Visit Vancouver, Shop Portland

Portland, Oregon and Vancouver, Washington are beautiful places to visit during the summer months, when delightful weather and clear skies give rise to breathtaking views of the mountains and the Columbia River. I have lived in this part of the world for several years and am always amazed at how gorgeous the scenery is during the warm yet pleasant summer months. Temperatures usually stays in the mid 70s to 80s, humidity is low or almost nonexistent, and the outdoors activity really picks up for hikers, bikers, climbers, anglers, photographers and everyone else.

If visiting the area, consider staying in the one of the many nice Vancouver, Washington hotels, and then doing your hardcore shopping in the Portland, Oregon region. Oregon has no sales tax, so if you want to shop, go for it without having to mentally adjust prices to reflect tax! Portland offers an array of places to shop, and both cities have many places to dine and sight see. The two cities are connected by the Interstate 205 and Interstate 5 bridges, making travel quite easy. Most of the major hotels in Vancouver are near the riverfront, or a few miles away, which makes traveling to the Portland International Airport a breeze. Here is a super quick run through of some of the better places to visit, sight see, shop and stay at in the area:

Visit:

Oregon:

Multnomah Falls is one of the highest year-round waterfalls in the entire United States, at an astounding 620 feet. It receives almost 2 million visitors a year and is certainly one of the "must-sees" in the area. There is hiking in the area and a nice visitor center just for the waterfall.

OMSI: Oregon Museum of Science and Industry is a great place to visit, for kids and adults. It features an amazing theater for science videos (OMNIMAX Theater Experience!).

The Oregon Zoo is loaded with great exhibits of all kinds of different wild animals. Really well-designed, it is one of the better zoos I have visited in the United States.

Mt. Hood is seen in the hill-line beyond Portland and is a wonderful mountain to visit, even if you do not ski or snowboard. The Timberline Lodge on top the mountain is a great place to stay as well!

Portland Grotto is one of the more peaceful and serene places to see and explore in the urban Portland area. It's the site of a Catholic Monastery and receives many pilgrims each year. Really a beautiful place to visit, even on rainy days.

Washington:

Beacon Rock, in the Columbia Gorge, is one of the most interesting natural structures in the area. It is about a 45 minutes drive from Vancouver and offers splendid views of the surrounding gorge. The hike is about 1.25 miles, with other nice hikes and trails in the park across the road. Definitely check this place out, as it is quite the sight.

Fort Vancouver, near the Columbia River and Downtown Vancouver, is probably the best historic site in the area. Be sure to check ahead of times for live events and public tours. Also next door, in the same, wonderfully large park, is the Pearson Air Museum, sure to please aviation buffs everywhere.

Shop:
The Woodburn Factory Outlet stores are a little bit of a drive from Portland but certainly worth it, with over 350,000 square feet of shopping buildings. Woodburn has a huge array of stores, something around 90 different ones, including Coach, Nike, North Face, Adidas, Aeropostale, and many more. Certainly a shoppers paradise, just be prepared for a long line of cars leaving the place when you stay until closing hours.

There are several mall right in Portland, including Lloyd Center, Washington Square, and Jantzen Beach . Also, be sure to visit the interesting Pioneer Square, right in Downtown Portland and a very popular destination for events and shopping.

Stay:
Heathman Lodge in Vancouver, near the Westfield Shopping center. It is one of the newest hotels in Vancouver and has a wonderful, log cabin, yet refined, Pacific Northwest atmosphere.

Hilton Vancouver is right in downtown Vancouver, and has the Vancouver Banquet/Convention center in it.

Homewood Suites, also by Hilton Hotels, is right on the beautiful Columbia River, just off of Highway 14. A great walking, biking and jogging trail runs alongside this portion of the river, going for roughly 5 miles.

Springhill Suites, by the Marriot, is in one of the nicer parts of Vancouver, Washington. Many restaurants and other amenities are in this part of the city.

Finally, the Phoenix Inn is right off of the popular Mill Plain Ave, a very busy and popular part of Vancouver. An excellent fish restaurant, McGraths, is just next door, as are several other good places to dine out and relax.