The welcome center on our main campus is more than just an entry point, it’s a free-access cultural salon that will feature exhibits about the Pacific Northwest bioregion and its history. You can find food, drinks, and merchandise in the welcome center without having to pass through an admissions gate. Gather with friends late at night, after PBG has closed, and enjoy a meal from one of the several food options.
Accessibility and Free Access
Our Portland welcome center will be open to the public, not requiring any ticket purchase to come inside. The building will be open during all operating hours, which allows visitors to easily visit our free exhibits, food court, and garden store. We want to make the welcome center a place where people can spend time without needing to pay for anything—the concessions are there, but the spirit of the place is in the gathering space. There will be clean, free, running water for those who need it.
Exhibits About the Region
We believe that education should be accessible to all and that’s why the Portland Welcome Center, an all-access zone, features exhibits about the Pacific Northwest. These educational displays will touch on topics like the history of the Pacific Northwest; the significance of the plants and organisms living in it; and the threats facing our region’s ecosystems. We’ll also use this space to teach about the local and regional organizations that are actively helping to restore, rehabilitate, and protect our natural areas and resources.
Exhibits About the City
It’ll also feature information about the other public gardens in Portland, focusing on their stories and significance within the city’s history. This is where we’ll introduce the City of Gardens concept.
Munchies
PBG’s main welcome center will also be home to a bar and restaurant, with a food cart pod outside in the parking lot. We plan to provide several different cuisine options for visitors who come for the garden, the community, the food cart pod, or all of the above. While the botanical garden itself will close at 5pm, since the welcome center is a free-access space, it will remain open later, allowing the restaurant to function like a normal, standalone eatery. This will likely be a space rented out to a local restaurant, rather than a PBG-owned cafe.
Garden Store
Learn more about the future PBG Garden Store here.
