Portland is a great city for the nature loving visitors as it offers one of the widest ranges of parks and recreational services. Portland's parks constitute a number of national and historical parks that are a must-visit for tourists to understand the city's development better. Historical parks, botanical parks, parks known for their natural beauty and many others are available for tourists to try out the city.

Portland Japanese Garden is one of the most popular places for tourists to enjoy luxurious gardens, hundreds of plant species and an exquisitely built terrain that attracts a large number of photographers, filmmakers, private party organizers and the like. The walking trails are surrounded with dozens of different trees, shrubs and water areas. Located on SW Kingston Avenue, the place is also perfect as a shopping zone for botanists.

Oaks Amusement Park in Portland offers thrilling rides and an ice-staking rink, making it one of the favorite venues for family travelers. A perfect place for kids and parents to enjoy together, Oaks Amusement offers special family rides that require parents to accompany children. Dozens of fun and thrill rides include the famous bumping cars, huge slides and many more fun-things to do.

Washington Park near Arlington Heights is one of the most significant landmarks and attractions in the city of Portland. The place is known for its active measures in keeping visitors entertained, educated and informed well enough to contribute to nature in future. Summer concerts are never worth a miss at the Washington Park at Portland.

Portland is one of the most populous and most famous tourist destinations in United States. The city is visited by millions of people annually. The city is referred to be the environmental friendly or green city of United states.

The pet lovers hesitate to take their pets with them for outing. But in Portland there are so many pet friendly attractions and activities are available. Pets need recreation and relaxation n as they are always kept inside cage and home. There are dog friendly parks around the city which provides recreation activities for the dogs. People from all over the world visits Portland as the city has several dog friendly parks and recreation center around the city.

Guide for Pet friendly parks in Portland

http://www.portlandpooch.com/dogparks.htm

Top rated Dog friendly parks in Portland

http://www.dogfriendly.com/server/travel/uscities/guides/us/cities/usonlinecityORPortland.shtml

Direction and location of dog friendly parks in Portland

http://www.dogparkusa.com/oregon/portland

The most popular dog friendly parks in Portland are Hondo Dog Park, Ash Street dog Park, Tabor Park, Couch Park, Alberta Park, Chimney Park and many more. Each and every park offers different types of activities according to the size and type of the dogs you bring.

The Arbor Lodge Park is one of the dog friendly parks in Portland. The park is surrounded by 8.40 acres of landscape. The park was founded in the year 1940. The Brentwood Park in Portland is the 14 acres pet friendly Park. The park offers a fenced-in half acres off leash area for the pets to play and walk around.

Brentwood Park in Portland

http://www.bringfido.com/attraction/547/

Chimney Park is one of the largest dog friendly parks in Portland. This is the 16.6 acres dog friendly park located at: 9360, N Columbia Blvd, Portland OR. The park offers completely fenced off leash area and picnic tables. This is one of the best place for the pet owners to walk around and play with their pets.

Chimney Park in Portland

http://www.portlandonline.com/parks/finder/index.cfm?action=ViewPark&PropertyID=5

Portland has a number of peaceful places, but the best among them are the parks and gardens, after all nothing else can provide a genuine relaxation to the mind than the greenery of nature. Apart from the regular flora and fauna, many parks provide various fun facilities such as playgrounds, boating, fishing, and horse riding. Also, you should not forget to bring a camera with you because the parks in Portland are well-known for enchanting beauty and spectacular views.

Top Parks in Portland

http://www.10best.com/destinations/oregon/portland/attractions/parks/

Mount Tabor Park which is actually an extinct volcano is a lovely park of Portland situated in SE 60th and Salmon Street. You can walk a couple of miles along the various trails to discover the real pleasure of life by admiring the charming environment of this place. The park also provides large number of amenities including basketball and tennis courts. With the availability of many picnic tables and shady areas, this place is a perfect spot for picnicking.

Mount Tabor Park

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Tabor,_Portland,_Oregon

Washington Park in Portland attracts tourists from all around the world every year. It is the home for many picturesque gardens, an arboretum, a museum and other various attractions which make this park an ideal place for enjoying nature completely. The Oregon Zoo, the Japanese Garden and the International Rose Test Garden are among its most visited landmarks. Wide range of varieties can be observed in plants and animals especially the roses in the rose garden which account over 500 varieties.

Official Website of Washington Park

http://www.washingtonparkpdx.org/

If you are looking for a bit of calmness in the busiest areas of the Portland then visit Laurelhurst Park which is located in the center of city at the Southeast 39th Street. The park is mainly occupied by ponds which house a number of ducks and turtles. It is a nice place for jogging, cycling, biking and roaming with pets. Being cut off from the hustle and bustle of the city, the park provides an entirely different atmosphere.

Laurelhurst @ Wiki

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laurelhurst_Park

Portland is a very calm, soothing as a well as a nature friendly city to dwell in, a lot of things about Portland have played an integral part in making what Portland is. Out of these things, the one that stands out is the host of parks as well as recreational facilities, which are like a pulse line to Portland. Portland can truly be called a city of parks and has a very lush green kind of appearance owing to this.

These parks as well as the recreational facilities are imperative in bringing people from all age groups together, not just interacting within themselves, but with the environment and their surroundings as well. They are a must visit if you are want to see Portland or travel to every offering of it's.

The Portland parks and recreational facilities are managed by an organization, which takes initiative to mould and utilize the various facilities and resources in the best interest of the dwellers as well as tourists. A host of different activities are held in the facility, for every age group.

Dance sessions, camping, trekking, bird watching, nature walks are the activities which have been included in order to woo the youngsters. There are also various different types of camping programs organized on a regular basis. You can browse through the list of offered activities through the following link:

http://aroundthesunblog.com/2009/06/03/free-activities-from-portland-parks-recreation/

If you are interested in availing these facilities in the Parks and recreational programs in Portland, there is also the service for online registration. Know more about the same at the following link:

http://www.portlandparks.org/register/Activities/Activities.asp?SCheck=654714850&SDT=40029.2161287847

Apart from these, the various Portland parks and recreational facilities are also put up for other applications. You can rent their premises in order to hold functions and weddings. There are community swimming pools to be visited. Apart from these, the various parks are also leased out to research organizations for research as well as academic work. You can get more information about the same through the following link:

http://www.portlandonline.com/parks/index.cfm?c=38280

One of the special features of the region of Portland includes their special park concerts, which are a major tourist attraction. Tourists from all over the country gather here to witness these events. Those who read about Portland Oregon travel would know about some of the historic concerts held here.

The Tom McCall Waterfront Park that runs along the west bank of the river Willamette has been known for its 37-acre park. This park had been built in 1974 after Harbor Drive had been removed. Currently this is one of the major parks in the city that hosts large events throughout the year.

This has been known for its concerts and other similar events, even though Portland's downtown now has two groups of contiguous city blocks that feature their own dedicated for park space known as the North and South Park Blocks, and have emerged popular in recent times.

The following websites provide you with detailed analysis about the events and happenings in the area of Portland:

http://www.portlandonline.com/parks/

http://www.yelp.com/biz/portland-parks-and-recreation—summer-concert-series-portland

Here you can find out about the latest events or functions taking place in the parks, along with their dates and details of the upcoming events so that you can plan out a trip to the area.