The Grotto - National Sanctuary of Our Sorrowful Mother, Portland

Ever since my relationship with my partner, we decided to make it an annual activity to visit a place that has fun and unique seasonal and festive lighting. This year it was The Grotto and I personally have never been here before. Expect the place to be religious and holy with a lot of unique and beautiful things to look at from natural art to hand made art. During our visit, we were able to catch a choir singing which was very pleasant to listen to and indulge in. There is an entry fee which costs $18 per person. Plenty of parking spaces but also plenty of people. Definitely something to experience at least once.

Christmas lights review. Bought tickets online for $14 per adult and $8 per child with a service charge of $10. So family of five was about $75 total. Got there a little before 5pm and was able to park in the lot there versus the packed out roads that neighbor the place. There was a line at the time but went quickly. Noticed the line was gone as we left after about an hour. The lights and grounds are beautiful. The facilities are easy to navigate. Was able to enjoy a children's choir and some carolers. Saw folks enjoying hot cocoa that can be purchased there. Overall just gorgeous and easy to navigate. Was a smaller light show than some others around and a little on the spendy side for what took less than an hour. Would recommend.

Very nice. The ambiance inside is serene. The surrounding area does not reflect what you will find here. The garden itself is well maintained with a duck and squirrels but also some of the loveliest flowers and bushes. There were bench's and two ponds. My family enjoyed it. We make everything funny, so we had inside joke fun. Might be nice to take a friend. You definitely want to pray if you're into it.

This was a surprise recommendation from a travel bog & I am glad that I checked it out. The Grotto is a quiet, green and peaceful space! There are two levels - lower & upper. To get to the upper levels, there is an admission fee of ~10$ per adult. You can purchase them at the visitor center or the gift shop. They give you coins for a turnstile which allows access to an elevator that takes you to the upper level. I did not like that the only way to/from the upper level was via that 1 elevator, for the public that is.The upper level is essentially the space at the top of the hill. Mind you, the place is not too big. Expect to spend ~20-40 minutes here. I liked the meditation building which is perched on a cliff, facing the valley in the north, yielding views of blue skies & St Helens on a clear day. But, it wasn't much for meditation though. Apart from that, there were many panels, sculptures and marble art pieces placed along the garden path that told stories of Jesus and Joseph's sorrows & joys.I found these very interesting! There was also a very cute little chapel in the upper level. The lower level has a bigger chapel with many pews. And, it looks like they've regular mass there. I'd recommend this place as a one time visit, at least for the view from the meditation center as well as the quiet, green space even if, like me, you're not interested in the religious services that this place offers.

An amazing spot even if your not catholic. The garden are beautiful. The grotto is awe inspiring. The main chapel will calm your soul. The meditation rooms have phenomenal views of mt. saint helens. It doesn’t take to long to explore the whole thing. Really great for a quick afternoon jaunt. It’s with the $9 to ride up to the gardens. There are so many statues to enjoy and the air is filled with a sweet aroma. Highly recommend. Will be visiting again.