Search Portland Museums
Portland is packed with cultural interests and exhibitions, even in the streets.
Portland is home to incredible art, from sidewalk galleries to cultural institutions to the West Coast’s most outstanding fine art exhibitions. This city’s rich creative community displays a wide range of art, history, culture and curiosities, offering visitors and locals many things to do in and around Portland.
Must-See Museums
Want to spend a whole day at one of Portland’s most memorable institutions? The Portland Art Museum and OMSI are must-visit destinations for visitors, couples and families. Although the Portland Children’s Museum closed in 2021, there are plenty of all-ages activities at these heavy-hitters to keep you and the kids occupied for hours.
Portland Art Museum
The Portland Art Museum (PAM) is Oregon’s largest museum, spanning two historic buildings in downtown’s South Park Blocks. It features a wide variety of art from multiple periods and regions, rotating exhibitions and Native American and Pacific Coast art, featuring outstanding works by Native American art masters such as Allan Houser, Charles Edenshaw, and Maria Martinez. The Portland Art Museum’s permanent collection galleries will close in 2024 for construction, but special exhibitions and the museum gift store remain open.
Visiting the museum with children? The Portland Art Museum published this handy guide to visiting a museum with kids. They also offer workshops and family days; check the calendar for more details.
OMSI (Oregon Museum of Science and Industry)
Just across the river is OMSI (Oregon Museum of Science and Industry), Portland’s science museum. Visitors to OMSI can study the cosmos in the planetarium, watch movie screenings in a large-screen theater, tour a retired Navy submarine, and visit permanent and traveling exhibits to learn about physics, nature and the human body. At night, OMSI’s 21+ “After Dark” events pair science with beer and wine.
Modern Galleries and Museums
Take in the latest contemporary art, performance and design at these Portland galleries and museums.
Art and Culture Museums in Portland
These art and culture museums pay tribute to the rich cultural heritage and lived experience of the diverse peoples of Portland and Oregon.
Portland Chinatown Museum
The Portland Chinatown Museum is a permanent 2,400-square-foot exhibition gallery that tells the story of Portland’s early Chinese immigrants. Located in Old Town Chinatown, its front galleries display work by contemporary Asian American artists. Previous exhibitions at the Portland Chinatown Museum have explored the history of Chinese-owned businesses and iconic Chinatown buildings and highlighted the work of previously unknown Portland-born Chinese American artist Bue Jack Kee. Docent-led group tours are available by reservation only.
Japanese American Museum of Oregon
The Japanese American Museum of Oregon (JAMO) opened its new museum in May 2021 in Old Town Chinatown after purchasing a property within the bounds of Portland’s historic Japantown. The location displays a permanent exhibition about early Japanese immigration to Oregon and the Japanese immigrant experience during World War II. In 1942, after the signing of Executive Order 9066, over 110,000 people of Japanese ancestry living along the West Coast were incarcerated by the military. JAMO is near the Japanese American Historical Plaza on the Willamette River waterfront and has sculptures, boulders carved with poetry and a large stand of cherry blossom trees.
Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education
Located in Old Town Chinatown, the Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education (OJMCHE) is dedicated to Oregon Jewish stories. In addition to a series of public programming, including lectures and film screenings, OJMCHE has permanent and rotating exhibitions featuring contemporary art, a history of the Holocaust that employs the stories of Oregon survivors and installations addressing human rights.
The Oregon Holocaust Memorial in Washington Park is free and open to the public from dawn until dark every day of the year and is ADA-accessible.
Hellenic American Cultural Center and Museum
The Hellenic-American Cultural Center and Museum (HACCM) presents stories and artifacts about the Greek-American experience in Oregon and Washington. Its permanent display includes pottery, paintings, textiles, traditional dress and other artifacts, and its collection includes works by Greek artists, including Tom Stefopoulos, the artist of the Lovejoy Column murals.
HACCM is open Tuesday through Friday, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. or by appointment; admission is free.
Center for Native Arts and Cultures
In 2021, the Native Arts and Cultures Foundation (NACF) received the gift of the Yale Union Laundry building, which will become the new headquarters for NACF and has been renamed the Center for Native Arts and Cultures.
Currently, the NACF offers monthly building tours and hosts regular exhibitions, film screenings, artist talks and master artist workshops.
Family-Friendly Museums
Entertain and educate the whole family with these attractions and activities.
Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI)
With its huge exhibit halls, interactive science labs, multiple auditoriums, “After Dark” events and more, the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI) lures visitors of all ages.
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.
World Forestry Center Discovery Museum
Tree- and forest-lovers of all ages can learn about the importance of sustainability and experience a Portland icon at the World Forestry Center Discovery Museum, with exhibits on local and global forests.
Historical Museums in Portland
Portland and Oregon have a rich history and boast several educational and inspirational museums and cultural heritage centers.
Pittock Mansion
The beautiful Pittock Mansion, located in the northwest hills near Forest Park and the Portland Japanese Garden, is the historic home of Henry Pittock, a pioneer on the Oregon Trail. Pittock worked at and eventually ran “The Oregonian” newspaper. In the early 1900s, he built Pittock Mansion, which was opened to the public in 1965 as a historic house museum. Today, visitors can stroll the grounds of Pittock Mansion for free and tour the interior of the building, dressed with period furnishings, for a fee.
Oregon Maritime Museum
Credit: Ashley Anderson
The Oregon Maritime Museum is housed in “Portland,” the historic sternwheeler moored on the Willamette River. The boat is the last steam-powered sternwheel tug to operate in the United States, using the same technology from the turn of the 20th century. Visitors tour the steamer, including the pilot house and engine room, and can view ship models, maritime artifacts, and displays about steam power, sailing vessels, and the liberty ships of World War II.
Five Oaks Museum
About a half hour outside Portland, the Five Oaks Museum on the PCC Rock Creek Campus tells the story of the Tualatin Valley, its residents, and its native plant and animal species.
The Five Oaks Museum is open Thursdays through Saturdays from noon to 4 p.m.; visitors in small groups of 10 or fewer must make a reservation through the official site. Admission is free with a suggested $5 or $10 donation for adults.
Oregon Rail Heritage Center
The Oregon Rail Heritage Center is an indoor museum with historic exhibits and multiple restored vintage trains, including old steam and diesel locomotives, and a gift shop. Visitors can hear stories from the volunteers staffing the museum and take a 45-minute ride on a train on Saturdays from March through October.
The Oregon Rail Heritage Center is open Thursday through Sunday, 1 p.m.-5 p.m. Admission to the center is free; train rides are ticketed, and prices vary.
Oregon Historical Society
Credit: Justin Katigbak, Travel Portland
The Oregon Historical Society in the downtown Park Blocks has three floors of exhibitions relating to Oregon history, including rare photographs, documents and artifacts, including the “Portland Penny,” the 1835 American copper penny that was used in an 1845 coin toss to name the new town of Portland, and a gift shop for Portland and Oregon souvenirs.
End of the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center
About a half hour outside of Portland, in Oregon City, visitors can learn about the Oregon Trail at the End of the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center. The museum and interpretive center is at the end of the 2,000-mile-long (3219 km) Oregon Trail, which began in Missouri. It has exhibits of artifacts, educational films, a garden, and a gift shop. Activities for children include candle-making, packing a wagon and period costumes.
Keep Portland’s Museums Weird
Explore this collection of offbeat museums offering strange exhibits and extraordinary experiences.
Nature Museums in Portland
These museums, exhibition spaces and gardens pay tribute to the wonderful nature surrounding the city of Portland.
The World Forestry Center & Discovery Museum
Credit: Ashley Anderson
The World Forestry Center & Discovery Museum, a family-friendly indoor museum in Portland’s Washington Park, explores the sustainability of forests and trees through various interactive displays and exhibits. Visitors can explore many exhibitions, including learning about the animals in the forests of the Pacific Northwest, exploring different types of forests around the world, and viewing photos and clippings of the “World’s Largest Log Cabin” from the 1905 Lewis and Clark Exposition. Visitors can also view “Peggy the Train,” a 42-ton Lima Shay-geared locomotive, and a five million-year-old, 10,000-pound petrified tree stump.
Hoyt Arboretum
Credit: Diego Diaz
In Washington Park, Portland’s botanical garden, Hoyt Arboretum, is “a living museum of trees,” with over 6,000 trees in its living collection. There are 2,300 species of trees from six continents, including 67 species listed as rare or endangered. Just minutes from downtown Portland, there are 12 miles (19.3 km) of hiking trails through 190 acres (77 hectares). Common evolutionary ancestors group trees together, and visitors can enjoy trees with each season, like blooming magnolias in spring, scented conifers in summer and colorful maple leaves in fall.
The Hoyt Arboretum grounds are open from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily, and there is no fee for admission.
Tryon Creek State Natural Area
Credit: Ashley Anderson
Tryon Creek State Natural Area, located about 15 minutes from downtown Portland, is a green area with 658 acres (266.3 hectares) of second-growth forests, 8 miles (12.9 km) of hiking trails, eight bridges and a boardwalk over a wetland. Visitors can look for birds and wildlife along gently sloping paved trails, spot flowers during a hike, or ride bikes through the paved paths as part of Portland’s metropolitan area bikeway system 40-mile loop.
Tryon Creek State Natural Area is open for day use year-round. Details may change; please see the official site for current information.
Rice Northwest Museum of Rocks and Minerals
The Rice Northwest Museum of Rocks and Minerals is located in Hillsboro, Oregon, about 25 minutes west of downtown Portland. The museum is home to the “Alma Rose” Rhodochrosite from the Sweet Home Mine in Alma, Colorado and has a gallery of minerals, a museum gift shop and grounds with trails and a rock pile for kids to dig through.
Visual Arts in Portland
Feast your eyes on more visual arts wonders across the city.
Portland Art Gallery Scene
Art enthusiasts will find a dose of inspiration in Portland’s tight-knit independent gallery scene.
Explore Portland’s Immersive Art Experiences
From a “quantum trampoline” at Hopscotch Portland to a larger-than-life troll, get a taste of the region’s immersive art exhibits.
Explore Southeast Portland’s Little Free Landmarks
Walk or bike through Southeast Portland to visit quirky sidewalk art galleries, little free libraries and more.
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