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Art and culture activities in Willamette Valley

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Art and culture activities led by local experts

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Vintage shopping on Hawthorne Blvd with local designers

Step into the heart of Portland’s vibrant vintage scene with two seasoned experts in fashion and vintage curation. • Discover a carefully selected collection of our favorite vintage stores on Hawthorne Boulevard, each offering a treasure trove of clothing that spans decades of style. • As you explore, we’ll share insider stories, trends, and tips, offering insights into the fabric quality, silhouette, and craftsmanship of each piece. • From classic leather jackets and sports jerseys to rare designer finds, learn to spot quality and authenticity, all while discovering the eclectic charm that defines Portland’s fashion culture. You’ll leave with inspiration for your wardrobe, and maybe even a new piece or two—a couple of the stores on our itinerary will offer exclusive discounts!

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Design botanical jewelry with Portland floral artist

Design and create botanical jewelry using foraged Pacific Northwest materials in my floral studio. In this 90-minute workshop, I’ll guide you in transforming natural elements into wearable art, drawing from my decades of experience as a master floral artist. • We’ll start in my studio behind my house, just two blocks from SE Division, with a tour of the garden and workspace. I’ll introduce the mechanics of wearable art and share samples of my botanical creations. • Choose materials from a curated selection of bark, seedpods, dehydrated mushrooms, herbs, succulents, and blossoms. We’ll dive into the design process, and I’ll coach you on structural techniques and creative elements as you work on a ring, necklace, bracelet, or earrings. • Finish by sharing our creations, and I’ll provide personalized feedback to celebrate your work. This botanical workshop is a wonderful opportunity to spark your creativity and take home a unique piece of art inspired by the Pacific Northwest.

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Create a Portland-inspired collage with a local artist

Create a unique collage using curated images of the Pacific Northwest while learning techniques I use in my own work. We’ll explore cutting methods, composition, and minimalist design, drawing inspiration from Portland’s iconography and your own experiences in the city. We will be meeting at the beautiful makerspace and shop Makerspace Sellwood in Portland, Oregon. • Begin by looking at my collages and discussing techniques, from selecting source material to layering and composition. Choose from a selection of maps, travel guides, local magazines, and vintage photos to craft a piece that reflects your time in Portland. • Chat about the places you’ve explored, using conversation to inspire image selection. I’ll offer guidance and feedback as you piece together your collage, encouraging a collaborative and engaging creative space. • All materials are provided, along with tea or kombucha to enjoy as we create. We’ll wrap up by sharing our finished work, reflecting on the creative process, and taking home a one-of-a-kind collage that captures your Portland experience.

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5 out of 5 average rating, 211 reviews

Fragrance Design Workshop

We’ll introduce you to the process and materials that comprise fragrance creation. We'll spend about half the workshop smelling our way through a selection of about 50 raw ingredients, while discussing fragrance and blending techniques. You'll spend the remainder of the workshop developing and blending your own fragrance, with tips and pointers along the way. After this, you'll turn your fragrance into a 10mL oil-based roll-on personal fragrance. You’ll take home your very own scent creation compounded and mixed into a 10mL roll-on bottle of perfume. Other things to note: - Avoid wearing strong fragrances to this workshop as it may disrupt yours' and others' olfactory experience. - Please note we do require one reservation per person; due to the involved nature of this workshop we cannot accommodate extra guests without reservations - Occasionally we run a tad long, please let us know upon arrival if you have a hard out at 3pm! **We will be taking a short hiatus from workshops starting mid-April. We will return to fill your perfuming needs in June, check our calendar for future dates!

5 out of 5 average rating, 117 reviews

Unreal Oregon Coast Cannon Beach Haystack Rock & Ecola Park

Tour: 8am-4pm We drive west. The city stops, nature begins. Across the valley floor for foggy forests. Thoughts begin of Bigfoot. "So green," you say. Sunbeams make the misty moss glow. The air, fresh and clean. "you'll want to move to Oregon" ~S Stories are told. Volcanoes and floods, natives and shipwrecks, explorers and pioneers. Legendary women, diverse ancestry, and an unknown world influence. "amazing tour guide, driver, and host" ~K A cedar shingle town. Wind spinners, saltwater taffy, brewpubs and seagulls. A secret path to the beach. "Haystack," points the guide. You walk closer. Pacific breakers roll in around rocks looming along shore. An old couple strolls, hands held. Kids dig a sandcastle, and kites fly. Dogs run with unleashed joy. "Keep an eye on the ocean," reminds the guide. A surfer rides a wave. Whales pass the lighthouse. You find a hidden cove of sea caves, driftwood and tide pools. "so glad I chose this tour over others" ~G Sea stars and anemone, sand dollars and sea lion. Elk, eagle and perhaps a puffin. See film sites for Twilight, The Goonies, Point Break! My other beach tours include Astoria & Cape Disappointment, Tillamook & Three Capes!

4.98 out of 5 average rating, 50 reviews

Unique All Day Waterfall Quest, Multnomah & Columbia Gorge

Tour: 8am-4pm See way more than the usual half day tours! Visit Multnomah Falls and up to a dozen more on the only full day waterfall tour in town! Save time. money and stress! Skip planning, permits, and parking! Easy for all ages, abilities, and awesome all year! From Portland to Hood River, get the full experience, mind-blowing history, and all the waterfalls and vistas we can find! The Columbia Gorge is a living legend, sculpted by mother nature and mankind, forged by flood forces so strong they influenced ancient civilizations, global empires, and Earth itself. Where three active volcanoes wrestle a massive mighty river. "I'll never forget" ~C Between, nature abounds. A rainforest of towering trees, dripping moss, gushing streams, wildflower, berry, fern, and fungi. Sensational seasonal colors hide eagle, salmon, deer, bear and Bigfoot. "by far the most memorable" ~D Tales are told of Native Americans, Lewis & Clark, Oregon Trail, and innovations in lumber, rail, road and hydropower. Behold incredible Women's History among a worldwide ancestry. "best tour guide we have ever had" ~T Eat and drink in James Beard's backyard! Endless orchards of fruit, grape and hops to make your micros and vinos. Sample wild salmon and cherry pie as windsurfers fly by. FYI: Portland pickup, snack/water included, fees/food not included, itinerary may vary. Ask me about other tours!

4.99 out of 5 average rating, 97 reviews

Learn how to make a bamboo fishing rod

A fly rod is built in the same way that bamboo grows. From the bottom, or butt, to the tip. You will remove a node from a 12' culm of Tonkin bamboo, using a small hack saw, as the first step in seeing how a custom 8' node-less fly rod is made. Then you will split one of 72 splints needed to form the tip or butt of the rod with a hammer and knife. You will scarf one splint to shape it for gluing. Fancy planing, shaping the cork handle, and silk wrapping will be demonstrated along with the final varnish dip. At the end of the class you are invited to cast a variety of rods that I have made with a casting lesson on the "green river" of my lawn. In 2 hours you will see how the rod is made but you will not build a completed rod -- my first rod took me 100 hours. Other things to note Wear comfortable clothes that you don't mind getting dirty. If you have a favorite fly reel that you want to try on a finished rod bring it along.

4.98 out of 5 average rating, 118 reviews

Portland Photoshoot Walk

Ready for your Portland photoshoot? Let's do it. First we'll meet for coffee or tea (my treat!) at a local coffee shop. From there, we'll head out on foot to explore downtown Portland’s most photogenic locations in the Old Town/Chinatown districts Along the way, I'll snap some beautiful high quality portraits of you and share my favorite historical facts of Old Town, and the Portland landmarks we stop by. I'll be glad to help with any posing or photo ideas. I want these photos to show you in your best light and serve as a great souvenir from your time in Portland. Once we've finished our time together, I'll edit the best 25-30 photos, and send them over to you within 24 to 48 hours. Other things to note Want to capture a few looks? Let me know and I'll bring a changing tent. Don't see a date and time that fits your schedule? Send me a message and I can create an instance of the experience specifically for you. This is a rain or shine experience. Portland and the PNW region is known for being rainy. I know plenty of covered dry areas that can be used to get great photos. Or, grab your umbrella! We'll adventure through the drizzle like a true local.

4.92 out of 5 average rating, 488 reviews

Bike Around Portland to Culture and Art

Beautiful bikes, beautiful rides, and all our neighborhood secrets. On our tours we'll smell roses (in season), taste treats, ride across bridges, and along rivers; it's the best way to experience the diversity of culture, art, poetry, nature, parks and neighborhoods in Portland. Our approach is to spend more time riding, but lots of time stopping at gardens, art installations, sculptures and poetry beaches. We start in the inner Eastside at our shop at 833 SE Main St #124, where we will fit you for a bike and helmet, ready for an 8-10 mile ride. We head out into Ladd’s Addition, to our fave rose garden, into an art-heavy industrial district, across the sexy Tilikum Bridge, and onto Portland's waterfront. We’ll ride along the water before we head over another bridge back to our shop! Portland is not just a city of seamless bicycle infrastructure and friendly relations between cyclists and motorists, but also a city of poets. Literally, figuratively, our bike ride is a poem; a series of poems; to our city. We'll read poetry written on murals, in sidewalks, and carved in rocks. There is, too, the whirling poetry of wheels on pavement, the sweet suspension of effort that is cycling on the streets and pathways in this place we love. Portland mornings are cool -- bring layers! It rains often in Portland; rain jackets are wise. Minimal bike experience is ok; none, is not.

4.98 out of 5 average rating, 287 reviews

Silversmith Three Stacked Rings

My studio is located in Tigard, just 15 minutes south of downtown Portland and 15 minutes from several local wineries. Come and learn the basics of silversmithing while making three stacked sterling silver rings with or without semi-precious stones. We will start by choosing your ring size. After sizing, we'll move on to forming, cutting, and filing the bands. Next we'll hard solder the bands closed. Now comes the fun part - you will choose from an assortment of colorful semi-precious stones. We'll hard solder the bezel to the band and then insert your stones. Finally, you will use a burnisher to set your stone and polish your finished rings to complete your project. This experience takes approximately two hours. Enjoy your experience with treats selected from our favorite local eateries. We can adjust the light refreshments served to any dietary preference. Other things to note Experiences available for scheduling Tuesdays and Thursdays between 2pm and 4pm or Saturday evenings between the hours of 6pm and 8pm.

5 out of 5 average rating, 44 reviews

Gold-Leaf Photography Gilding Workshop

Turn your photographs into stunning works of art by applying metal leaf. Working with your photographs from your phone or digital camera we will upload them to my computer, open them in Adobe Lightroom, convert them to black and white, and crop them into squares. Then in the computer we will adjust the contrast and boost the detail, and print them on transparent vellum paper. In the next step we will apply a special adhesive to the back of the vellum and attach the metal leaf, I generally have imitation gold (copper and zinc), silver, and copper leaf to choose from. When they are dry we will seal the metal and treat the vellum with a special fixer, at this point you will have some amazing art. Your work will be suitable for gifts and for display. Prior to the experience you can send me a few images that you might want to use in the workshop, you will want something that translates well into black and white, something with nice detail, and rich blacks. Landscapes, architecture, and nature work well, as do pets and family photos. Whatever you choose we will perform the final adjustments in the studio. Each guest will complete 2 unique images. I have matting supplies available for a small additional fee. This is a relatively easy process, I will send you home with the materials list and step by step instructions. This activity is great for groups.

5 out of 5 average rating, 30 reviews

Scenic Willamette River Tour by Jet Boat -Private/Exclusive

Join me on jet boat, MatKat. This is a three to four hour, 44 mile round trip excursion on the Willamette River. You'll find comfortable seating for six, including two seats for the adventurous type on the back deck. We will begin by cruising 22 miles of scenic river. Farms can be seen bordering the river. Heron, bald eagle, and osprey frequent this stretch of river. We will travel to the historical site of a river Ferry which began operating in the 1850's. The only access to this part of the river is by boat. This trip is perfect for celebrating special occasions as well as just feeling the serenity from the water. You will be asked to sign a liability release prior to boarding.

4.87 out of 5 average rating, 77 reviews

Sunrise and doughnuts on the Aerial Tram

Get a beauty-filled start to your day with a ride on the Portland Aerial Tram! The early guest gets the spectacular views. At the start time (6:30 am weekdays, later on Saturdays due to limited hours for the tram), we’ll pick you up in central downtown Portland, and take our favorite drive along the city's western ridgeline, down into pocket neighborhoods that feel like secrets. At OHSU, we’ll walk with you to the Aerial Tram. We’ll serve you craft roasted coffee and some of Portland’s best doughnuts with a view of the first morning light, then we’ll ride this feat of Swiss engineering up to the top as the early sun reveals the city’s glowing colors. (Due to new hours for some shops and varying sunrise times, coffee may be our first stop.) After we ride back to the bottom, we'll tell you the story of the bridge and its quixotic lights, and orient you to the city whose east-west divider lies before us. The Aerial Tram was built in 2006 to connect the main campus of Oregon Health Sciences University with the new neighborhood of the South Waterfront. Afterward, we'll drop you off back downtown at Director's Park. Our mission is, not just to show you the best way to start one day in Portland, but also to help you prioritize your time. Think of us as concierges to your Portland experience! NOTE: We can't operate Sundays when the tram is closed.

Art and culture activities in Willamette Valley

Art and culture activities led by local experts

Vintage shopping on Hawthorne Blvd with local designers

Design botanical jewelry with Portland floral artist

Create a Portland-inspired collage with a local artist

Top-rated art and culture activities

Fragrance Design Workshop

Unreal Oregon Coast Cannon Beach Haystack Rock & Ecola Park

Unique All Day Waterfall Quest, Multnomah & Columbia Gorge

Learn how to make a bamboo fishing rod

Discover more activities near Willamette Valley