Free Travel and Vacation Information

If your plans are to take your holidays to Portland Oregon and are on a budget, you still will be able to have a great time. There are a variety of things that you can see and do in the area that will not cost you a dime and you can save your money for your accommodations and the places that you decide to go out and eat at.

One of the things that you can check out that won't cost you a dime would be Forest Park. This is one of the largest natural forested areas contained within city limits in the entire United States. This park is comprised of over 5,000 acres of forested land that includes trails for bikes, hikers and horseback riding. One of the trails is a 40 mile trail that connects a variety of different places all around the Portland area. Don't forget to pack a lunch and stop a long the way and enjoy the wildlife that live within this area. There are over 112 different types of birds and 62 different types of mammals that call this park home. The park is open to the public from 5 am to 10 pm on a daily basis.

Love roses? Then go check out the International Rose Test Garden. This is the oldest public operated rose test garden in the United States. When you go and experience this wonderful garden filled with over 200 different types of roses, you will easily realize why they call Portland the Rose City. This beautiful garden is open to the public on a daily basis from 7:30 am until 9:00 pm.

If you love art then make sure to plan your trip to Portland to fall somewhere around the first Thursday of the month. The reason is so that you won't miss what is called the First Thursday Gallery Walk. This is when all of the different art galleries downtown get together and open up all of their exhibits for free and people can walk from gallery to gallery to see all of the wonderful exhibits. This walk is done in the evening from 6 pm to 9 pm and music and wine is also included in the monthly event.

Then of course there is the Portland Saturday Market that features over 250 different small businesses and individuals from all over the Northwest to sell their different products. This is one of the largest open markets in the country and is located in historic old town of Portland. Here you can meet with local artists, check out all the wonderful one of a kind pieces of artwork and crafts. While browsing the different stands you'll be treated to free entertainment and live music. The hours they are open are on Saturday 10 am to 5 pm and on Sunday from 11 am to 4:30 pm.

Water Front Park is a nice park that is situated on the banks of the Willamette River and is a great place to go and have a picnic or walk along the shore of one of the two rivers that dissect the city. Often, during the summer there will be a variety of different free events going on that you can go and check out as well.

Make sure to check with the Portland Tourism Center or Chamber of Commerce to get information on other free things to do and see in the Portland area.