The Secret Society [CLOSED]

From Eight Venues, Seven Days, One City: Portland's Venue Bucket List:

If it's Thursday night, head to Jumptown—that’s hot jazz swing dancing in Portland’s most secretive ballroom with a storied history. Built by the Woodmen of the World in 1907 and home to Portland's African-American Freemasons for nearly 50 years, today the ballroom hosts a proudly eclectic lineup of intimate live music and events. Decked out in velvety blood reds and dark wood, the former members-only fraternal organization now features a female-only women’s lounge as the entry to the washroom and a full-service recording studio directly below the ballroom, which is even equipped to capture live performances happening upstairs.

Check these off your list:

▶ As you head up the stairs to the second-story suite, check out the black-and-white photos remembering the space’s former inhabitants.

▶ Poke your head into the snug, street-facing, lumberjack-walled lounge and order one of the many craft cocktails that makes this place a destination. Moscow Mules are of course served in coveted copper cups, Manhattans and Old Fashioneds are ever-popular, and it’s one of the only places in town to offer a full range of absinthe served in traditional French fountains.

▶ Snacks or dessert—why not both? There’s certainly a full menu but finger foods are more fun: Get popped-to-order popcorn with olive oil, black pepper and parmesan, or let your eyes stray to the after-dinner offerings and try something akin to a vintage Jell-O shot—cocktail jellies in classic varieties like Manhattan, Negroni or Kübler Absinthe, each paired with dessert sauces.