A 16,000-square-foot mansion with 44 rooms (23 which are open to viewing) in Portland’s West Hills that is rooted in history. Visitors can enjoy the architecture, stunning views or the history of the Pittock family.

What to bring: The Pittock Mansion is a walking tour that can take anywhere from 45 minutes to two hours. Bring your camera - but the staff asks that you do not use tripods. Picnics are welcome on the grounds, so a picnic lunch is welcome. No food or drinks are allowed in the mansion. Make sure you finish your picnic before you take your tour.

Tips: When visiting the mansion make sure you do not miss the outbuildings - the gate lodge and the garage offer even more glimpses into the past and a gift shop that helps to support the operational costs of the mansion. You can dress up or down for your tour, but be sure to give yourself plenty of time to discover all the nooks and crannies of the mansion.

Bringing a picnic lunch is a great way to spend an afternoon, taking in the scenery of downtown Portland. The mansion is also near the Oregon Zoo, Japanese Gardens and other parks and gardens in the West Hills. You could make a day trip out of visiting the many sites.

History: The Pittock Mansion was home to Portland pioneers Henry and Georgiana Pittock from 1914 to 1919. During the late 1800s and the early 1900s, their lives and work paralleled the growth of Portland from a small Northwest town site to a thriving city with a quarter million people.

English-born Henry Lewis Pittock journeyed on a wagon train from Pennsylvania to Oregon in 1853 where, at the young age of 19, and in his own words, “barefoot and penniless,” he began working for Thomas Jefferson Dryer’s Weekly Oregonian newspaper.

A consummate businessman, Henry Pittock took ownership of the Weekly Oregonian in 1860, changing its format to a daily paper. He went on to build an empire incorporating real estate, banking, railroads, steamboats, sheep ranching, silver mining and the pulp and paper industry.

A vigorous outdoorsman, Henry rode horses in the Rose Festival parades, and was a member of the first party to climb Mt. Hood, one of the spectacular peaks visible from the mansion.

Henry and Georgiana were at the pinnacle of their successful lives when they commissioned architect Edward Foulkes to design and build their new home overlooking Portland, the city they loved. In keeping with their loyalty to their home state, the Pittocks hired Oregon craftsmen and artisans, and used Northwest materials to build the house. The final estate included the mansion, a three-car garage, a greenhouse, and the Italianate gate lodge servants’ residence, all situated on 46 acres of land almost 1,000 feet above downtown Portland.