You can learn a lot about a place by what it chooses to remember. And dotted throughout Oregon are little shrines to our priorities: apparently, we’re into puppets, planes, and miniatures (plus vacuums and Bigfoot, naturally).

Follow along as we highlight the weirdest, wildest, most out-of-the-way museums in the Beaver State, run down the in-city institutions every Portlander must visit, and consider whether our rising esteem in the worlds of an animation and footwear might beget future museums. Grab a tote, a turtleneck, a 20 for the gift shop, and let’s get to thoughtfully nodding.

In This Feature:

10 Must-Visit Museums in Portland

From stalwarts like OMSI to oddities like the Zymoglyphic Museum, you can make a fruitful day of museum-hopping without ever leaving city limits.

09/08/2021 By Conner Reed

10 Can't-Miss Oregon Museums Outside of Portland

Could we interest you in the world's largest pig hairball? Perhaps a gravity-defying ‘X-Files’ fixation?

09/09/2022 By Conner Reed, Julia Silverman, Nick Campigli, and Katherine Hamilton

An Ode to Oregon Museums We've Loved and Lost

Rest in Power, National Hat Museum.

09/08/2021 By Conner Reed

How Did Portland Become an Art City with So Few Art Museums?

For a city with a creative reputation, we're scant on honest-to-goodness museums.

09/15/2021 By Conner Reed