Courtney Tait

Courtney Tait is a writer from Victoria, B.C. who lives in Portland. Read More

World Forestry Center Discovery Museum

Tree-huggers of all ages can find plenty of educational entertainment at this local museum.

Updated Jan. 26, 2025 4 min read Southwest Portland

Courtney Tait

Courtney Tait is a writer from Victoria, B.C. who lives in Portland. Read More

Tree and forest lovers of all ages can learn about sustainability and experience a Portland icon all in one trip by visiting the World Forestry Center Discovery Museum. The museum is located in Washington Park and is easily accessible by MAX Light Rail. The two-story, 20,000-square-foot (1,858 sq m) facility features Northwest Regional-style architecture and a range of interactive, forest-focused exhibits. Adults and young ones will learn and be entertained by various simulators and virtual tours.

The museum is one of three programs operated by the World Forestry Center. This nonprofit organization’s mission is to connect people to the importance of forests and sustainable forestry. Founded in 1966, the World Forestry Center was created to replace the Forestry Building, a majestic log structure built for the 1905 Lewis and Clark Exposition. After the original building was destroyed in a fire in 1964, its new facility was rebuilt near the Oregon Zoo.

Credit: Ashley Anderson, Travel Portland

Explore the World Forestry Center Discovery Museum

First Floor:

Pacific Northwest Forests

The World Forestry Center is dedicated to educating people about the importance of trees and forests worldwide. The first floor of the Discovery Museum, however, focuses specifically on forests of the Pacific Northwest. Learn about forest systems and cycles, their importance to streams and rivers and how Oregon’s forests are managed. Visitors from near and far can enhance their knowledge of the area’s forests and the unique role they play in the environment. Plus, learn how to operate a Timberjack harvester, discover animals beneath the forest floor or take a “wet-free” raft ride on the Clackamas River!

Second Floor:

Forests of the World

Head upstairs to learn about the connection between people and forests and how they interact worldwide. “Travel” to different regions throughout the exhibit, meeting humans who face first-hand the struggle to keep forests in their regions sustainable.

Family-Friendly Fun

The World Forestry Center Discovery Center is a great activity for kids. It features colorful educational displays, interactive exhibits, including videos and movies, and plenty of “hands-on” material, such as model vehicles that children can climb on and sit in. Check the World Forestry Center website for kid-friendly activities like crafting and story time, and be sure to ask at the front desk for a scavenger hunt that leads children through the displays.

Kid-Friendly Fun

Little ones will love exploring these Portland attractions.

More for the Whole Family

OMSI: Portland’s Interactive Science Museum

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 Zoo

Located just minutes from downtown Portland, the Oregon Zoo is home to more than 2,000 animals, including elephants, polar bears, rare condors and more.

Oaks Amusement Park

Offering carnival rides, midway games, a miniature golf course, a historic roller rink and more, Oaks Amusement Park has provided family fun since 1905.

Outside the Museum

There’s more to explore on the exterior of the Discovery Museum, too. Visitors can view a 10,000-pound (4,536 kg), 5-million-year-old petrified stump of a Giant Sequoia tree. Kids seeking hands-on fun can climb aboard Peggy, a vintage steam locomotive. The vehicle was originally built in 1909 and is now permanently parked outside the museum.

Nearby, Miller Hall is a charming 4,800-square-foot (446 sq m) event space and venue named for Harold A. Miller, who funded the reconstruction of the World Forestry Center in 1971. It offers space for weddings, meetings, classrooms or a theater.

Visit a Demonstration Forest

Visitors are welcome to visit Magness Memorial Tree Farm, the World Forestry Center’s demonstration forest and outdoor education site in Sherwood (located 35 minutes southwest of Portland). Donated in 1977 by residents Howard and Panzy Magness, the land was developed to demonstrate forest management. The farm features 2.5 miles (4 km) of hiking trails, streams, meadows and picnic areas.

Annual Fall Mushroom Show

Each October, the Oregon Mycological Society hosts the Fall Mushroom Show, a public event at Miller Hall for fans of fabulous fungi. The event features displays of mushroom specimens from around the region, offers speakers and opportunities to talk to mushroom experts, and has mushroom cooking demonstrations, a vendor’s market and children’s activities.