10 Best Museums in Portland, OR | Condé Nast Traveler

"Nautical nerds will love the chance to explore the Oregon Maritime Museum, located in the last operating sternwheel steam tug in the country: the jaunty blue-and-white Portland, moored on the Willamette River in Tom McCall Waterfront Park. Tour the pilot house and engine room with passionate volunteer docents, browse the myriad models, maritime artifacts, and memorabilia, and pick the brains of the well-schooled librarians and researchers that oversee the comprehensive museum library. Once a month, June through September, the Portland “blows out the carbon” and sets sail as part of the Willamette Sternwheeler Cruise series—the four-hour cruises ($88 for adults, $38 for kids), which are limited to 100 people, include lunch, and passengers get to see the wheelhouse and engine room in action. Book early—they tend to sell out." - Jen Stevenson