Pittock Mansion: Holiday Edition
I have the best friends in the world, because when I suggest going to Pittock Mansion instead of shopping on Black Friday, they all say “hell yes!” and load up the car. None of us had ever been before and it was a great way to kick off the Christmas season.
The home was build in 1914 by Henry and Georgiana Pittock. Henry, the founder of the Oregonian newspaper, and Georgiana an avid gardener, started a flower festival that would eventually become the famous Portland Rose Festival.
Currently, the home is open for tours, and until January 2nd is decorated for Christmas. Each room completely decked out with Christmas decorations… for better or worse.
After visiting at Christmas, I would love to go back during the regular season. Usually, you get a tour with your admission fee, but they have to forgo them during the holidays because of the huge crowds. There are so many interesting rooms I’d love to hear more about, plus the history of the family is fascinating. Some of the highlights for me were the Turkish smoking room, the kitchen and the master bathroom shower.
If you want to visit visit the Mansion, consider including it in a hike. Many of the forest park trails take you right from downtown Portland to the mansion. My favorite book, Portland Hill Walks, has one that takes you from Wallace Park in NW Portland to the Mansion and back. Even if you don’t go inside, it’s worth visiting. The grounds around the home are a public park with great views of the city. A very popular place for picnicking in the summer.
OPEN DAILY 11AM-4PM, CLOSED IN JANUARY
“NORTHWEST CHRISTMAS” EXHIBIT OPEN UNTIL JANUARY 2ND.
ADMISSION: ADULTS $9- KIDS $6
Thanks for the awesome day!! I agree, we should return to Pittock Mansion after the holiday season.
Drive up Rt. 14 to Skamania Lodge. Walk the grounds on paths torguhh the rolling hills of the golf course, hear the birds, enjoy seeing the big pines,and breathing fresh air. Inside, comfortably nestle into a big chair or corner of a couch in front of a roaring fire,and read, write or meditate or turn the other way and meditate on the Northwest landscape torguhh the wall of windows opposite the fireplace. Upstairs, there’s a library for your reading pleasure, quiet and usually private. Have lunch or dinner in the lounge or dining room, or in the little town of Stevenson next door. Hang out in the little park on the river at a picnic table, or stroll the beach. The wind is often bracing but the river and fresh air will make you forget all your troubles and stress will melt away.