7 museums you can visit by TriMet

We love the fall in the Portland area. It’s beautiful, crisp, (often) sunny and not too cold for adventures around town. It’s the perfect time to bundle up, hop on transit and visit a museum. Going by transit means skipping the hassle of parking, having a more relaxed trip and reducing your carbon footprint. Here are seven local museums you can reach by MAX, bus or Portland Streetcar.

Clackamas County

Milwaukie Museum

The Milwaukie Museum is located in the historic George Wise House, which was built in 1865 and moved to its present location on SE Adams Street in 1975. The museum, with its mission to “Preserve Milwaukie’s history for future generations,” showcases the history of Milwaukie and North Clackamas County. There’s a lot of cool local stuff to check out, but we’re especially enamored of the “Old #3” horse drawn streetcar.

3737 SE Adams St., Milwaukie
🚌 33-McLoughlin/King Rd
📱 Plan your trip

Multnomah County

OMSI

Where can you get science exhibits, hands-on experiments, laser shows and submarine tours? One word: OMSI (or, “Oregon Museum of Science and Industry,” if you want to get technical about it). The iconic science- and technology-focused museum has delighted kids and adults for decades, and has been in its current location since 1992. It’s also walking/biking/rolling distance from transit, so it’s easy to keep moving after taking in a Pink Floyd laser show.

1945 SE Water Ave, Portland, OR 97214
🚈 MAX Orange Line
🚈 Portland Streetcar: A Loop, B Loop
🚌 9-Powell Blvd
🚌 17-Holgate/Broadway
🚌 19-Woodstock/Glisan
🚌 FX2-Division
📱 Plan your trip

Oregon Rail Heritage Center

Attention rail fanatics: There are some seriously cool things at the Oregon Rail Heritage Center, like three giant vintage steam engine locomotives and a volunteer-run machine shop that makes replacement parts for the engines. You can also check out railroad equipment and artifacts. They even have train rides along the east bank of the Willamette River on Saturdays from March through October, plus you can hop on the Holiday Express for a chance to see Santa and his elves aboard a steam locomotive on weekends from November 24th-December 30. It’s also very close to OMSI, so consider visiting both.

2250 SE Water Ave., Portland
🚈 MAX Orange Line
🚈 Portland Streetcar: A Loop, B Loop
🚌 9-Powell Blvd
🚌 17-Holgate/Broadway
🚌 19-Woodstock/Glisan
🚌 FX2-Division
📱 Plan your trip

Portland Art Museum

With multiple exhibitions, a permanent collection of art, film screenings and more, there’s never a shortage of experiences at Portland Art Museum. It’s a big space with different activities happening daily. One of the current exhibits features photographs from The Beatles’ Paul McCartney’s personal archive. Fun fact: Admission is free on the first Thursday of every month from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

1219 SW Park Ave., Portland
🚈 Portland Streetcar: A Loop, B Loop, NS
🚌 6-Martin Luther King Jr Blvd
🚌 38-Boones Ferry Rd
🚌 45-Garden Home
🚌 55-Hamilton 
🚌 58-Canyon Rd
🚌 96-Tualatin/I-5
📱 Plan your trip

Or, take any MAX line and walk/bike/roll the short distance of under 1/2 mile.

The Skeleton Key Odditorium

📷 The Skeleton Key Odditorium

If you’re looking for “oddities, the macabre and local sinister legends” all under one roof, you need to take transit to the Skeleton Key Odditorium. Their current exhibits feature vampire and tarot history, a circus side show and something called “Frankenstein’s Library,” which has us totally intrigued. You can experience it all through a self-guided tour. There’s also a rotating artist showcase.

939 SW 10th Ave., Portland
🚈 MAX Blue and Red lines
🚈 Portland Streetcar: A Loop, B Loop, NS
🚌63-Washington Park/SW 6th
📱 Plan your trip

World Forestry Center

📷 World Forestry Center

The World Forestry Center’s Discovery Museum features interactive, hands-on and educational exhibits spread across two-floors. The theme of sustainability is strong here, with information on forests, tree planting and more. The natural environment is very much integrated into the stunning architecture. Getting there is easy. Just take MAX to the Washington Park MAX Station (which holds the honor of being the deepest transit station in North America) and ride the elevator to the top, which is just steps from the Center.

4033 SW Canyon Rd., Portland
🚈 MAX Blue and Red lines
🚌 Washington Park Shuttle
📱 Plan your trip

Washington County

Five Oaks Museum

📷 Five Oaks Museum

Multiple bus lines serve Five Oaks Museum, which is located at Portland Community College’s Rock Creek campus. You’ll find exhibitions that reflect the history and culture of the area. Five Oaks also hosts events and has a community gallery featuring the work of students and educators, so there’s something for everyone.

17677 NW Springville Rd., Portland
🚌 47-Main/Evergreen
🚌52-Farmington/185th
🚌 67-Bethany/158th
📱 Plan your trip