Another triple digit heatwave is set to hit us tomorrow. If you’re looking for ways to escape your A/C-less house until it cools down a bit to slightly less hot (a step down from flamin’ hot) temperatures, we’ve rounded up some places and activities to beat the heat. It’s also much too hot to do any kind of cooking, so be sure to check out our list of places to find chilled noodle specials Like List , and don’t forget to hydrate!

Note that beginning Friday, August 13th, all people ages 5+ in Multnomah County will be required to wear a mask in indoor public spaces. For your convenience, we've put together a list of places requiring proof of vaccination Like List for entry.

COOLING CENTERS

Three Portland-area cooling centers are in operation 24 hours a day from Wednesday, August 11th through 9 am Sunday, August 15th. Head to the Portland Building Like List , the Sunrise Center Like List , or the Arbor Lodge shelter at 1952 N Lombard. Pets are welcome at all locations. An additional day cooling center will be open at the Charles Jordan Community Center Like List from noon to 9 am, Wednesday through Sunday.
Various locations

ACTIVITIES

Laurelhurst Theater
Catch Portland-shot Nic Cage drama Pig or try to keep your tears in check during the Anthony Bourdain doc Roadrunner in the comfort of A/C while enjoying pizza, cold beer, and other concessions. 
Kerns

Living Room Theaters Like List
The downtown theater that provides the comfort of a living room, but with air conditioning, is blessedly cooler than your own. Watch the very fitting Bring Your Own Brigade, a documentary about the devastating 2018 wildfires in California, while stoking the fires of your climate anxiety.
West End

OMSI Like List
The science and industry museum is playing host to the exhibit Dinosaurs Revealed Past Event Like List , in which kids and adults alike can get a face-to-face immersive experience with life-size model dinosaurs. 
Central Eastside

Powell’s City of Books Like List
Get lost in the towering stacks at the flagship location of Portland’s favorite independent bookseller. The bookstore is currently running its 2021 Summer Reading Challenge; avid readers can take part and be entered to win Powell’s gift cards. 
Pearl District

Multnomah County Library Like List
Take advantage of the library’s A/C while making a dent in your summer reading list. The Holgate, Midland, Gresham, and Central libraries will be open extended hours to 8 pm from Wednesday through Saturday. Additionally, free water will be available at all library locations throughout the county.
Various locations

Portland Art Museum
Like List See work by transdisciplinary local artist Sharita Towne Past Event Like List , whom you might know for her 2019 initiative A Black Art Ecology (a project dedicated to "creating, reclaiming, and redefining spaces for Black art and audiences in Portland"), in PAM's APEX gallery.
Downtown
Open Wednesday-Sunday

Oregon Historical Society Like List
The Beaver State’s documentarians have several exhibitions running to cater to a variety of interests, from a history of soccer in Portland (RCTID!) to Nevertheless, They Persisted: Women’s Voting Rights and the 19th Amendment Past Event Like List .
Downtown
Open Monday-Sunday