The largest city in the state of Oregon in the United States sure has a lot on offer for you to do.

With that thought in mind, we have zeroed in on what we think are 7 key things that you surely MUST do while in Portland, Oregon.

Visit Portland Japanese Garden

The inspiration to setup a Japanese Garden in the city came once Sapporo in Japan and Portland became sister cities. Today, this is a sprawling area spread over 12 acres with truly well-maintained and beautifully laid out gardens that are pleasing to both the eyes and the mind.

Once here, you will enjoy visiting each of the 8 gardens within the entire Garden complex as well as the Cultural Village that has been made within it.

Check Out Pittock Mansion

A trip to Portland, Oregon will simply be incomplete if you fail to check out Pittock Mansion. Almost a century old Victorian Mansion, the charm here lays in the way the building has retained its old world charm, complete with original artworks and furniture dating from way back in time.

If a trip down memory lane is what you seek, then checking out Pittock Mansion has to be on your Portland itinerary.

Visit Portland Art Museum

Portland Art Museum is privy to one of the finest art collections you are likely to come across among cities on the US Pacific Coast. Besides its permanent collection of artworks from around the world, a fascinating feature of this particular art museum is the manner in which temporary showcases of artworks from various parts of the world are featured periodically.

As an arts buff, you simply cannot afford missing out on a trip to Portland Art Museum.

Go to Oregon Jewish Museum

This is the only museum of its kind on the Pacific Northwest. It serves as a memorial to one of the foremost immigrant groups that came to settle down in the city. Once at the museum, you will be able to trace the journey of Jews to Portland, including the arduous efforts many of them made to escape persecution back in Europe.

If an insight into Jewish life in Portland – both past and future, is what you are after, then a trip to Oregon Jewish Museum should definitely be on the cards.

Making the Most of Visa Free Travel to the United States

While on the subject of traveling to Portland, Oregon and making the most of things to do there, it would only be appropriate that we bring the aspect of ESTAinto the picture.

ESTA stands for Electronic System for Travel Authorization. This is a special privilege granted to citizens and eligible nationals of select countries, mostly in Europe along with a few others in Asia-Pacific. Chile is the only Latin American country that finds prominence on the list.

The conditions to avail ESTA are fairly basic; besides being from one of the nations on the list, you need to ensure:

• You do not have a visitor’s visa already
• The duration of your planned trip is up to 90 days
• You intend to travel to the United States for either leisure or business

Typically, once you go through the ESTA application process successfully and pay the requisite $14 fee that applies, you will get a confirmation on your status quite quickly.

Yet, there are many applicants who seek frequent confirmations along the lines of, “Is my ETA still valid”? Well, the answer to that is really simple; once successfully granted, your ESTA is valid for two years or till your passport itself is valid, whichever happens first.

Therefore, once you have ESTA approval in place, you do not have much reason to constantly reconfirm as to “Is my ETA still valid” or not.

See Portlandia

Continuing with our listing of 7 things that you need to do in Portland, Oregon, Number 5 on our list would be seeing Portlandia, which is a statue quite similar to Statue of Liberty in New York. The lady in this statue clearly comes across as warmly welcoming visitors to Portland.

When it comes to hammer-crafted copper statues in the United States, Portlandia is second in size only to the Statue of Liberty, further accentuating its prominence.

Go to Portland Rose Festival

Held in early June, this festival is an apt tribute to the city’s stature as “Rose City”, given the ease with which roses grow in Portland. As the largest festival in Portland, and with a large number of events planned during this time, make this a “must do” on your list.

Eat and Drink!

Last on our list, we highly recommend checking out the vibrant food and drink scene in Portland, especially its numerous microbreweries frequently coming out with delicious beer, its numerous food carts that dish out cuisine from just about all parts of the world, as well as its plentiful specialty coffee offerings.

Conclusion

There is clearly so much to see and do in Portland. As an international visitor from an eligible nation, you will enjoy hassle-free travel thanks to ESTA. Moreover, once granted, you will not have to frequently wonder, “Is my ETA still valid”!