Cheap Things to Do in Portland for History Buffs
Experience Portland’s history without breaking your budget.
Emilly Prado
Emilly Prado is a writer, award-winning journalist and consultant living in Portland. Read More
To truly get to know Portland, it’s good to start with its historical roots. These beloved, longstanding local institutions and attractions allow you to explore Rose City’s history without busting your budget.
Morning
Breakfast in Old Town
Estimated cost: $7–10
Start your morning with diner classics like cheesy Denver omelets and decadent chicken-fried steak and eggs at John’s Café ($7–10, cash only). This retro, family-run breakfast joint in Portland’s oldest neighborhood is perfect for early birds. John and Kristina Kapsopoulos have served customers in their cozy establishment since 1973 and eagerly share stories of yesteryear.
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Know Before You Go
For any budget itinerary in Portland, we recommend getting an all-day TriMet pass ($5) good for the city’s public light rail, streetcar and bus.
Step Back in Time Downtown
Estimated cost: $5
Next, head to the Japanese American Museum of Oregon ($5) for an exploration of Oregon’s history of Nikkei, or people of Japanese descent living in the United States. Located in the heart of where Nihonmachi (Japantown) once stood, the center features a permanent exhibit that retraces the history of Japanese immigration and internment, while rotating exhibits have explored topics such as multi-generational storytelling, printmaking and photography. Walk around historic Old Town Chinatown with the aid of the free “Japantown PDX” app.
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Take a quick stroll through the South Park Blocks (free), a Dutch elm-lined corridor developed in the late 19th century. Two blocks south of the Oregon Historical Society (free to Multnomah County residents, with ID), you’ll find Director Park (free), a modern spin on the park blocks. This former parking lot turned European-style plaza features a seasonal wading fountain, family games and cultural events in the summer.
A couple of blocks west, you’ll arrive at the Multnomah County Central Library (free). Built in 1913, it’s the oldest library on the West Coast! Peruse the library’s expansive collection, gorgeous Georgian architecture and works by local zinesters. Between April and October, you may even be able to snag a spot on the library’s free eco-roof tour. General library tours are offered a couple of times a month, all year.
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Afternoon
Lunch in Northeast Portland
Estimated cost: $5–10
After all the knowledge-building works up your appetite, take TriMet bus line #6 to Northeast Portland’s Alberta Street for lunch. Budget-friendly choices include hefty, vegan burritos from family-owned El Nutri Taco ($6–10) or La Bonita ($5–9). Or opt for wings and jojos from popular corner store Alberta Street Market ($6).
Alberta Street Black Heritage Walk
Estimated cost: Free
After lunch, head to Northeast Alberta Street for an educational self-guided walking tour of the area’s rich Black history. Debuted in 2019, the Alberta Street Black Heritage Markers are a series of five markers commemorating the accomplishments and experiences of African American residents from the Alberta neighborhood. The markers stretch along Northeast Alberta Street from 11th to 24th avenues.
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Drink (And Dine) at School
Estimated cost: $10–12
End with dinner, drinks and educational entertainment at McMenamins Kennedy School. This quirky hotel and entertainment complex inhabits the refurbished site of a once-abandoned elementary school, originally constructed in 1915.
Happy hour offerings at the former school’s five bars and restaurants include $5 pints of brewed-on-site beer and pub fare like Cajun tater tots and cheeseburger sliders ($4.25–7). The Kennedy School hosts trivia twice a month and regular free history-themed events in the on-site movie theater, and offers a ceramic saltwater soaking pool ($5 per person, per hour) that’s open to non-hotel guests daily from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. (don’t forget your swimsuit and towel!).
Upcoming Free Events
There's no need to break the bank with these upcoming no-cost events.
Ticket to Dine
Portland’s “Ticket to Dine” offers patrons scratch-off tickets and a chance to win big prizes for the whole month of March.
Portland Saturday Market
Open every Saturday from March–December, Portland Saturday Market is the largest arts-and-crafts fair in the U.S.
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…
Easter Sunday at The Grotto
Celebrate Easter Sunday at The Grotto, a serene woodland sanctuary in Northeast Portland featuring 62 acres of botanical gardens. Mass celebrating Easter Sunday of the Resurrection of the Lord will occur at 8 a.m., 10 a.m. and Noon. The Easter Procession starts at 6:30 a.m. The main entrance is located at NE 85th Avenue and Sandy…
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…
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.
Fertile Ground Festival
See Portland's newest theater and dance works every January at the annual Fertile Ground Festival.
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….
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…
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.
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,…
West Coast Giant Pumpkin Regatta
This annual race series consists of paddlers piloting a gaggle of gigantic gourds through a watercourse.
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…
Portland Tartare Tour
Westward Whiskey's weeklong celebration of unique tartare and cocktail pairings across a handful of revered Portland dining destinations. From March 18 – 24, five restaurants will pair Westward Whiskey with the rich, savory and meaty flavors of a bespoke tartare offering. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of each cocktail will support a…
OSA Member + Rental Sales Gallery Show
This exhibition presents a cross-section of the artists and creative individuals that comprise two of the region’s most established institutions. Whether you paint, print, draw, etc, see work made by OSA and RSG Members. The exhibition seeks to be a snapshot of the exciting work being made by artists of these institutions. Opening Reception: March…
Work After Work
PDX CONTEMPORARY ART is pleased to present Work After Work, an exhibition featuring work by past and current gallery staff. Many employees working in the arts are artists themselves. This exhibition spotlights PDX staff's talent, vision, and creativity — presenting the work made when the work at the gallery is done for the day. …
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…
Photos With the Bunny
The Easter Bunny is back at Washington Square starting on March 1. Visit the Bunny in Summit Court. Pre-book your photo packages now. Schedule Your Photo Experience to Meet the Easter Bunny Pre-booking is recommended to help reduce wait time, and it’s easy: Book your visit Arrive at the set at the assigned time, Select…
Synaesthesia #1 | Group Show reception
Artists were given a portion of a poem, a sound, a scent, a flavor, a texture, and an image — and were asked to create a new original artwork by mixing them all up. Results? Amazing and amazingly multi-sensorial. Check out what the artists came up with in response to this most unusual challenge/prompt. Meet the…
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.
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
General knowledge trivia combines movie clips, sound effects, pictures and popular music to give players a one-of-a-kind two-hour experience. The pace is relaxed, so there is plenty of time to buy food and drink. Win gift cards and more. Free to play, show up early to get a spot.
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…
Jazz at Jo Bar
Jo Bar is jazzed (pun intended) to once again have live music flowing every Wednesday and Sunday. No cover, but it is suggested to make a reservation if you'd like a table. 12/13 — Mary Flower & The BBQ Boys, 12/17— Bossa PDX, 12/20 — Rebecca Kilgore, 12/27 — Beleza Project, 1/10 — Ryan Meagher Quartet, 1/14 — Christopher Woitach's Pedal…
PSU Laptop Ensemble Winter Concert
Come experience PSU Sonic Arts Music Production Laptop Ensemble, SAMPLe, as they give a collaborative winter concert showcasing original compositions exploring computer-mediated instruments, sound synthesis programming, and live interactive performance.
Kim Slate – Backyard Habitat
Even from a young age growing up in Eastern Washington, Kim Slate had a fascination with the creation of images and the power they had to capture the imagination and elicit emotion. The encouragement of her interests and talents led her to study animation where the power of images are amplified by story. After graduation, she applied her…
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…
Schnitzer Collection
Grab the opportunity to witness world-renowned artists, typically showcased in global art hubs like New York, LA, London, or Paris, right here at your doorstep. The Jordan Schnitzer Family Foundation proudly presents an expansive teaching collection, exceeding 22,000 works. This collection features influential contemporary artists such as Hank Willis Thomas, Kehinde Wiley, and Mickalene Thomas,…
Japonisme and Francophilia: A History of Clothing and Cultural Exchange
Dating back to the 1850’s, French and Japanese cultural exchange has allowed for a flourishing of shared aesthetics in clothing, art, and more. Both France and Japan have a long history of idealizing the beauty of each other’s cultures, resulting in a transfusion of aesthetics that bridge the gap of geography. This talk will consider…
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+
Microdose 4
In a culture that often emphasizes getting all things bigger or in large amounts beholds a surprising truth that an emotion or physiological reaction can come from something so tiny… Artists: Amy Earles / Andi Soto / Cat Rabbit / Creature Creature / Chloe Niclas / Deth Sun / Diego Penuela / Erick Martinez /…
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,…
Spring Makers Market
Join Triskelee Farm for a fantastic day of creativity and fun. The Spring Makers Market is a must-visit event for all craft enthusiasts. Get ready to discover unique handmade treasures, support local artisans, and indulge in delicious treats. With a wide variety of vendors showcasing their talent, you'll find everything from stunning jewelry to beautifully…
Portland Black Vendors Market
The Portland Black Vendors Market is a market to showcase underrepresented Black businesses in PDX and provides space and access for Black businesses to not only vend but to also get more access in the downtown area. Teaming up with the Cartblocks which is a well known location that provides opportunities for many communities….
Alan Ostrow Memorial Talk: Black Photographers in Portland
In honor of the historic Black Artists of Oregon exhibition, The Alan Ostrow Memorial talk closes the show with a panel discussion that centers Black photographic practices in the Portland area. Join curator and photographer, Intisar Abioto, for a moderated discussion that examines the importance of Black image-making in rectifying historic narratives and affirming Black communal legacies…
Black Artists of Oregon: Ceremony Of Our Black Continuance, Perpetuity
Marking the closing of Black Artists of Oregon, visitors are invited to the Stott Gallery platform for a closing ceremony and artist performances celebrating the perpetuity of Black arts lineages, of Black livingness, of Black arts life.
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