"Billing itself as the “state’s collective memory," the Oregon Historical Society makes good on its mission to keep Oregon's history open and accessible to all by manning this lovingly curated museum on the South Park Blocks, across the street from the Portland Art Museum. The royal blue awning–fronted stone building houses a sizeable collection of artifacts, photographs, maps, manuscript materials, books, films, and oral histories, plus a large research library that’s free to all, no admission fee required. If you're crunched for time, try to stop in and see the famous Portland Penny, the actual copper coin tossed by city founders Asa Lovejoy (from Boston) and Francis Pettygrove (from Portland, Maine) in 1845 to decide whose hometown would be the one so nice they named it twice. You know how the story ends, but don’t worry about Lovejoy: he has a lovely fountain and park (SW 3rd and Harrison) named after him." - Jen Stevenson
