Places to Enjoy

The Roses of Rose City

Portland is called a lot of things: Bridge City, Stumptown, the place that Millenials go to retire... But first and foremost, we're known as the Rose City. Why? Well, you can probably guess, but it's because of the International Rose Test Garden and all the other gorgeous spots you can find our namesake flower. Before you go traipsing around smelling all the roses, make sure you...

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THE INTERNATIONAL ROSE TEST GARDEN

First on our list is the biggest garden of them all: More than 10,000 individual rose bushes bloom in the International Rose Test Garden from late May through October, representing over 610 different rose varieties. The primary purpose of the Garden is to serve as a testing ground for new rose varieties. Behold the stunningly vibrant and gorgeously muted hybridized roses in every single combination and variety you can possibly imagine. And if you haven't already... you'll want to absolutely bottle the smell - it gives a whole new meaning to "stop and smell the roses." Here, you won't be able not to!

International Rose Test Garden

LADD CIRCLE PARK AND ROSE GARDENS

In Portland's Eastside, across the river from the Rose Test Garden, you'll see one of Portland's coolest planned neighborhoods: Ladd's Addition. Designed on a diagonal street system surrounding a central park, Ladd's Circle Park includes four diamond-shaped rose gardens located on the points of a compass. Apart from the over 3,000 roses, you'll see camellias, perennials, and other beautiful flowers that create a stunning stained glass effect.

Ladd Circle Park and Rose Gardens

PENINSULA PARK

Head north to Peninsula Park, and hang out in a gazebo, take a seat on the grass, or park yourself on a bench while you admire the roses planted throughout a 1913-era park. Much remains of the original features, including the lantern-style streetlights, the stone pillars, vast brickwork, and the nearly 100-year-old fountain in the center of the rose garden. This park is a perfect spot for a picnic, a stroll, a wedding, or whatever else you feel like getting up to under Portland's summer sun.

Peninsula Park

CRYSTAL SPRINGS RHODODENDRON GARDEN

Down south, you'll find a wonderful surprise, and though it's not exactly roses, it's a gorgeous tribute to a well-loved Pacific Northwest flower: the rhododendron. April through May, when the azaleas and rhododendrons are in full bloom, the garden is spectacular. A spring-fed lake surrounds much of the garden, so be prepared to see all numbers of baby duckies and other adorable water-dwellers. And these rhododendrons aren't your mother's front-yard bushes... they're as tall as trees and just as majestic.

Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden

MAKE A NIGHT OF IT

Spend all day looking at flowers, then unwind in the center of it all! Need a place to cozy up and decompress before heading up to your room for the evening? Stop in at Hey Love for a night cap. Summer at Jupiter Hotel is unparalleled. All we need is YOU.

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