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When It Rains in Portland
So you’ve come to Portland, excited to see this amazing mecca of all that is funky and weird, and as you gaze out the window you realize it’s going to be a cold and wet day. You check the forecast and realize it’s going to be like that all week long! Welcome to Portland. There’s still a lot that you can see and enjoy even when Portland’s weather isn’t cooperating with your plans. All you will need is a pair of rain boots, a jacket and an umbrella and you will be set to go!
The Pacific Northwest is known to get warm and dry summers, and wet winters. On average there are 144 sunny days in Portland and the annual average temperature is 71 F. Portland is close to the mountains and the coast which means the weather can change quickly but its also moderate. The rain keeps everything fresh, green and lush!
We’ve been living in the PNW for most of our lives and we love it. I (Katie) grew up in Spokane, WA where we didn’t get as much rain as in Portland. Ever since I moved to the Portland area when we got married in 2015, I’ve been learning to appreciate the rainy days!
What to Wear
I quickly learned that I needed to have my three essentials in the Pacific Northwest. My rain-boots, rain jacket and an umbrella! With those three things you are pretty much set up for success!
Here are some of our favorite things to have:
Everlane
Recently, Everlane launched their new Rainboot which are perfect for city walking and adventures outdoors!
I’m in love with my new rain boots in the “Surplus” color. They are so comfortable. I can be in them pretty much all day and not get soaked!
One of the things that I love about Everlane is that they approach everything from a very ethical way. They find the best factories to work with and build strong personal relationships. They are super transparent about it and make sure that the workers are paid fair wages, work reasonable hours and are in a good environment. The quality of the clothes is designed to last and are made with the finest materials. Lastly, they believe that their customers have a right to know how much their clothes cost to make. They reveal the true costs behind all of their products. Isn’t that awesome! I love when companies are making a difference in fashion and in the world.
The goal with the new Rainboot was to make them comfortable, easy to put on and some thing you can wear around town and on your outdoor adventures. They are made from flexible, easy to clean rubber and they have a custom designed cushion insole for comfort. You guys, they are awesome and I wear them at least a few times a week!
I decided to give them a test while exploring Portland!
A lot of the ideas in this post have come from our personal experience and other ideas have been recommended and researched. I hope that your Portland adventures continue even if it’s a rainy day!
Go Soak at a Soaking Pool
McMenamins has some of the the best soaking pools! There are three locations that have beautiful outdoor pools that you can enjoy. They keep them at a warm and comfortable temperature to enjoy even on colder days. The pools are open to the public and hotel guests. Just make sure to check in what times they are open to the public. Kids are welcome too, again just check the hours. At the Kennedy School and The Grand Lodge, you can get in for $5. Now, that’s a deal!
Soaking Pool at Kennedy School
General public- over age 18 welcome daily, 10 a.m. ’til 8 p.m.
General public supervised minors welcome daily, 11 a.m. ’til 6 p.m.
10 p.m. ’til 11 p.m. is “Quiet Hour”
Cost: $5 per person per hour
5736 N.E. 33rd Ave., Portland, OR 97211
Soaking Pool at Edgefield
Open daily from 7 a.m. ’til 11 p.m.
21 & over after 8 p.m.
Hotel & Ruby’s Spa guests only
2126 S.W. Halsey St., Troutdale, OR 97060
Soaking Pool at The Grand Lodge
General Public-adults (with valid photo ID) & supervised minors welcome daily, 10 a.m. ’til 8 p.m.
10 p.m. ’til 11 p.m. is “Quiet Hour”
Cost: $5 per person per hour
3505 Pacific Ave., Forest Grove, OR 97116
Other places to go soaking-
Common Ground Wellness Center, Löyly, Knot Springs.
Visit a Hot Springs
There are some amazing hot springs not too far from Portland. If you have time and want to make a day out of it here are some that you can check out,
Bagby Hot Springs- Just under two hours away from Portland in the Mt. Hood National Forest. Very rustic but still amazing! Get their earlier and you can get your own private tub.
Cougar Hot Springs– Closer to Eugene and a quarter mile into the Willamette National Forest. There are five serene cascading pools to enjoy.
Umpqua Hot Springs- Located in the central Oregon Cascades. Three descending pools perched on a mineral deposit.
Carson Hot Springs– Located on the Washington side. It’s a beautiful drive along the Columbia River Gorge. Features an authentic bathhouse experience. They have mineral water pumps that are directed into the tubs for a healing bath!
Belknap Hot Springs- If wild hot springs isn’t your thing then you might want to check out Belknap Hot Springs. They have two pools to enjoy and the McKenzie River is in close proximity.
Breitenbush Hot Springs- Two hours southeast of downtown Portland. A perfect retreat for adults.
Go to a Spa
A rainy day is a perfect time to relax and pamper yourself a little bit. Any of the McMenamins have great Spas to enjoy. You can also check out Löyly, Common Ground Wellness Center, Knot Springs for some of their deals on massages and facials. If you’re on a budget, look up some of the deals on Groupon!
Drink Coffee or Tea at a Local Coffee Shop
Portland is known for good coffee! You can basically find a coffee shop on every corner. Why not go enjoy a good cup of coffee on a rainy day? Maybe bring along a friend, a book, or journal.
Some of our favorites:
Insomnia Coffee, Heart Coffee Roasters, Stumptown Coffee Roasters, Good Coffee, Presso Coffeehouse, Society Hotel, Tea Bar, Smith Tea, Townshend’s Tea Company…
Some of the ones we would like to try- Case Study Coffee, Coava, Tov, Tabor Space, Cathedral Coffee and so much more!!!
Watch a Movie at a “Living Room” Movie Theatre
There are a few different ones that you can go to. These theaters offer unique seating and food! The tickets range and aren’t too expensive. Here are some of our favorites that we have been to,
McMennamins Kennedy School Theatre, McMennamins Grand Lodge Theatre, McMennamins Power Station Theatre at Edgefield, and Living Room Theatre Portland.
Go Thrift Store Shopping
Portland has many awesome thrift stores where you can find great deals on lightly used clothes or other things. Some of the best places to go thrift store shopping,
Goodwill, House of Vintage, Artifact, Buffalo Exchange, Yo Vintage! Also, checkout NW 23rd Avenue Portland for some great boutique stores!
Read Books at Powells City of Books
You can seriously get lost at Powells City of Books, but thankfully there’s a map of the whole place! If its your first time there, wander the floors and then go grab some coffee at their in-store cafe. If you’ve been before, go checkout a floor you haven’t been to before.
Explore and Buy a New Plant at a Nursery
There’s some beautiful nursery’s to visit! There’s even one with a cafe! Check out Pistil Nursery on Mississippi Ave or go check out Cistus nursery on Sauvi Island.
Cornell Farm has some amazing plants and a cafe inside with food and coffee!
Check out some other fun trips in Oregon
Visit a Museum or an Art Gallery
Visiting a local museum is a perfect way to appreciate art and the local area! Start with the Portland Art Museum.
1219 SW Park Ave, Portland, OR 97205
It’s a great one to visit! They offer free museum admission on the first Thursday of every month from 5-8pm. Also, if you visit on the first full weekend of the month, just show your Bank of America or Merrill Lynch credit or debit card and you will receive free admission.
Walk through the Japanese Garden with an Umbrella
If you still want to enjoy the outdoors, grab an umbrella and head over to the Japanese Garden. It will most likely have less people during a rainy day and will feel more peaceful!
611 SW Kingston Ave., Portland, Oregon 97205
Go Tea Tasting
Go tea tasting at the historic tasting room of Steven Smith Teamaker. Enjoy a freshly steeped pot of tea or try a flight of delicious selections.
Steven Smith Teamaker
110 SE Washington St.
Portland, OR
Eat Fresh Donuts
Okay! Portland has some of our favorite donuts! We will forever be stuffing our faces with Pips Original Donuts! They also have a nice selection of homemade chai and coffee. Oh and if it’s your birthday you get a free dozen.
Also, our recent favorites from Blue Star Donuts have been the Raspberry Buttermilk, Lemon and Poppyseed and their Bourbon signature donut! Yum!
Check out Ace Hotel
Grab Coffee at Stumptown Coffee Roasters and head on over right next door to Ace Hotel. Explore where its open to the public. It’s a pretty cool place. In the upstairs area you can leave a note, or read the thousands of notes left by people before you.
ACE Hotel Portland
1022 Southwest Harvey Milk Street, Portland, OR 97205
Go on a Tour of the Pittock Mansion
The Pittock Mansion is a historic house museum that has a lot of Portland’s history. It’s a great place to visit on a rainy day. If it clears up you can see beautiful views of Portland from there.
3229 NW Pittock Dr, Portland, OR 97210
Try Something New at some of the Portland Food Carts
Did you know that Portland has over 500 food carts that are open at any given time! They are usually organized into pods where you can find several carts in the same location. There’s even a website dedicated to Portland’s Food Carts.
Some of our favorites are located on 4233 N Mississippi Ave & Alder St. Food Cart Pod and Cartopia.
Check out this article for some more Portland Food Cart inspo!
Go Dancing
There is always something going on so go check out Portland Dancing and learn some new moves!
Check out the exhibitions at OMSI
There is something to do here for all ages. If you’re not a museum/ science loving type of person, check out the Theatre! Apparently, its the biggest screen in Portland.
1945 SE Water Ave, Portland, OR 97214
Take a Cooking Class
Get hands on at Portland’s Culinary Workshop and cook up something delicious. They have classes at different levels to choose from. Anything from learning to make sushi to learning how to bake bread!
Do an Escape Room
Escape rooms have become quite popular and there’s many too choose from! Check out
Escape Games PDX, Hour to Midnight, Labyrinth Escape Games.
Here is an article that outlines some of Portland’s best.
Go to an Arcade
Why not go to an arcade for some games and pizza! Check out Ground Kontrol Classic Arcade, or QuarterWorld for some fun!
Go Rock Climbing
If you’ve been rock climbing before you know that its pretty amazing! On the other hand, if you’ve never tried it before you should totally consider it. It’s safe and it’s not as hard as you think. Portland has some awesome gyms that you can visit. You can even take a beginner’s class where you will learn everything you need to know about rock climbing.
Here are some for you to check out, Portland Rock Gym, Planet Granite, The Circuit Bouldering Gym, Stoneworks Climbing Gym in Beaverton, and The Source Climbing Center in Vancouver WA.
Go Top Golfing
We recently went top golfing and absolutely loved it! It’s a perfect place to go hang out with a group of friends or family on a rainy day. You get your own bay area, golfing clubs, there’s food & drinks and even a heat lamp right above the seating area.
5505 NE Huffman St, Hillsboro, OR 97124
Indoor Karting at K1 Speed
If you enjoy go karting, then you’ll definitely like the all-electric go-karting at K1 Speed, Hillsboro. It’s not too far from Portland and located near Top Golf.
5579 NE Huffman St Suite 2, Hillsboro, OR 97124
Go Roller Skating at Oaks Park
The Oaks Park roller skating rink is a part of the amusement park. The amusement park itself has mini golf, rides, games, and more. It’s affordable and fun! The open skate session admission is only $7.50
7805 SE Oaks Park Way, Portland, OR 97202
Eat a soul warming bowl of PHO
A rainy day + warm bowl of Pho= Happy! Portland has lots of places to enjoy a bowl of Pho. Some of Portland’s best are, Fish Sauce, Pho Oregon, Pho An, Pho Van and there’s others!
Check out this article for the best Pho in Portland!
Take a Fun Craft & DIY Workshop
Take a fun craft and DIY workshop at Assembly PDX. They offer many affordable unique and fun crafty and diy workshops.
Take an Online Class just for fun
We’ve done this a couple times now and its been super fun! We’ve been using Skillshare. They have thousands of videos to choose from! Also, our followers get two months FREE!
Another great place to take courses is through MasterClass! They create classes for students of all different levels.
Check out some of these:
Jodie Foster Teaches Filmmaking
Gordon Ramsay Teaches Cooking II: Restaurant Recipes at Home
Thomas Keller Teaches Cooking Techniques
Samuel L. Jackson Teaches Acting
Jimmy Chin Teaches Adventure Photography
Lastly, if you love photography, videography or want to improve your business in any way, check out CreativeLive! They have amazing and affordable classes that are taught by top professionals! They also have free classes that air during the day! Check Out CreativeLive’s Free On-Air Classes
Check out some of these:
Turn Your Etsy® Shop into a Sales Machine Course at CreativeLive
Build a Successful Creative Blog Course at CreativeLive
Mastering People Skills Classes at CreativeLive
Portrait Photography Classes at CreativeLive
Take a Road Trip out to the Coast and Visit the Tillamook Cheese Factory
Take a day trip out to the coast and visit the Tillamook Cheese Factory. You can take the self-guided tour and see how the cheese is packaged, taste delicious cheese samples, stock up on some cheese and have lunch at their cafe. Oh and did I mention they have ice-cream too?!
4165 N Hwy 101, Tillamook, OR 97141
Do a Fun Portland Experience on Airbnb
If you haven’t noticed already Airbnb has this cool option of not only booking a place but also booking an experience in that city. There’s some really fun experiences that you can be part of and most aren’t too expensive. Check it out! https://www.airbnb.com/experiences
Get $55 towards your next stay with airbnb.com
Portland On A Rainy Day
Portland has it all! There’s lots of do even on a rainy day. Just remember to dress for the weather and have fun. If you’re visiting for the first time we hope you enjoy this awesome city we call home. If you’re a local and have other great ideas for a rainy day, let us know in the comments below!
Thanks,
Katie
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