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906 SE Umatilla St., 503-233-7723, puppetmuseum.com. 2–8 pm Thursday-Sunday. Free.
Tucked away in a house on a residential Sellwood street is an underappreciated gem. Billed as “the West Coast’s only permanent puppet museum,” it showcases the personal collection of master puppeteer Steven Overton. The displays, a small, rotating sample of Overton’s 2,000 puppets, include some of his own creations and others from as far afield as the Czech Republic. Many are decades if not centuries old, some painstakingly restored. But the museum’s collection, extraordinary in its own right, is only part of the appeal. The building also serves as a workshop and theater. On a recent afternoon, as a tour guide led a reporter on a whirlwind and thoroughly enjoyable tour of puppetry history, a neighbor dropped off a batch of cookies and a longtime customer brought in a puppet for repair.
Don’t miss: Hidden on a high shelf in a corner are a pair of string puppets from the 18th century Balkans that, according to the tour guide, have survived 16 wars.
Will kids like it? Without a doubt. Make sure you check the website’s calendar in advance so they can see a show.