Portland is a great example of a big city that blends beautifully into its natural surroundings, with more than 10,000 acres of parks and green spaces within the city limits. And with such an impressive urban forest environment, you might like to know a little bit more about the trees you're looking at, which is where the World Forestry Center comes in. Located in beautiful Washington Park, the center contains a forestry museum, two off-site tree farms, and the World Forestry Institute, all designed to improve public knowledge of forests and their importance in the ecosystem. The 20,000-square-foot Discovery Museum, for example, has hands-on, interactive exhibits on the forests of the Pacific Northwest and around the world, as well as People and Forests, an overview of man's interrelationships with forests. Those who aren't afraid of heights can enjoy a rare glimpse at what life is like at the top of some of these great trees, as the Take Me to the Top Canopy Lift bring visitors to a Canopy Bridge on the top of the museum, high above the forest floor and into the branches of the great trees. Don't look down. The World Forestry Center is less than three miles from the Westin Portland.
