Where to Find America’s Most Captivating Street Art

Not all outstanding art is found in museums, which is why we've gathered up 20 American cities that offer the most captivating street art.

Where to Find America’s Most Captivating Street Art

Street art has no admission fees. It’s accessible to everyone, and everything is on display outdoors in the fresh air. Murals and the artists who create them are storytellers, revealing heart and soul crafted with a spray can and a ladder.

It’s not a stretch to consider street art and murals as the highest elevation of storytelling graffiti, born of a desire to share one’s tales. We know that 17,000 years ago, artists drew exceptionally realistic images of large animals to decorate Palaeolithic-era cave walls in the Vézère Valley of southwestern France. Contemporary street art can be iconic, like a must-see Banksy, or hidden down a narrow alleyway where you’d least expect it. As a bonus, there’s the serendipity of the unexpected.

Meet Ruben Rojas, co-founder of the international nonprofit Beautify Earth, who traded in the suit and tie for overalls and a paintbrush. By building a community of artists to transform unsightly blank walls into canvases for messages that empower and uplift us, the mission is to ignite creativity, stimulate new dialogues and inspire others to see our world through the lens of love.

Here’s a shout-out to urban street art that isn’t typically found in guidebooks. It gives us reason to just pause, have a look and smile.

Los Angeles

Where to Find Street Art: Pico Boulevard in Santa Monica

Within the 8 square miles of this famous corner of Greater Los Angeles, there’s a treasure trove of 200 murals. Walk the length of Pico Boulevard for 2 miles from the pier to the farmers market to see dozens of murals, some wrapping color around entire buildings from top to bottom. Themes range from a Prohibition-era speakeasy to a poignant proposal of marriage.

What Else to See

Beyond this stretch, Santa Monica has more to discover. Rojas says, “I began my mural career here and painted my first three murals in this city. I suggest renting a bike and cycling your way through Santa Monica.”

Or park the bike, and take an oceanside stroll on the wide sandy beach. Santa Monica Pier has a 2-acre Pacific Park Amusement Park with rides, arcade games, old-fashioned midway games and plenty of eats to enjoy from a seat on the wooden pier’s over-the-ocean deck. To get up close and personal with the fish, little kids will love the intimate Santa Monica Aquarium right on Ocean Front Walk.

Long Beach, California

Where to Find Street Art: Retro Row, East 4th Street

Sunny Long Beach loves outdoor murals, and the city has its own festival to celebrate them every July. POW! WOW! Long Beach is the city’s week-long event that sees international muralists joining local artists to fan out across Long Beach, adding new art to a growing inventory of nearly 100 murals. Brilliant designs pop up all over to decorate buildings, freeway overpasses, bridges, alleyways, parking structures, hotels and even the sides of a public transit bus.

The largest concentration of street art is along 4th Street to the east and west of Long Beach Boulevard.

What Else to See

Continue exploring the art theme at the Museum of Latin American Art.

Or for something really different, step aboard to tour the retired ocean liner RMS Queen Mary. She’s a fully authentic, floating art déco museum containing a hotel modeled from first-class staterooms, a spa and restaurants. Permanently moored in Long Beach, she’s rumored to be haunted.

New York

Where to Find Street Art: Williamsburg and Prospect Heights, Brooklyn

In walkable Williamsburg, Brazilian street artist Eduardo Kobra created a portfolio of large-scale pieces particularly known for bright colors and bold strokes. “Fight for Street Art” is a favorite for its homage to artists Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat, their arms crossed and wearing boxing gloves. “War is Hell” depicts a young Elvis Presley as a military man. Another striking portrait is based on an award-winning photograph by a local high school student: “Mona Lisa of Williamsburg” is a four-story landmark overlooking Broadway Avenue at the corner of Bedford Avenue.

In Prospect Heights, near the Brooklyn Botanic Garden and Brooklyn Museum, a widely admired Kobra mural shows the faces of Mexican artists Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera re-imagined as one person.

What Else to See

Navigate this neighborhood that measures only 2 square miles on foot. One of the best things about this part of Brooklyn is its killer views of Manhattan. Head for East River State Park, also known as Marsha P. Johnson State Park, for some of the best.

The site of a 19th-century shipping dock, the park offers a free history lesson via interpretive signage that reveals more about the old cobblestone streets and railroad tracks embedded in concrete.

San Francisco

Where to Find Street Art: Mission District

San Francisco's oldest neighborhood is also its luckiest for having survived The Great Earthquake and Fire of 1906. See a distinctive and intricate mural completely covering The Women's Building at the corner of Mission Street and 18th Street. Painted in 1994 by seven female artists, “MaestraPeace Mural” is a visual homage to the contributions of women that also displays the names of more than 600 women written in calligraphy. More political activism is displayed in Clarion Alley. In this narrow passage, no two visits are the same, due to the tradition of rotating artwork.

How does it work? A muralist can inherit space to paint over existing art when an artist no longer wishes to update their work. Also in the Mission, Balmy Alley has walls, garage doors and back fences between 24th and 25th streets with 40 years’ worth of fresh murals painted on top of older ones.

What Else to See

To see the oldest existing structure in San Francisco (founded in 1776), go to Mission Dolores Basilica at 16th Street and Dolores Street.

And for superb city views, climb the expansive grassy hill at adjacent Dolores Park. Notice the golden-painted fire hydrant at the top corner of the park at 20th Street and Church Street. During the 1906 disaster, this was the city’s only functional hydrant and it’s credited with saving the entire Mission District when 80 percent of San Francisco was lost.

St. Louis

Where to Find Street Art: Mural Mile

Not surprisingly, St. Louis is a great graffiti tourism destination with an emphasis on musical-themed street art. Home to the storied St. Louis blues, this city on the Mississippi River has been important in the development of American jazz, country music and bluegrass. This is also home to the Gateway Arch, an iconic monument designed by artist Eero Saarinen and built as a symbol of America’s westward expansion.

Every Labor Day Weekend, all eyes are on the arch as artists gather for Paint Louis, a festival dedicated to transforming a stretch of the river flood wall into an outdoor gallery. This display of vibrant street art is considered the largest project of its kind anywhere in the world, a two-mile stretch of 250 outdoor paintings known as Mural Mile.

What Else to See

See a beloved mural about 6 miles west of the arch in a trendy neighborhood called The Grove, welcoming everyone with a huge sculptural banner hung across the road.

On the side of the Gramophone at 4243 Manchester Avenue, “St. Louis Wall of Fame” is a tribute to African American local legends such as Tina Turner, Miles Davis and Chuck Berry. Admirers are actually viewing the second installation of this mural, as the original was lost when that building was restored. For more things to do in The Grove, Explore St. Louis promises “craft beer, barbecue, soul food and over-the-top ice cream.”

Philadelphia

Where to Find Street Art: Fishtown

The nation’s birthplace of independence doubles as the birthplace of modern graffiti, hence the nickname, “City of Murals.” Explore pedestrian-friendly Philly in comfortable footwear to appreciate wide-flung places where contemporary urban artwork is overlaid on a Revolutionary-era backdrop.

At the center of the outdoor street art movement, the nonprofit Mural Arts Philadelphia is the nation’s largest public art program and can point to an astonishing 4,000 murals all over the city. Among them, American bald eagles are truly a local trend. To get a bite-size sampling of murals, head for trendy, historic Fishtown on the Delaware River where public art thrives.

Follow the locals riding “The El,” a rambling elevated subway that links Fishtown with downtown Philadelphia in under 10 minutes. Get off at Berks or Girard station on the Market-Frankford line to see patriotic murals bearing all-American symbols that attest to the beginnings of this city: one of a bold, bald eagle and another one of a super-sized stars and stripes.

What Else to See

There’s also a touching tribute to Anthony Bourdain as a testament from this foodie-focused district. One of Fishtown’s newest murals, it’s found near the Honeygrow Test Kitchen at North Front and East Oxford streets.

A tip for mural-spotters: Save room for a freshly baked Philly-style bagel with a schmear of cream cheese, hummus or whitefish salad.

Pittsburgh

Where to Find Street Art: The Strip District to Downtown

Strategically situated at the intersection of three rivers, Pittsburgh is an old city with a shiny new veneer. It’s also a city that encourages and recognizes that “community murals are a very bold and accessible way to enliven a neighborhood and employ artists,” according to the Pittsburgh Arts Council.

The Strip District runs along the banks of the Allegheny River where warehouses make good canvasses. From this thriving neighborhood, it’s a short walk along Penn Ave to downtown, where “The Two Andys” is unquestionably one of Pittsburgh’s centerpiece murals. It’s a playful tribute to native sons Andy Warhol and Andrew Carnegie, picturing them seated side-by-side in a hair and nail salon. Find the mural by Tom Mosser and Sarah Zeffiro by the Carnegie Branch Library at the end of Strawberry Way, a downtown street filled with public art.

What Else to See

Another do-not-miss mural adorns the façade of Byham Theater in the Cultural District. Using a clever trompe l’oeil effect to integrate the building’s door and windows into the design, “Mural of a Steel Mill Stage” by Robert Haas is a major piece measuring 56-by-36 feet.

For more whimsical art appreciation, it’s back to the Strip District to visit Heinz History Center, an affiliate of The Smithsonian Institution, for Americana exhibits like “The Legacy of Mr. Rogers” and a century of artifacts representing the iconic food brand.

Austin, Texas

Where to Find Street Art: South Congress

For sure, the city’s tagline, “Keep Austin Weird,” applies to the eclectic street art movement in the Texas capital in the most positive way. Creative energy is actively encouraged and supported by local government and businesses, making Austin a true representation of the Beautify Earth etho street art as a form of community revitalization, with all stakeholders playing a role.

Where to look first? Painted in 1998, “Greetings From Austin” is a beloved postcard-style mural on the side of Roadhouse Relics on 1st Street in South Austin. For more in the neighborhood, there’s “Willie (Nelson) for President” at 1423 S. Congress St. and a mural outside South Congress Books that delivers fantasy in a scene depicting hills, bats, fish-meet-deer fictional creatures and books … naturally.

What Else to See

“Smile Even If You Don’t Want To” is perhaps an ironic message since it’s located by the sought-after Hey, Cupcake food trailer on South Congress where smiles surely abound. Every Austinite knows about “I Love You So Much” a simple, adorable message scrawled on the wall outside Jo’s Coffee shop, also on South Congress Street.

To explore Austin beyond its painted walls, check out the 200-plus venues that make Austin the “Live Music Capital of the World.”

Houston

Where to Find Street Art: Downtown and Midtown Houston

Everybody loves a fun and funky painted wall, and Houston has a growing collection of nearly 100. Every autumn, HUE Mural Festival (Houston Urban Experience) provides a showcase for carefully vetted international muralists to turn available downtown walls into colorful, larger-than-life canvases.

Walk amidst Downtown Houston’s new-look sea of skyscrapers, seeking out its vibrant pockets of murals. Some of the best are centrally located in Market Square Park, Discovery Green, Graffiti Park and at the Houston Graffiti Building on Chartres Street, a group of industrial structures that contains elaborate rotating outdoor street art.

Don’t miss the mural by Houston native graffiti artist Mario E. Figueroa, Jr., a.k.a. GONZO247, entitled “Houston is Inspired.” This artwork makes a popular selfie backdrop across from Market Square in a little parking lot at the corner of Preston Street at 313 Travis Street in the heart of downtown.

What Else to See

To avoid disappointment, be aware that the Houston mural scene is a frequently changing one, so snap a picture to preserve what you love best. One that’s not likely to disappear is 60-feet tall and 180-feet wide. The artist Sebastien "Mr. D" Boileau calls his work, "Preservons La Creation" (Let's Preserve the Creation). Found on a wall at 2800 San Jacinto Street in Midtown, this is Houston's largest mural, depicting God with arms outstretched and a spray paint can in hand.

From this location, it’s less than 2 miles to the Houston Museum District for a different kind of art delight.

San Antonio

Where to Find Street Art: Essex Art Project

“You Belong Here” is an appropriate name for street art by Ruben Rojas that promotes tourism to San Antonio. This university city with its lovely River Walk pedestrian promenade is also home to The Essex Art Project, one of the most visually stunning, curated street art exhibits in Texas.

Come anytime, but 12 days a year are special days. On the second Saturday of the month, a former industrial area comes to life from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. with displays of classic cars, plus music, food trucks and muralists. Artists gather at this urban development site where they spend hours creating breathtaking murals while families and other visitors look on to experience the sight of street art in the making.

What Else to See

While in San Antonio, remember the Alamo. It’s the most-visited landmark in the state, relating the time and place when a pivotal 13-day siege occurred in 1836 during the Texas fight for independence from Mexico. Incidentally, we lost.

Fun fact: Did you know that British rock star Phil Collins, who was an avid collector of Alamo artifacts and paraphernalia, donated his entire priceless collection to this historic site in 2014? The website relates, “Collins fell in love with the Alamo’s inspiring story as a 5-year-old boy when he saw the Disney production of ‘Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier.’”

Seattle

Where to Find Street Art: Belltown and West Seattle

“Greetings From Seattle” proclaims the big and bright mural decorating the side of Bedlam Coffee on Second Avenue in Belltown. This well-known spot is a selfie magnet, an illustrated salute to the city’s top sights, crowned by Mount Rainir’s snow-capped peak. At Cinerama, a historic Belltown movie theater, the exterior is decorated in a blue and red wraparound design saluting the classics of cinema’s golden days.

From Downtown Seattle, it’s a 10-minute water taxi ride to West Seattle, a laid-back residential neighborhood. Here, Kurt Cobain sings into his mic on a decorated signal box beside the intersection of California and Graham streets. In fact, visitors can discover a series of signal box portraits by artist Desmond Hansen that includes Jimi Hendrix, Bruce Lee, Chris Cornell and Layne Staley. And be on the lookout for delightfully dream-like murals by Ryan Henry Ward, recognized as Seattle’s most prolific artist, who has painted about 200.

What Else to See

Most visitors to Seattle have the famed Pike Place Market, in operation since 1907, on the itinerary. "Street Music" by Karen DeWinter and "Market Memories" by Billy King both depict vibrant market scenes of shoppers and stall fruit. There’s even a mural, “Cherry Tree in Bloom,” at the first floor elevator lobby for the market’s underground parking garage.

Ride the monorail from downtown to the Space Needle, and soak up more of America’s creative expression at MoPOP, the Museum of American Culture.

Cleveland

Where to Find Street Art: Ohio City

Ohio City is the epicenter of Cleveland’s murals with the densest concentration of street art in town. Visitors are welcomed to the growing public art scene by “Greetings From Cleveland,” an attractive mural at the corner of West 25th and Chatham. This one is painted by Victor Ving, and it’s part of an expanding series of similar postcard-style designs that are found in a number of U.S. cities.

One of the most intriguing murals is the giant depiction of “Prince Eating a Donut” with a purple background, painted by artist Glen Infante. Find this tribute to the singular American talent on the overpass bridge near West 25th Street and Washington Avenue.

Another local favorite is the pair of lovey-dovey rainbow pride birds proclaiming their adoration for each other on a concrete wall near West 25th St. and Detroit Avenue. Adding to the lure of Ohio City street art, there are depictions of eggs floating in the sky, a shrine to pizza, a flying tiger and a giant waffle ice cream cone (two scoops of raspberry sorbet and caramel) on the side of Mason Creamery.

What Else to See

Cleveland has recently become a great city for street art where the scale of these murals reflects the large walls remaining from Cleveland’s industrial heritage.

Art lovers should stay for the Cleveland Art Museum; plant lovers for the Cleveland Botanical Gardens; music lovers for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame; and sports lovers for the Cleveland Braves, Indians or Cavaliers.

Boston

Where to Find Street Art: Central Square, Cambridge

At Dewey Square in Boston’s Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway Conservancy, a new mural is commissioned every 12 to 18 months to promote vibrancy and attract repeat visitors. But the place to know about is on the other side of the Charles River in Cambridge, home to both Harvard University and MIT, a quick ride via the MBTA Red Line. Right across the street from the Central Square T exit, Modica Way is a sight for sore eyes. It’s a riot of color in a narrow public passageway with a faux stained-glass canopy that connects a parking lot to Massachusetts Avenue.

Commonly called Graffiti Alley, “one of Boston’s most Instagrammable spots” features brick walls covered in a bright array of about two dozen changing murals. Observers say Modica Way once had fixtures by nationally known artists Shepard Fairey (creator of the 2008 Obama "Hope" poster) and Enzo & Nio. Others are contributed by countless anonymous artists. New works pop up frequently — one of the newest and most poignant illustrates Kobe Bryant and his daughter, Gianni, wearing angel wings.

What Else to See

Cambridge Public Library - Central Square Branch

Don’t leave Central Square without seeing the tall “For Cambridge With Love From Nepal” by the artist Imagine at the corner of Massachusetts Avenue and Sidney Street. Another big mural, 240-feet long and 20-feet high, decorates Central Square Branch Library. Painted in 2019 by local muralist Silvia López Chavez, the design features books, flying birds and pages turning into paper planes, all set against a backdrop of bold stripes of color.

P.S. You don't want to miss Harvard Square and Harvard Yard, just a mile farther along Mass Ave.

Chicago

Where to Find Street Art: Wabash Arts Corridor, South Loop

Long and frigid winters aside, Chicago is an incredibly walkable city. Due to its sheer size, you’d need a lot more than 10,000 steps a day to explore its variety of murals. So, zero in on a neighborhood to manage the mission. We recommend the Wabash Arts Corridor in the South Loop as a mecca for fans of street art.

Start walking along Wabash at E. Van Buren Street, which is only two blocks south of the Art Institute of Chicago. Between Van Buren and Roosevelt Road, this stretch of S. Wabash Avenue is a manageable seven-block stretch where large-scale muralists have been commissioned to join an international competition since its inception in 2013.

Chicago blues musician Muddy Waters gets a shout-out in a nine-story high mural by internationally acclaimed Brazilian street artist Eduardo Kobra. Everyone loves the whimsy of animals doing funny things as seen in “Moose Bubblegum Bubble” by Jacob Watts and exchanging a kiss in “Impossible Meeting” by early graffiti artist Marina Zumi.

What Else to See

In all, visitors can take in 37 murals before returning north to the Art Institute for Claude Monet’s “Water Lilies,” Vincent Van Gogh’s “The Bedroom,” “American Gothic” by Grant Wood as well as one of the world’s largest collections of Impressionist and post-Impressionist paintings.

Detroit

Where to Find Street Art: Eastern Market Historic District

Over the past few years, the Detroit Mural Project has photographed and researched 1,000 pieces of outdoor art murals, as well as the artists, found throughout Detroit. The result indicates that the street art is spread out; no one neighborhood has the bulk of public street art. Curator Viranel said, “When I found out that Diego Rivera’s last living assistant has a mural in Southwest Detroit, I couldn’t wait to text all of my friends.”

The most convenient and fun destination for street art is the weekend Eastern Market Historic District. Packed with 150 vendors, the nation’s largest open-air flowerbed market is further revitalized by colorful murals painted on its warehouse walls. In September, the lively Murals in the Market is a public art festival that has helped revitalize Detroit, attracting talented artists to the former manufacturing-based metropolis.

What Else to See

Moving on to other art forms, 2 miles from Eastern Market Historic District, the Detroit Institute of Art “showcases everything from mummies to modern art and African masks to Monets.”

Inside the Motown Museum, passionate tour guides walk visitors through the story of “Hitsville USA,” and the legacy of Detroit soul, rhythm and blues.

Atlanta

Where to Find Street Art: Cabbagetown

Atlanta’s street art scene is spread out across several neighborhoods, but there’s an excellent concentration on Carroll Street to the Wylie Street Corridor in Cabbagetown. The vast walls of this walkable stretch present such a good location that the annual Forward Warrior public art mural series uses it every year for an ever-changing array of pieces from prolific local artists like FRKO, Greg Mike, JOEKINGATL and others.

Admire a striking yellow piece of art from Lela Brunet and two different portraits done in explosions of color signed by artists Sanithna Phansavanh and Janice Rago. Take a mile-long self-guided walking tour starting from Carroll Street, then along the wall bordering the CSX railroad yard, also known as the Atlanta Beltline Eastside Trail. It intersects with the notable Krog Street Graffiti Tunnel under the rail tracks where the artwork is constantly changing.

What Else to See

Carry on to Inman Park for the Krog Street Market, a 1920s warehouse filled with food stalls, shops and a few restaurants before checking out the grand Victorian homes in this district.

For history buffs, Atlanta can fulfill a mix of interests — business (CNN Studio Tours and World of Coca-Cola), literary (Margaret Mitchell House, author of “Gone With the Wind”) and presidential (The Carter Library and Museum).

Washington, D.C.

Where to Find Street Art: Adams Morgan and Shaw

Fittingly, the large work known as “Presidential Mural” is a big attraction. Unveiled for Barack Obama’s inauguration in 2008, it illustrates 50 years of 11 presidents starting with Dwight D. Eisenhower. Funded by the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities, the giant postcard-style mural by artist Karlisima also shows Mama Ayesha, owner of this Ethiopian restaurant in the Adams Morgan.

This neighborhood is home to D.C. mural artist Aniekan Udofia, the creator of two engaging designs in Ben Ali Way beside Ben’s Chili Bowl, serving spicy hot dogs, chili-cheese fries and milkshakes since 1958. In the Shaw Historic District, one mural features African American cultural leaders, the other shows African American baseball players.

What Else to See

From here, it’s a short walk to Q Street NW to see the Watermelon House that everybody loves. The story behind it is just as much fun, as the mural was the accidental result of painters who got creative when the red side of a house came out a bit too pink. All it took was adding bits of black for the seeds and green for the rind.

For more to do in D.C., remember that all the wonderful monuments, memorials and museums are admission-free; we’ve already paid for them through our taxes.

Denver

Where to Find Street Art: Cherry Creek Trail

Planning to bicycle around Denver? The thin and dryer air in this mile-high city could leave you breathless in addition to amazing Rocky Mountain views. If you’re feeling fit to cycle, Cherry Creek Trail is a scenic (mostly flat) 2.3-mile ride that embraces murals as well as stunning views provided by Mother Nature.

Start with a tribute to the state dinosaur, state bird and state reptile in “Symbols of Colorado” by local muralist Yulia Avgustinovich at the riverside Confluence Park. Spot the newest mural on the path, a tribute to “The Black Cyclone” showing Marshall “Major” Taylor, the first African American to attain world champion status in cycling in 1899. There’s no need to cycle fast, though. Slow down to check out 30-plus murals along the trail that are mainly funded by the Urban Arts Fund.

What Else to See

Go past historic Larimer Square, the area where Denver began, and on to Broadway Market, a trendy food hall where a cold beer is waiting.

Fun fact: With an average of 300 days of sunshine per year, Denver is one of the sunniest cities in the nation. So, for more to do outdoors, check out the Denver Botanic Gardens, the Denver Zoo and the one-of-a-kind Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre 10 miles west of the city.

Indianapolis

Where to Find Street Art: Monon Trail, CityWay and Downtown

“You Are Beautiful,” “Smile!” and “Laugh Every Day.” Feel good messages are emblazoned on many of the outdoor murals along the Monon Trail between 52nd and 54th Street. It’s the Love Train Community Mural Project, a 600-foot-long work of art created in 2014.

Elsewhere in Indy, CityWay is a project on the southeast side of downtown, an exercise in deliberate community planning and street art cultivation. The area was designed with the intention of having street art occupy a huge portion of public space, with walls deliberately meant to host it. Two artists are assigned to the project: Nick Walker of Bristol, England, and Kelsey Montague of Denver, whose signature butterfly wings came to prominence via a 2019 commission from Taylor Swift.

What Else to See

My Affair with Kurt Vonnegut - Pamela Bliss

At 345 Massachusetts Avenue, “My Affair with Kurt Vonnegut” by Pamela Bliss is a 38-foot mural of the author, one of the most celebrated Hoosiers of all time. An eye-catching “Return to Innocence” and a pretty floral “Morning Magnolias” were commissioned by the Arts Council of Indianapolis as part of the Canal Murals Downtown initiative.

Find them near the Indiana Historical Society (450 W. Ohio Street) where visitors can explore artifacts and exhibits that provide a deep sense of place in a museum calling itself “Indiana’s Storyteller.”

Portland, Oregon

Where to Find Street Art: Alberta Arts District and Buckman

Because Portland has a robust collection of 2,000 pieces of outdoor public art and murals, it saves time to map them out and avoid navigating from one neighborhood to another.

Portland’s historic Alberta Arts District has a walkable mile-long street with plenty of murals. On Alberta Street, where a Last Thursday street fair takes place monthly, the art is most plentiful on the blocks from 14th to 23rd streets. Home to much of Portland's African American community for decades, vivid artwork, such as “Still We Rise” by acclaimed artist Arvie Smith and “Until We Get There” by Mehran Heard, relates the story in huge intricate murals on the façade of Natural Grocers at the corner of NE Alberta and Martin Luther King Blvd.

What Else to See

Check out a 3.5-mile loop that takes in nearly three dozen murals; it’s best explored, in true Portland-style, hiking or on a bike. Begin at the giant tiger mural on the building at Hair of the Dog Brewing Company near Water Avenue in East Portland.

Three of the highlights are “The Collector,” an amusing rhinoceros mural by Josh Keyes at There Be Monsters bar at 1308 SE Morrison Street, “Cheshire Cat” by Yoshi47 at 11th Avenue and Stark Street, plus “Hawthorne Arrows” by Blaine Fontana near Lucky Labrador Brew Pub at 915 SE Hawthorne Boulevard — all in Buckman.

Once the quest for murals is accomplished, while in and around Portland, go chasing waterfalls. The Columbia River Gorge has some of the nation’s best.