The view of Downtown Portland from the Pittock Mansion gardens.

The Pittock Mansion is a French Renaissance-style château in the West Hills of Portland, Oregon, originally built as a private home for The Oregonian publisher Henry Pittock and his wife, Georgiana. It is a 22-room estate built of Tenino Sandstone situated on 46 acres (190,000 m2) that is now owned by the city’s Bureau of Parks and Recreation and open for touring.

Although a tour of the mansion itself might be interesting, we only went there on a Sunday to bask in the perfect weather, have a picnic and enjoy the panoramic views of downtown Portland and Mt Hood. 

Although the mansion closes at 4pm or 5pm (depending on the month), the grounds are open until 9pm.

Having a picnic at the Pittock Mansion garden is a perfect free activity for a lovely day in Portland any day of the week really.