5 Places Portland Locals Hope Oregon Tourists Never Discover

Portland may not have an iconic landmark like LA's Hollywood sign or Seattle's Space Needle, and yet there are plenty of tourist attractions that come to mind when thinking of the classic West Coast city. As someone who lived in Portland for a full decade and proudly introduced friends and family to my beloved city, I can vouch that the most sought-after spots for first-time visitors are Powell's City of Books -– the largest independent bookstore in the world –- and Voodoo Doughnut. The latter is famed for its wacky-flavored pastries, packaged in pretty pink boxes that are the most common carry-on item I've seen on flights departing from Portland International Airport (PDX). A perfect pairing for donuts, Portland is also the trendy city where you can sip on the best coffee in all of America.

However, Portland has much more to offer than indie bookstores, coffee shops, and overrated donut spots. Though your natural instinct when visiting may be to explore downtown (where you'll find both Powell's and Voodoo Doughnut), the City of Roses has a secret garden of attractions that blooms beyond its center. In fact, when friends from out of town ask me the best spots to visit in the city, I make a point to recommend places that aren't located downtown. From retro video rental stores with miniature movie museums tucked inside to vibrant neighborhoods lined with vintage shops and hip bars, these five places in Portland are among my personal favorite haunts and are almost too good to reveal to tourists -– but I'll go ahead and share them anyway.

Take it from a former local who recently affixed a third "Movie Madness is my happy place" bumper sticker to the back of her car: Movie Madness is one of the most magical places in the city, especially for nostalgia hunters and film lovers. Glowing on the corner of 44th and Belmont in southeast Portland, it's one of Oregon's last remaining video stores and hides a cinematic museum and more inside.

When it opened in 1991, video stores were so common that they outnumbered Starbucks in the US by a landslide. However, now that the world is down to its last Blockbuster, Movie Madness is one of the few places you can rent physical media like it's the '90s. Boasting over 90,000 titles (and counting) and an elaborate maze of DVD- and VHS-lined shelves to browse, each section is thoughtfully organized by genre, actor, or director. If you have a particular movie in mind, their online catalog can guide you. With everything from under-watched made-for-TV movies to David Lynch's entire filmography, including unstreamable classics like "Wild at Heart," they're sure to have what you're looking for –- and perhaps a few things you never knew existed.

Beyond its films, Movie Madness is packed with cinematic artifacts. Adjacent to the in-store miniplex, which opens its doors for screenings, film classes, and special events, is a mini museum displaying movie props and famous costumes, including a dress worn by Diane Keaton in "Godfather II" and the sparkling pinstripe pantsuit worn by Nicole Kidman in her iconic AMC ad. Scattered throughout the store, you'll find the knives from "Psycho" and "Scream" and all sorts of other cinematic surprises. Even if you don't rent a flick, Movie Madness is a nostalgic Portland stop you simply can't skip.

Portland is packed with explorable enclaves. While each neighborhood has its own unique atmosphere and beloved streets, there are two streets in particular that locals love –- and two that I always recommend to visitors –- Hawthorne and Belmont.

Located in Southeast Portland, the streets run parallel to one another with just six blocks in between, making it easy to explore both in a day. Hawthorne Boulevard is the more bustling of the two, lined with an assortment of trendy vintage shops, gift boutiques, local eateries, and beloved bars. For a pint-sized Portland tourist attraction, start at Powell's Books on Hawthorne, the smaller outpost of the giant bookstore downtown. From there, stroll to McMenamins Bagdad Theater & Pub, a historic haunt with local brews and first-run film screenings. If you love thrifted threads, get lost in the retro racks at House of Vintage. With over 30 vendors under one 13,000-square-foot roof, it can be wonderfully overwhelming. Afterwards, reward yourself with a picture-perfect pastry and a sparkling mimosa at Champagne Poetry, whose candy-pink decor is always Instagram-ready.

Walking over to SE Belmont, the atmosphere becomes quieter. Stretching between the Eastbank Esplanade and Mt. Tabor Park, a peaceful Portland gem with scenic city views from a cinder cone volcano, the neighborhood is dotted with an array of coffee houses, antique shops, and dive bars. (It's also home to Movie Madness). For an authentic Portland food pod experience, sample the carts at The Bite on Belmont. For drinks, Horse Brass Pub offers a cozy British atmosphere, while the delightfully dingy Bare Bones Café & Bar is a go-to sipping spot any time of the day. And be sure to wander through Laurelhurst Park, an underrated Oregon gem rated the most beautiful park on the entire West Coast.

"Keep Portland Weird" is the city's unofficial catchphrase, and there are plenty of quirky spots that embody that sentiment. Repeatedly recommended by Reddit locals, Rimsky-Korsakoffee House is one such place. Located in the heart of the Buckman neighborhood at 707 SE 12th Avenue, the local haunt is tucked into an unassuming Craftsman-style house and has been serving coffee, tea, and desserts in its self-proclaimed "casually threatening" atmosphere since 1980.

With little more than a rarely updated Instagram page to advertise it, one of the main allures of Rimsky's -– as the locals call it -– is that it truly feels like a best-kept secret. Climbing the front steps, you may initially feel as though you're entering someone's home by mistake. Inside, the dimly lit house drips with vintage charm mixed with the perfect amount of creepy. Grandmother-style wallpaper covers the walls, an antique toy hangs from the ceiling, and an old piano haunts the corner where artists play live classical music. Open from Wednesday through Sunday from 7 p.m. to midnight, the coffeehouse's after-dark hours make it feel even more intimate and spooky. Adding to the haunting atmosphere, some tables rotate on their own, though it happens so slowly that you might not even notice until your coffee cup magically ends up in front of your friend on the other side of the table.

Even if you don't have to use it, be sure to visit the upstairs restroom before you go. Artfully decorated with an elaborate under-the-sea motif, the vibe is simultaneously whimsical and unsettling. (We won't give too much away; just go check it out for yourself.) And, to complement your casually threatening evening at Rimsky's, head 15 minutes to Lone Fir Cemetery for a hauntingly beautiful stroll past centuries-old headstones and old-growth trees.

If you need a place to sing the night away, Portland has plenty of karaoke bars, and some of its best are those with private rooms. Hidden in plain sight on SE Powell Blvd, Baby Ketten Klub (misspelled on purpose) is a local go-to spot perfect for busting out a tipsy tune or two.If you want to skip the long lines at the KJ booth and sing back-to-back songs with your friends all night long, booking a private room is the way to go.

Bookable daily from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m., there are four private rooms, each one decked out in its own theme. You can choose the '70s-themed room with its cozy wood-paneled walls and warm-hued decor, or spread out in the Pardee Room, complete with a disco ball, a black-and-white checkered floor with plenty of room for dancing, and a private photo booth for capturing snapshots of the evening. Press the call button, and a server will magically appear to take your order. In addition to their full bar offerings –- and in true Portland fashion -– Baby Ketten offers a delicious menu of strictly vegan snacks, including meatless hot dogs and faux fish and chips.

If the rooms at Baby Ketten are all filled up, book a box at Voicebox Karaoke. Boasting both a southeast and a northeast location, the Asian-style karaoke lounge is made exclusively of private suites. Like Baby Ketten, bulky beer-stained songbooks are replaced with a sleek online catalog, allowing you to select songs from your phone. Along with a tasty menu of appetizers and food baskets, the full bar offers everything from signature cocktails to saké Jell-O shots. Whichever karaoke spot you choose, the private rooms are perfect for parties or random Tuesday nights.

Portland is overflowing with sip-worthy spots, and if there's one type of bar the city does best, it's definitely a themed bar. There are so many scattered around, it's difficult to narrow it down to just one, but local recommendations tend to gravitate towards a select few, one of which is located on the edge of the Hollywood District in Northeast Portland. Hale Pele is an intimate tiki lounge that feels like an escape to a dark and stormy exotic island. Open nightly from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m., the bamboo-adorned room fills up fast and serves tropical cocktails with potency ranging from "lightly delightful" to "KA-BOOM!" If you're digging the tiki theme, another local favorite is The Alibi. Dating back to 1947, it's infinitely more spacious than Hale Pele, with vintage vibes and nightly karaoke.

If you love a good goth-themed bar, Portland has a killer selection. Raven's Manor is a popular downtown haunt that feels like you've stepped into a Tim Burton movie, but it's not much of a secret. A more hidden haunt is Creepy's (unless you're afraid of creepy clowns, because that's the theme), and from there, it's a short walk to The Coffin Club, where you can dance the night away and snap morbid selfies in a real coffin while you wait for the next goth-punk band to take the stage.

For cinefiles, there are a couple of new film-themed bars to try before the tourists catch on. Be kind and rewind the time at Cult Classics, where VHS tapes mingle with liquor bottles on the shelves while '80s and '90s flicks illuminate the TV screen behind the bar. And, if you're a David Lynch fan, slide over to the "Blue Velvet"-inspired Bar Hollywood next to the historic Hollywood Theatre.

In order to craft an authentic list of local-loved spots in Portland, it was important to call upon someone with firsthand experience. As a Portland native and hidden-gem hunter, it was easy for me to come up with under-the-radar places to share with tourists. In fact, the hard part was narrowing it down to a select few.

To get started, I first headed to Reddit to see what the other Portland locals were buzzing about and recommending to tourists. After consulting multiple threads and a few blog posts, I took note of the most commonly mentioned spots, picking out the ones I had visited myself. This final list consists of both Internet favorites and my personal selections that I've visited –- and have happily shared with my own out-of-town guests -– time and time again.