Have you visited one of Portland’s best gardens?
There are so many great activities in Portland it’s easy to forget the beauty of a natural landscape. Auto repair in Portland helps to keep you moving. That way you’re never stuck close to home, and when you need to escape to nature it’s easy. You don’t always have time to get out of the city, though—so what’s a Portlander to do? Go to a beautiful garden within city limits of course! We’ve chosen the best three gardens that each highlight a different aspect of the experience. Whether you want to feel like you’re in the countryside or another country entirely, our 3 best gardens have you covered.
Escape the city at the International Rose Test Garden
First on the list is the International Rose Test Garden. The garden was first organized and created in 1917 by a group of Portland nurseries. It now spans 4.5 acres and includes 7,000 different plants and more than 500 different rose varieties. It’s truly a sight to behold, and you can even become a part of the legacy. Volunteers perform a variety of tasks from working with the roses to guiding tours. Because the garden is part of the massive 400 Acre Washington Park it feels completely disconnected from the city. You can easily spend an entire day hiking and visit other great local gardens within the park itself.
Enjoy tea and Tai Chi at the Lan Su Chinese Garden
The Lan Su Chinese Garden is an amazing oasis in the heart of Portland. Located right across the Steel Bridge in the heart of the Pearl District the garden was built in 1999 as a collaboration between Portland and their sister city, Suzhou, China. The garden is walled off from the rest of Portland, and if it wasn’t for the tall apartments and offices surrounding it you could forget you were even in America. The garden includes separate areas that surround a water feature. Visitors can learn about calligraphy, tai chi, and enjoy music and a stunning variety of tea at the tea house. It’s a truly serene place to forget about the stresses of the modern world while barely leaving home.
Get in touch with your spiritual side at The Grotto
The Grotto is an outdoor sanctuary and Catholic shrine built in 1924. However, the wonderful landscaping and beautiful plants and flowers are completely non-denominational. Many visitors come here just for the experience. A small fee provides access to an elevator that takes you up a cliff face to the upper garden. This is where the beauty of the gardens truly shine. Because of its elevation, there are no buildings to obstruct the view. A 62-acre garden is completely separated from the rest of the city. The primary shrine is down below, carved out of the cliff-side. With incredible vistas of the Columbia River and Portland proper, you can get lost amongst the serene surroundings.
Now that you know.
Now that you know the best gardens in Portland, it’s time to get out there and see them for yourself. These are just a drop in the bucket. Washington Park is home to scores of other gardens focusing on indoor botanicals, winter scapes, and more. If a garden seems too mundane, Portland is full of weird attractions and great eats you have to experience.