Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden, Portland (must see)

Crystal Springs Rhododendron Gardens are named for Crystal Springs Creek, which flows along their western side. Crystal Springs Gardens feature more than 2,500 rhododendrons, azaleas, and other plants in a setting of small lakes, paved and unpaved paths, fountains, and small waterfalls.

The gardens are open daily from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. from April through September and from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. from October through March. Admission is $3 from March through Labor Day and free from Labor Day through the end of February.

The project began in 1950 as a rhododendron test garden on a site previously covered with brush, blackberries, native trees, and the remnants of a Shakespeare theater developed by students of Reed College.The Rhododendron Society has counted 94 species in the garden, including grebes, herons, ducks, Canada geese, wigeons, gulls, thrushes, nuthatches, hummingbirds, and others.