Wine Bloggers Conference 2012 in Portland Oregon starts later this week. Attendees will want to make plans to visit some of these free sites available in the Portland area.

Portland Farmers Markets: Portland offers a number of farmers markets. In September 2011, we visited the largest farmers’ market in Portland. With wines and cheese to taste and a large selection of vegetables and fruits to choose between, it was a delightful experience.

Since we have arrived early in Portland for the conference, we visited a smaller farmer’s market yesterday that was delightfully boutique. An array of  colorful fruits and vegetables with cheese and wines were available. Everyone is friendly and happy to discuss their products and the weather.

Powell’s City of Books: Book lovers will enjoy winding their way through this maze of aisles and rooms filled with books both old and new.

Multnomah County Library: This immense library claims to be the oldest library west of the Mississippi.

International Rose Test Garden:  This beautiful garden consists of 4.5 acres with about 10,000 rose bushes.

Brewery Tours: In case you’ve had enough wine for a few days and want to discover some Oregon breweries, save time to visit some of the local breweries.

One of the great things that visitors to the Wine Bloggers Conference will want to know is that currently Oregon is one of the few states that does not have a sales tax.

Enjoy your visit to Portland, Oregon.

Cheers, Kathy