Portland is known for its exceptional restaurants, breathtaking landscapes, and vibrant arts and culture scene. This month, welcome the New Year by celebrating the rich heritage that helped shape this multifaceted city.

Start the journey at Portland’s oldest restaurant, Huber’s Café. A landmark, Huber’s classic cuisine and spirits are a favorite amongst foodies and locals in the know. Established in 1879 as a saloon with just a few booths (formerly called the Bureau Saloon), free turkey sandwiches and coleslaw came with every drink order, creating their now-famous turkey tradition.

Thirty years later, the restaurant relocated to its current location in the Historic Oregon Pioneer Building. With a larger, more elegant space and an expanded menu, Huber’s has evolved into a gourmet restaurant that’s remained popular to this day. In the early ‘70s Huber’s developed the Spanish Coffee, made tableside it quickly became the restaurant’s signature drink and continues to put Portland on the map.

Photo Credit: Dan Kvitka Photography

It’s Portland Classical Chinese Garden’s tenth anniversary, and to celebrate the garden is opening its doors for ten days of free admission from Jan. 2-11! One of Portland’s greatest treasures, the Garden is a window into Chinese culture, history and way of thinking. Located in the heart of Old Town, the garden encompasses one entire city block and features a tea house and gift store. Check the web site for family activities planned for the whole year.

Photo Credit: Jonathan Ley

Celebrate O-Shogatsu (New Year’s) at the Portland Japanese Garden on Jan. 10 from 12-3 p.m., tickets are free with Garden admission. According to Eastern zodiac, 2010 is the year of the Tiger and those born in this year are thought to be sensitive, given to deep thinking, and capable of great sympathy. The celebration is held in the Garden’s Pavilion, where there will be traditional New Year’s activities such as kakizome, the custom of writing the first calligraphy characters of the year, and Sumi-e ink painting led by artist Chiho Murphy.

OMSI, Portland’s famed science and industry museum, debuted its 40-foot fossil of one of earth’s most infamous carnivores, Samson the Tyrannosaurus rex. The fossil was discovered 20 years ago and is one of the most complete skeletons in existence with 170 original bones. Samson's real fossil skull is displayed in a case along with 22 teeth found scattered around the skull. In addition, OMSI has hundreds of interactive exhibits to explore, an OMNIMAX Dome Theater, and hands-on demonstrations that are fun for all ages.

Jan. 6-31

The NW Film Center’s Reel Music Festival is an annual showcase exploring the lively interplay between sound and image, music and culture. Featuring everything from collections of vintage performance clips to new documentary and dramatic films, to cutting edge music videos and animation, Reel Music mixes everything from jazz, blues, and rock to classical, opera and avant-garde music related works into a unique cinematic celebration.

Jan. 7

World Forestry Center presents Museum by Moonlight where visitors can take a tour of the exhibit, Coffee: The World in Your Cup, exploring the journey of coffee from farm to cup. Armed with a caffeine buzz, try out all the fun, hands-on interactive exhibits the museum has to offer. Test your smoke jumping skills with the Virtual Smoke-jumper and grab friends to take a ride on Class IV rapids with the River Raft Adventure. Do you think you're good at video games? Think again as you take the controls of a Timberjack Harvester and try to be a modern day Lumberjack. The event is limited to 21 and over and will have food, beer and wine with $8 admission.

Jan. 9-11

One of music’s most loved romantic masterworks – Robert Schumann’s Piano Concerto – is paired with a seldom-heard blockbuster of an entirely different kind, from the 20th century’s last great composer of symphonies, Dmitri Shostakovich. Performing the Schumann concerto at the Oregon Symphony will be Italian pianist Benedetto Lupo.

Jan. 15-Feb. 21

Lakewood Theatre Company presents Spider’s Web, an original Agatha Christie mystery! Clarissa, the wife of a Foreign Office diplomat, discovers a body in the drawing room of her home. With her husband scheduled to arrive at any moment with an important VIP in tow, Clarissa has to create an intricate web of alibis and invention to save her family. When her lies lead to new surprises the audience is left to untangle the puzzle.

Jan. 18

The Literary Arts presents, The Moth—Made To Be Broken: Stories of Disobedience, where story tellers live on stage deliver their tales without script, notes, props or accompaniment.

Jan. 22-Feb. 2

Fertile Ground’s ten-day arts festival held city-wide, is focused on new work in the arts. It will feature up to 30 world premiere projects, staged readings, and a myriad of other arts events from the Portland creative community. From fully staged world premieres in theatre, to ensemble and collaborative driven work, dance, comedy, visual art and film, this festival spans the spectrum of creative endeavor and seeds the next generation of creation through artist conversations, workshops, lunchtime readings and more.

Jan. 23-25

Rapidly rising star on the world’s major concert stages, Arabella Steinbacher makes her Oregon Symphony debut performing the seldom-played Violin concerto of Antonin Dvorak.

Jan. 26-27

Garrison Keillor is bringing his nationally syndicated weekly show, A Prarie Home Companion, to the Oregon Symphony stage. Keillor, a best-selling author, radio legend and all-around raconteur, will host an evening filled with the one-of-a-kind tales that have cemented his reputation as an unforgettable storyteller.

Jan. 26–June 26

The Museum of Contemporary Craft presents Gestures of Resistance. This exhibit focuses on the work of contemporary artists that use craft to agitate change. Through a series of seven artist residencies, open conversations and a study center, this exhibition is a timely examination of what it means to create, to have personal agency, and to counter drives towards productivity and consumption through craft.

Jan. 30-31

Oregon Symphony presents three significant 20th century compositions. Two of them, Gustav Holst’s Egdon Heath and Maurice Ravel’s masterful Concerto for the Left Hand, are from the century’s early decades. The third, excerpts from Thomas Adès’s first opera, Powder Her Face, was composed in 1995 and comes from the pen of one of music’s hottest contemporary figures.