THE 10 BEST Portland History Museums
History Museums in Portland
Category types
10 places sorted by traveller favourites
- Things to do ranked using Tripadvisor data including reviews, ratings, photos, and popularity.
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Art Museums • History Museums
Pearl
Art Galleries • Points of Interest & Landmarks
History Museums
Sellwood - Moreland Improvement League
Speciality Museums • History Museums
What travellers are saying
- cgc9New York City, NY11 contributionsmake this your first stop in portland. really well thoughtfully done. A lot of excellent content in three stories. under appreciated in my opinion. great gift shop. you should get your post cards here!Written 9 March 2024This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
- Clayton SPortland, OR1 contributionIt was a great trip and tickets are reasonable they added to new cars and open air car and a modified caboose.
Then in the museum you will see the SP&S 700 (Spokane,Portland and Seattle) which was built in 1938 and is a E-1 4-8-4 Northern and the only surviving original SP&S 700 built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1938 for Northern Pacific Railway it burns oil instead of Coal.
Then there's the Southern Pacific 4449 known as the daylight 4-8-4 Northern GS-4
Which you can get up and personal with all the engines.Great plae to bring the kids.Written 16 July 2023This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews. - Nicks JEdinburgh, UK39 contributionsIt feels strange rating and reviewing a museum like this, but it really was absolutely fascinating. I particularly liked the Rembrandt exhibition. The section on the Holocaust is very well done and isn’t overwhelming, as is the section on genocide and human rights.
My only disappointment was that while the origins of the term genocide were explored, there was no mention of Hersch Lauterpacht, who also came from Lviv, and who coined the phrase ‘Crimes against humanity’.Written 2 July 2023This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews. - Joe WAustin, TX101 contributionsI was not aware of the significant and interesting history of Portland until my first visit. Luckily, someone directed me to the Architrectural Heritage Center of Portlond. Briefly, it was founded by two men, Jerry Bosco and Ben Milligan. They started collecting and preserving artifacts and architecturally significant structures from historical building being demolished. Eventually their efforts culminated in the founding of this place. Aside from exhibits, the center offfers a number of fascinating tours of various architecturall features of the city with a moderator giving descriptions. If you go to Portland you will appreciate the city more after a visit here, and if possible a tour.Written 14 March 2023This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
- PrincermanOtsego, MN910 contributionsThis place is small but it packs a punch. I had no idea how significant the contribution the Chinese made to Portland and it’s historyWritten 12 August 2023This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
- LjhSanta Rosa, CA42 contributionsI was pleased I found this small museum while I was visiting in Portland.
The displays were so interesting, especially the "Arrest Logs" and the older, retired uniforms. I would say that it is a must visit for anyone with an interest in historical law enforcement.
It is free to the public.Written 24 May 2019This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews. - simpleymeWashington802 contributionsWe went on a Saturday and were thrilled to stumble upon a Saturday market which made parking harder but well worth it ,so we walked through the market of berries musician and yummy food before we arrived at the museum, This museum is small but fun it took us a bout an hour to go through it, it has many of the same kind of displays as other museums in this region but if you are in the area and have extra time it is worth a look . We liked the display that told about how we encouraged Mexicans to work in the us during WW11 we had no idea about that and also about the beginning of technology companies. If you are really busy with activities I would skip this museum but it is perfect addition to strolling the walkable downtown area and the farmers markets . If you go look across the street at the court house and see the giant sequoias they are shockingly big for being just over 125 years old.Written 18 June 2016This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
- Twila LKeizer, OR3 contributionsThis is a great place to go on a rainy day to rollerskate. Kids, teens, and parents had a great time and got some exercise!Written 6 March 2019This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
- RSNNPortland, OR6,303 contributionsI was here a years ago during the Greek Festival and went up to see ehat they had this time. Yes they had changed what was featured here. They had something on Vases and Verses which was very good. They also had abooklet on this you could take with you. But the big highlight for me was the booklet about the artwork of Tom Stefopoulos art that was on the Lovejoy Coulmns. So great to have this booklet to read in greater detail about his work.Written 9 October 2019This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Frequently Asked Questions about Portland
- These are the best places for budget-friendly history museums in Portland:
- Oregon Historical Society
- Oregon Rail Heritage Center
- Oregon Jewish Museum and Center For Holocaust Education