Ranked as Oregon’s seventh-largest city and a major economic hub for Washington County, the vibrant city of Beaverton balances its exciting surroundings with a comfortable small-town feel.
Located within the Portland metropolitan area, this unassuming little town happens to be full of local restaurants, dancing venues, and bars combined with excellent places for families to picnic at nearby parks or take their kids for a day at the playground.
Other great things to do in Beaverton, Oregon, range from relaxing and cultural to adventurous and adrenaline-pumping.
With short commutes, affordable vacationing costs, and plenty of recreational opportunities, Beaverton happens to be one of the fastest-growing cities in Oregon.
This charming Portland suburb is home to Nike, Inc.; the headquarters of the global sports-goods company, however, sits just outside Beaverton on unincorporated county land.
No matter what your taste or preferences are, you’ll surely find something that matches up with what you’re looking for on this list of the best things to do in Beaverton, Oregon!
Serenethos / Shutterstock.com
Oregon’s third busiest library in terms of collection use, the Beaverton City Library has over 350,000 items and gets visited by over 67,000 people each month.
With such an enormous collection of dynamic and timely materials in every category, from cooking to health and from home improvement to genealogy and everything in between, it’s no wonder that each year, nearly 2.75 million items circulate through the system.
If you want to visit them, you’ll need to go to either one of their two state-of-the-art facilities, which are conveniently open seven days a week.
Steve Morgan, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Found at the corner of 5th and Hall, the main branch of Beaverton City Library offers 69,000 square feet of reading entertainment.
Inside you’ll find 350,000 items filled with adventure, whimsy, and curiosity and not to mention a computer lab, several youth programs, and the many meeting rooms.
The Murray Scholls branch of the Beaverton City Library is a beautiful and elegant 2,000-square-foot facility in the Murray Scholls Town Center.
In addition to all the cool things found here, you can put holds on certain items so that when it becomes available, they will be sent here for pick-up.
When it comes to bowling, SuperPlay is no pushover when it comes to the number of games available for its customers.
Twenty-four nice bowling lanes come with state-of-the-art Qubica/AMF scoring systems and 55” HD monitors that allow customers to watch their colleagues bowl while they compete against each other.
Or you can simply watch sporting events thanks to the six high-definition projectors that beam onto the bowling lanes.
SuperPlay also hosts bowling tournaments, but if you want to participate and compete in their A-Series tournament series, then you’d have to be a member of the Oregon Grand Prix first.
The bowling alley also features a 3,200-square-foot laser tag arena that provides serious play for even experienced players and features high-tech combat units with impressive light effects – enough to entertain up to 24 players at once in two teams of twelve.
SuperPlay also has savory bites if you’re looking for something savory or a sweet treat, such as SuperPlay’s scrumptious burgers, savory sandwiches, soda, shakes, and cocktails piled high with delicious garnishes.
Ian Poellet, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
It may seem like you’ve explored all the world has to offer in terms of discovery, but there are actually quite a few hidden gems that await your presence.
One such gem is Belle Ainsworth Jenkins Estate in Beaverton, Oregon, which is a lovely park where you can have an afternoon tea as you enjoy the beautiful leaves, which turn the park’s tree and shrubbery into a pastel-toned dream of reds and oranges.
Consisting of 68 acres of land on the northwest slope of Cooper Mountain, the Jenkins Estate is definitely a sight to behold!
KaCey97078 from Aloha, OR, USA, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
You’ll feel at one with nature on this spectacular, forested estate where a variety of hiking trails meander through dense forests.
The property also features lavish gardens tended by skilled horticulturists and a thoroughly stunning botanical garden reminiscent of the picturesque Portland Japanese Gardens.
The National Register of Historic Places has recognized this site as one of the country’s best historical gems, and multiple couples have taken advantage of its comfortable lodging facilities to tie the knot.
Not only is the estate great for weddings, but it’s also home to Camp Rivendale, which offers summer day camp programs during the prime season—providing a truly spectacular experience for children and adults who otherwise might not be able to afford such programs!
Are you a big fan of escape rooms?
Then Portland Escape Rooms is going to be your jam!
There are elaborately themed rooms, and you have to solve various puzzles while they creatively try to throw you off the trail of the key that will help you eventually escape the room.
The rooms are made so intricately that it’s impossible not to feel like you have pieces of a story come alive around you.
There exclusive game masters in costumes who will interact with you throughout your game in various ways: all while staying directly within the theme, of course!
Their Genie’s Lamp brings a whole new aspect to their usual themed rooms, as it will test your wits and skills with puzzling challenges.
Genie’s Lamp is played by teams of 2-6 people, and like any escape room, it could get dreary should there not be enough people present.
Portland Escape Rooms is a brilliant, fun, and artful escape room center located at Beaverton Hillsdale Hwy #118 in Beaverton, Oregon.
Cheryl Zion / Shutterstock.com
Cooper Mountain Nature Park is an absolute gem for locals and visitors alike.
The number one thing for people to do in Beaverton when the sun is shining, Cooper Mountain sits on the edge of town, offering an excellent view of Oregon’s Tualatin River Valley.
As far as nature parks go, this is one of the best you will ever find in a city not known for natural beauty or environmental sustainability.
Because nearly half of Cooper Mountain Nature Park is comprised of native habitat, which boasts oak woodlands, coniferous forest, and a beautiful meadow dotted with wildflowers.
All together, 3½ miles worth of hiking trails wind throughout Cooper Mountain Nature Park with tall Douglas firs towering overhead.
The Beaverton Night Market is an original idea cooked up back in 2015 when the city’s Diversity Advisory Board realized there weren’t many opportunities for ethnic minorities to get together and have fun.
To attract all sorts of different people together, the board made it happen and started with small events in the evenings like food court areas and musical and dance performances.
Nowadays, around 14,000 people come every year for the two summer events along 1st Street and Tucker Avenue in downtown Beaverton.
The Beaverton Night Market is all about bringing families together through timed, artistic performances hosted by local ethnic artists and musicians.
If you’ve ever visited a night market in Asia or Latin America (and if not, you should!), you’ll probably see that this event serves as an excellent reminder of how fun it is to be exposed to a myriad of different cultures and the friendly people who live in those communities.
Whether it’s an entrepreneur selling their delicious kettle corn or a local artisan selling their handmade jewelry, The Beaverton Night Market is all about enhancing the cultural experience of residents living in our city.
Finetooth, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Nestled at the southern part of the district spreading out over SW Scholls Ferry Road and SW Hall Boulevard, Greenway Park is a popular destination for disc golf lovers and concert-goers in search of some good tunes.
The nine-hole course brings in newbies and pro players alike, looking to spend a sunny summer afternoon for a nice game of golf.
At the amenity-filled Greenway Park in Beaverton, Oregon, you can approach any adventure that floats your boat.
Take a seat down at a picnic table or visit a nearby playground and spend quality time with your partner and/or kids.
If you’re feeling athletic, take advantage of the tennis courts or basketball court facilities by collecting your family or friends for some friendly competition.
Of course, if you’re looking to get away from it all for some much-needed peace, grab your bike and go for an evening ride down Fanno Creek Trail.
You can even step up your fitness game by adding rollerblades to your repertoire, as it provides opportunities for rollerblading and skateboarding as well.
Keep an eye out, too, while taking in gorgeous views of the trees, flowers, and water surrounding you to see if you spot much wildlife like beavers or deer passing through.
As a multi-faceted artist, Joachim McMillan captivates the public with his vibrant and unique art style.
This captivating creativity brings to life the world’s vibrancy in original pieces that explore the many different moods of human nature, reflecting true emotion, color, and texture as seen through his own eyes.
He achieves this by mixing colors together in a dissection of sorts so as to bring out both texture and nuance, which could be achieved no other way without taking away from the true vision behind each work of art that comes to life on canvas before it’s presented for all to see.
Joachim has a creative approach, and he uses oils on canvas to produce art that elicits wonder and interests the observer.
There is often an element of ambiguity in his work, which adds to its intrigue as the observer beings to explore possibilities of what each piece expresses.
Visit his art studio at 17145 SW Baseline Road in Beaverton, Oregon, and marvel or own one or two of his best-sellers from seascapes, crowds, grayscale, crisis to beaches and landscapes, to name a few.
Steve Morgan, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
With over 65 of the latest arcade and redemption games and a casual and comfortable atmosphere, there’s plenty of room to kick back at KingPins with friends and family while taking a break from the world outside.
There are also party rooms to accommodate special occasions such as birthdays, graduations, or anniversaries; that way, you can have a party without having to go anywhere else if you don’t want to.
The staff is also genuinely friendly, making it a great place to feel right at home!
And with their delicious TapHouse Bar & Grill (delicious food is “tap house” talk for its served right at the bar), before or after your game of choice, you can always satisfy any hunger pangs you may have.
The 5,000-square-foot arcade is another hit with children and adults, who sometimes enjoy watching the kids play instead of bowling themselves.
KingPins offers a lot more for the whole family, including a 3,800 sq. ft of laser tag action that is guaranteed to thrill you with excitement and cater for all your senses so that you’re sure to experience maximum fun and adventure.
Also part of the KingPins world is a VR arena featuring Virtual Reality experiences Hologate and Virtual Rabbids, where players can enjoy interactive and adrenaline-filled battles with up to four people.
The Grand Valley space at the brewery is bright, welcoming, and set with a friendly, warm atmosphere.
It’s a charming place to enjoy the fine dining that Golden Valley Restaurant and Brewery has offered for years.
The menu pairs classic American dishes with delicious beer brewed on-site.
With friends over or family visiting, they’ll love the self-secluded outdoor lounge chair seating or indoor booth-front bar seating that overlooks the brewery itself to see the work of brewmasters up close.
While you tuck into some fresh seafood from Oregon waters, watch as master brewers strain golden suds through oak barrels into pub glasses.
Take in their art as you sip on their delicious handcrafted beer or try their house smoked meats, and a variety of sauces so housemade favorites are taken to the next level.
The Golden Valley Brewery sits proudly on the corner of Sunset Highway and Beaverton-Hillsdale Highway in Beaverton, OR – only 8 miles away from Downtown Portland.
jlh_lunasea, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The wonderfully diverse wildlife preserve known as the Tualatin Hills Park sprawls across 222 acres of forests, streams, and wetlands and lives in the heart of Beaverton.
Here, Cedar Mill Creek and Beaverton Creek come together to create a confluence full of diverse wildlife habitats, providing homes to amphibians, insects, mammals, birds, and reptiles.
The park is an amazing destination for an eye-opening experience as you get to observe all sorts of seasonal changes brought about by numerous plants, animals, and birds inhabiting the area.
KaCey97078 from Aloha, OR, USA, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
You can check out the park to observe how rough-skinned newts travel to their breeding ponds, how wildflowers sway with the wind, or how birds use their songs as mating calls.
You’ll find five miles of park trails to explore, with a paved trail that’s 1.5 miles long and well-maintained soft-surface trails for the remaining 3.5 miles.
The Oak Trail and parts of the Vine Maple Trail are also wheelchair accessible if you’d like to stroll down some paved surfaces instead of dirt ones.
Whether you’re up for hiking, birdwatching, or simply observing the local flora and fauna, this park offers an assortment of activities and habitats that cater to those who choose to experience them.
The city purchased the old farm-turned 18-hole golf course RedTail Golf Center as a great alternative to those who want more challenging greens than those at the West Hills Golf Course—which has been relocated and replaced by Portland’s newly expanded zoo.
The Park Bureau and landscape architect designed the course, which construction began in 1966 and became available to golfers in 1968.
In 1999, the people at PP&R (Portland Parks & Recreation) had the vision to turn this into a 7,100-yard championship golf course that John Zoller finished when it re-opened for public use.
Back then, Red Tail Golf Course was only open for admission during daytime hours, but today it is an all-hours of the day outdoor golf course and driving range, thanks in part to the fact that some years later, the lighting system was upgraded.
It settled with the name RedTail Golf Course to complement its local environment after the nesting red-tailed hawks surrounding trees.
You’ll find the golf course at Scholls Ferry Road, and it also has a demo center, golf academy, Jr. Golf Camps, a shop, and good food and beers.
Steve Morgan, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
One of Oregon’s cleanest and most comfortable theaters, Hocken Avenue’s Century Theater in Beaverton provides an awesome way to watch a movie with your family, friends, or partner.
Century Theater offers a fantastic experience for movie-goers, including plush electric reclining seats in some of the main theaters, an excellent sound system, vibrant pictures on large screens, and more.
There are smaller theaters with more basic seating, but they are also great places to catch a flick.
More importantly, there’s a variety of snacks and drinks you can enjoy at your leisure, including popcorn and pizza.
You can catch the latest blockbuster with those you invited in a cozy private setting that provides an all-around viewing experience.
The prices are noticeably cheaper than at other theaters, and there are a number of new releases offered on a regular basis, plus some older favorites which typically cost slightly less.
Located at 125th Avenue in Beaverton, the Conestoga Recreation Center is a lovely place for recreation year-round.
Perennially popular, the Conestoga Center boasts a 3.6 feet deep recreation pool where you can register your little ones to learn to swim and peruse a pretty neat slide, especially for them as well.
In addition, Conestoga’s childcare area will only be open if you choose to visit the center when you want some exercise or take a quick dip.
As a bonus, the center features an outdoor splash pad complete with plenty of things for kids of all ages to enjoy!
You can also grab an ice-cream cone or freshly brewed drip coffee here, and you’ll find parking easy to find.
Lowami Hart Woods Natural Area is 28 acres of lush green forest and wetlands that you will absolutely love.
Whether you’re a seasoned naturalist who enjoys hiking outdoors or someone who’s just looking to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city, this little woodland wonderland will leave you in awe when you see all the different kinds of wildlife ranging from lizards to birds!
The beautiful wooded park sits on what was once Camp Lowami, a Girl Scout camp established in 1956 in which its original flagpole still stands at the environmental education meeting spot close to the existing footbridge.
The Fir Loop Trail of the Lowami Hart Woods starts on SW Hart Road at the new parking lot and traverses a lowland deciduous forest, reaching Johnston Creek before turning back to the west.
From there, you can continue north, following the Snowberry Trail back to the southwest and coming upon the native grassland wildflower communities of the natural area, which appear even more vibrant in autumn colors.
The city of Beaverton is like a slice of heaven on earth.
Nature centers, wineries, and amenities like parks and places to have picnics are abundant in this gorgeous town.
From taking it easy at the Belle Ainsworth Jenkins Estate to getting away from the noise of everyday life in Lowami Hart Woods, there’s never a shortage of things to see and do when visiting Beaverton, Oregon.
If you’re still skeptical about whether or not you should visit this beautiful part of the world that lies just sunset from Portland, then make sure to get an inside scoop before getting on your flight – you won’t be disappointed!
Discover the world.
© All rights reserved.
