Flowers in Focus: A Botanical Tour of Portland

Wine tasting

The Willamette Valley is America's answer to Burgundy. Glorious pinot noir is grown throughout. Top picks are Four Graces Winery, Domaine Serene, and Hiyu Wine Farm.

For those who like it a bit stronger, Ransom Distillery has a range of aged gins that we adore. Walk-ins are generally welcome.

Garden tours

Portland is called The Rose City. The International Rose Test Garden was established in 1917 to receive and protect hybrid British tea roses that were endangered by WWI. It now holds over 650 varieties and is the largest rose garden in America.

Other great gardens are the Lan Su Chinese Garden, the Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden, and the Portland Japanese Garden.

Chasing waterfalls & wildflowers

Less than an hour from the city, look for the Wahclella Falls and hike the Toothrock Trailhead.

420 flower tour

If you are interested in another type of "floral abundance," the city of Portland has a longstanding culture of recreational dispensaries and lounges. Favorites include the Broadway Cannabis Market, Flight Lounge, and the Northwest Cannabis Club in Tigard, with the state's largest selection of strains and an on-site smoking lounge for members.

• Battle Creek Cellars, a project by Browne Family Cellars, has a restaurant and tasting room right in downtown Portland.

• The Dundee Bistro is right in the heart of Willamette wine country. Dundee is less than an hour from the city.

• Trellis, also in wine country, is an incredible wine-soaked cafe. Highest recommendation for the duck confit salad.

• Astera features a chef-curated tasting menu. Practicing what they call "sustainable botanical gastronomy," the dishes change weekly based on foraged finds, the farmers market, and the bounty from their kitchen garden. Reservations required.

• Hiyu Wine Farm also requires reservations for dinner, but you can enjoy a walk-in tasting at their biodynamic winery in Hood River.