds.*
Biz
Straightforward, transparent, and low stress. That’s how one business described our self-service ad portal. No sales pressure. No hidden fees. Just you, your message, and the tools to get it out there — your way. Get started.
Fun Fact
Amazon Prime isn’t all about fast shipping + streaming. Check out these nine hidden perks that will completely transform how you shop and save as a Prime member.*
Finance
Finance
From Italy to a Nasdaq reservation
Presented by Pacaso
Pacaso plans to expand to Italy. | Photo provided by Pacaso
How do you follow a record-setting year? By getting stronger.
Take Pacaso. Their real estate co-ownership tech set records in Paris and London in 2024. No surprise. Coldwell Banker says 40% of wealthy Americans plan to buy abroad within a year, so Pacaso’s planned Italy expansion is big.
They’ve already made $110 million+ in gross profits to date, including 41% YoY growth last year. (They even reserved the Nasdaq ticker PCSO.) And you can invest for $2.90/share. †‡
RIP, Prince of Darkness. Black Sabbath rock legend Ozzy Osbourne, 76, died earlier this week. Osbourne performed several times in Portland, including at the Portland Memorial Coliseum during the 1982 “Diary of a Madman” tour, as depicted in this archival footage from KGW.
But that wasn’t the only time he visited the City of Roses. The Great Ozz first visited Portland in 1976 for the “Technical Ecstasy” tour, and came back at least eight times afterward, most recently in 2007.
A deluxe four-piece lunch set by BENTGO, currently 20% off on Nordstrom Rack. Your meal prep dreams are about to realized with these stackable, divided lunch containers, built-in matching utensils, and a water-resistant pouch that keeps food warm or cool for hours.
The fun doesn’t have to end here. After reading the newsletter, head over to our games page. Games refresh with new challenges every day at 6 a.m. from crossword puzzle to Sudoku to themed word search.
Have you ever seen Ozzy Osbourne perform in Portland? I’d love to hear about your experience.
And even if you didn’t catch Ozzy in PDX, let me know what the best shows you’ve seen in the city are.
‡This is a paid advertisement for Pacaso’s Regulation A offering. Please read the offering circular at invest.pacaso.com. Reserving a ticker symbol is not a guarantee that the company will go public. Listing on the NASDAQ is subject to approvals. Under Regulation A+, a company has the ability to change its share price by up to 20%, without requalifying the offering with the SEC.
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