Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI)

OMSI, the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, is Portland's go-to rainy-day attraction for families and a genuinely good museum for curious adults. It sits on the east bank of the Willamette River in the Central Eastside, in a brick-and-glass building built around a former power plant, and its exhibit halls cover physics, chemistry, life science, earth science and technology with an emphasis on doing rather than reading — building, testing, pressing buttons and running experiments in hands-on labs. Large traveling exhibitions rotate through the main hall (the late-2026 lineup has included a Titanic artifact exhibition and a Universal theme parks exhibition), so it pays to check what is on before you go. Two add-ons make OMSI different from most science centers. The Kendall Planetarium runs star shows and space programs under its dome, and the Empirical Theater shows giant-screen documentaries. And moored on the river behind the museum is the USS Blueback, a diesel-electric submarine that served the U.S. Navy from 1959 to 1990, the last non-nuclear sub the Navy commissioned, which also appeared in the film The Hunt for Red October. Guided submarine tours last about forty to fifty minutes, carry up to sixteen guests, leave every twenty minutes while the museum is open, and require visitors to be at least three years old and 36 inches tall; longer guided tech tours run on some Sundays. OMSI is generally open Tuesday through Sunday, with exhibits, planetarium, theater and submarine priced separately or in combination. Parking is paid in the museum's lots, and the Portland Streetcar and the Orange Line MAX stop nearby.

Planning a visit: decide in advance which extras matter to you. Families with young children often spend the whole day in the exhibit halls, where the science playground for little ones and the hands-on labs are the stars. Older kids and adults usually add a submarine tour, which is genuinely fascinating — you walk through the cramped torpedo rooms, the control room and the crew's quarters while a guide explains life underwater — and either a planetarium show or a giant-screen film. Buy tickets for timed extras early in the day, because tours fill up on weekends and school holidays. The traveling exhibitions can cost extra, and some are geared more toward adults.

OMSI is also part of a changing neighborhood. The museum is leading the development of the OMSI District, a new mixed-use waterfront neighborhood planned on its surrounding land, and its riverside location connects to the Eastbank Esplanade walking and cycling path, which offers views of downtown across the water and links to the Tilikum Crossing bridge, a car-free bridge for transit, bikes and pedestrians. Walk or cycle the esplanade before or after your visit for one of the best riverfront strolls in the city. The museum also hosts adults-only evenings and seasonal programs; check the events calendar if you want a night out without the school groups.

Practicalities: OMSI is a reliable choice for wet days, but it can be busy and noisy on rainy weekends and during school holidays, and some labs or areas close temporarily for updates, so check the website before you go. Parking costs a few dollars for a couple of hours or a full day, paid by app or kiosk. The Central Eastside around the museum is full of breweries, coffee roasters and food carts for lunch, and the Portland Aerial Tram is a short streetcar ride across Tilikum Crossing in the South Waterfront district.

For visitors with a specific interest, the Kendall Planetarium's live shows are presented by staff who adjust to the audience's questions, making them more engaging than a recording, and the submarine's longer guided tech tours go deeper into the vessel's systems. The museum shop is a good stop for science kits and gifts, and the café offers casual meals with river views.