One of my favorite streets in Portland is Mississippi Ave.
This bustling street is effortlessly cool, with tasty eateries, hip cocktail bars, and quirky shops.
It's all crammed into five blocks on Mississippi Ave, bordered by Cook Street and Skidmore Street.
If I'm staying in downtown Portland, it's just a 10 minute drive across the Fremont Bridge to this historic, northeast neighborhood.
When did Mississippi Ave become popular?
I remember when Mississippi Ave was once a gritty area with boarded up and abandoned storefronts. Things started to change after the early 2000's, when rapid gentrification took place. The street soon sprung to life with new restaurants and shops.
What's there to do?
I really enjoy Mississippi Avenue for a great night out at unique bars like Interurban, the Moloko reef cocktail lounge, and The 1905 jazz and pizza club.
Mississippi Ave is also a popular brunch spot in Portland. Top of the list is yummy Gravy. This is one of Portland's best known breakfast restaurants, with scrambles and omelettes, gravy platters and fried egg sandwiches. Yum!
There's also a decent selection of thai, mexican and pizza restaurants, so I'm always spoiled for dinner options.
One of my favorite things to do on Mississippi Avenue is explore the quirky shops. The first shop that comes to mind is Paxton Gate, which was featured on the hit TV show Portlandia. Think fossils, skulls, taxidermy and other oddities!
There's also a shop dedicated to the sale of every type of lightbulb imaginable, known as Sunlan Lighting.
Another must-do activity is stopping by the Rebuilding Center to find 30,000 square feet of treasures like vintage lighting, sinks, tiles and doors.
10 best things to do on Mississippi Ave Portland
1. Explore cool bars along Mississippi Ave Portland.
If you want an authentic Portland experience, then head out to one of the bars on Mississippi Ave.
First up I'd recommend buying attending a show at the world class jazz club bar, The 1905.
Next up is Moloko coral reef bar. This cool bar has eight giant reef tanks filled with tropical fish and coral, and a great outdoor patio area.
The sophisticated Stem Wine Bar also has a beautiful patio and private tasting area.
Step back into an earlier era at the atmospheric Interurban (pictured below). It feels more like a saloon than bar. Sample craft cocktails and whiskey, while digging into hearty meals over the candlelit tables.
2. Eat at restaurants along Mississippi Ave.
Portland is a serious foodie town, that takes pride in serving only the most delicious meals made from organic, sustainable ingredients.
I'm always spoilt for choice along Mississippi Avenue, but my absolute fave is always Por Que No taqueria. Everything is good here, from the pollo verde tacos, to the cheesy refried bean dip. The Miss Delta Restaurant and Bar also hits the spot when I have a craving for southern food. I load up on country fried steak, chicken and waffles, and the ever popular biscuits and gravy.
The Mee-Sen Thai Eatery has some of the best thai in Portland, in a delightful, colorful setting. But when I'm looking for a fun night out with live music and trivia, I head straight to the friendly and welcoming Mississippi Pizza.
Por Que No Taqueria attracts lines out the door! It serves mouth watering rice bowls, tacos and quesadillas, washed down with refreshing sangrias or margaritas.
The patio area is always busy at Por Que No Taqueria.
I love the funky interior and street dining at Mee-Sen Thai Eatery.
3. Find brunch spots along Mississippi Ave Portland.
The most popular brunch spot along Mississippi Ave is the southern style Gravy.
4. Load up on treats at Kate's Ice Cream.
Kate's Ice Cream has plant based, vegan ice-cream in flavors like mint chocolate chip and triple chocolate brownie.
5. Sample craft beers at Stormbreaker Brewing.
Try Stormbreaker Brewing on Mississippi, with award winning craft beer. I always kick back and relax on the long trestle tables in the outdoor patio area, while soaking up the fun atmosphere.
6. Visit the Fresh Pot coffee on Mississippi, featured in a Hollywood movie.
Whenever I'm searching for the quintessential Portland cafe, I head for Fresh Pot on Mississippi Ave. I remember seeing this cafe in the movie "The Feast of Love" (2007) featuring Morgan Freeman and Greg Kinnear. It's an old school coffee shop, housed inside a vintage drug store. The original drug store sign for Phipps Rexall Drugs is still outfront.
7. Shop for artisan chocolates at The Meadow.
The cute storefront for The Meadow always catches my eye. There's an unusual array of products like handcrafted bitters for gin, cocktail kits, or himalayan salt blocks for grilling. There's also a wall of beautifully packaged chocolate from far flung places like Iceland and Hungary.
8. See one of Mississippi's most iconic stores, Sunlan Lighting.
Portland is probably the only city in the world that has an entire store 100% dedicated to the sale of lightbulbs!
You can see them in every shape and color at Sunlan Lighting on Mississippi Avenue. The store has been run since 1989 by Kay Newell. She's also fondly known by locals as "The Lightbulb Lady". Shop for Christmas lights, edison bulbs, butterfly nightlights, and flower bulbs. Kay has somehow elevated the whole experience of bulb shopping into an artform.
One of the best times to admire this store is at night, when the upper window sash is illuminated by a colorful row of florescent bulbs.
9. Step inside Portland's most eccentric shop, Paxton Gate curiosities.
The quirkiest retail experience along Mississippi Ave is at Paxton Gate curiosities. I remember seeing this store in the hit TV show Portlandia, so just had to visit. I initially thought I'd walked into a natural history museum, but realized this is a shop and everything here is for sale!
Browse displays with curiosities like a bat skeleton, human tibia, sheep eye, or coyote skull. Some of the taxidermy pieces include moose or chipmunk head mounts, and full body deers.
I was a little freaked out by the glass framed tarantula spider, but thought the mounted butterflies might make a decent gift.
There's also a dazzling selection of gems and crystals.
10. Find unusual treasures at the The Rebuilding Center.
I love wandering around the 30,000 square foot space inside the Rebuilding Center on Mississippi Avenue, searching for treasures from an earlier era. Portlanders are big on re-use and recyling when they're renovating their historic 19th century homes. Instead of throwing away these precious items in landfill, they donate them to The Rebuilding Center. It's all here, including original shaker doors, clawfoot tubs and ornate door handles.
Review this attraction