On arrival or leaving Astoria...
Historic Downtown & Waterfront & beyond:
- Walk to the top of the world while surveying the Columbia River flowing into the Pacific
Historic Downtown & Waterfront & beyond:
- Fort Astoria (15th and Exchange streets) The site where John Jacob Astor's fur traders originally constructed their post in 1811.
- ride ALONG the boardwalk ($2 RT; SUMMERTIME 12-6 Daily) ON THE Historic 1913 Trolley AND SIP Ales WHILE FEELING LIKE A SALTY OLD SAILOR -
- Rogue Ales and Public House at Pier 39 in Astoria. If you like good beer you absolutely must make a point to stop at Rogue Brewery. Not only does Rogue make some of the most quality and delicious beers you'll ever imbibe, but the brewery is located out on the dock in one of the old canneries. You cannot help but feel like a salty old sailor when you belly up to the bar here. It is very hard not to completely fall in love with this place, especially if you love maritime views, hand-crafted ales and maritime nostalgia. While here we'll take a quick look next door at the fascinating Bumble Bee Cannery Museum since Astoria is-all-about-fishing & canneries.
- Next, ride the length of the trolley line for $1-$2 w/narration, flag the Trolley down at any location (Wave $1!) and...
- For nautical buffs, the Columbia River Maritime Museum & Lightship Columbia, a National Historic Landmark has full size coast guard vessels, historic diving suits, replica barge pilothouses and a huge map showing dozens of shipwrecks along the infamous Columbia River Bar. It's a treasure trove of salty history. (Group tours for large groups of 10+ ppl, or optional stop for small groups; VIDEO) with stops including the 100 ton pilot boat the 'Peacock' welcoming you to the Pacific (right).
- On the way back to Pier 39 we'll stop at Buoy Beer Co. or any of the eating/drinking places below. The Buoy Beer Co. is especially welcoming with a spacious warehouse setting. Drink a fine Bavarian beer while watching kids watch sea lions. "It's time for another beer, specifically the helles, only available at this sprawling former fishing cannery. Sip a Czech pilsner while spotting sea lions in the glass 'hole' in the floor; and the food was above average for bar food. The beer was incredible as always..."
- Relive the Frontier Feel
Being the oldest American settlement west of the Rockies, Astoria and its surrounding areas has many historic things to see and stop at, including:- For history buffs, Lewis & Clark National Historical Park (VIDEO). The 1805-1806 winter camp of the Corps of Discovery for over 100 days, only 12 without rain. Replica fort (where a timber-beam structure re-creates Fort Clatsop using the same type of logs cut the same way, the fort looks, feels and smells as it must have been), visitor center, bookstore, canoe landing and 6-mile Fort to Sea Trail. Discover what life was like for the expedition party. $5 pp. The Fort to Sea trail the boys of the Corp took is the best hiking in the area (6.5 miles and about 3 hours hiking time)
- Front-Row Ocean Action
- For military buffs, Historical Fort Stevens (military: built in 1863; Civil War to WWI to WWII). Site of a Clatsop town noted by Captain Clark. Interpretive center on military life and trails. At this former military fort you can walk through the fort ruins. From here, you can get a good look at the mouth on the Columbia and can imagine what crossing the bar has meant to seafaring men over the past 200 years. You can also take a tour underground through a rare gun battery that also served as a World War II command center, ride in the back of a period military transport truck and see the fortifications from a whole new perspective, and get a feel for what the inside of a military jail was like as you walk through one of the last brick constructed guard houses in the country. And see the rusted 1906 shipwreck of the Peter Iredale (pictured right; VIDEO), one of the 2000 shipwrecks of the graveyard of the pacific. Offers a spooky, memorable, sandy photo op.
- Historical Fort Stevens
- Nearby is Lighthouse Park/Whaling Gun Museum - Today, of course, Astoria and other Oregon seaports do a brisk business taking folks out onto the ocean to see the whales run. The idea of taking a shot at one seems utterly ridiculous. But for anyone who wants to see how they did it back in the era of commercial whale hunting, the harpoon cannon is on display (it looks to be the 60-mm model, not the 90) — along with a couple of the harpoons it fired, with the exploding heads deactivated of course — in the town of Hammond, just seaward from Astoria and Warrenton.
OPTIONS: (Option requests must be made before your tour)
Astoria History - Astoria Riverfront Trolleyhttp://www.astoriaoregon.com/astoria_museums.php
For the Lighthouse Fans, there are 2:
Cape Disappointment - (2 lighthouses)
Cape Disappointment in 1872. Note fog bell and first-order lens.
Photograph courtesy U.S. Coast Guard
http://www.myoregon.com/Hike_Cape_Disappointment.
- Columbia River Maritime Museum & Lightship Columbia, a National Historic Landmark (Group tours for large groups of 10+ ppl, or optional stop for small groups; VIDEO) with stops including the 100 ton pilot boat the 'Peacock'.
- Bumble Bee Cannery Museum - Astoria is-all-about-fishing & canneries
- Flavel House Museum (the 1885 Queen Anne home of Capt. George Flavel) Capt. George Flavel played an important role in Astoria's history. He was a very successful businessman and had a virtual monopoly on pilotage services, after a lively campaign to run off the competition. He also had extensive real estate holdings; a wharf and warehousing business because he owned both steam tugs and the steam tug business. In 1885 he built a house for his retirement. He died in 1893, the first Astoria millionaire. This home, at Eighth and Exchange, is one of Astoria's biggest and most beautiful Queen Anne style Victorian homes. It is now a museum run by the Clatsop County Historical Society.
- Next door to the Flavel House Museum is the Goonies-centric museum in the Old City Jail (The Oregon Film Museum, a must stop for Goonies fans).
- Historic Liberty Theater - (1203 Commercial St.)
- The Astoria Theater on 12th & Exchange St. If you walk down 12th near Exchange Street, it's easy to miss the plaque dedicated to William Clark Gable. But why would you find a plaque dedicated to the "King of Hollywood" in Astoria? Gable's acting career started at the Astoria Theater when he met his first acting coach and future wife, Josephine Dillon in 1921.
Picnic spots with views- Astoria Column - There's a great view of the Astoria-Megler Bridge and the Columbia River Bar from the picnic table on Coxcomb drive below the column.
- Cape Disappointment Lighthouse & S.P.
- Seaside - "On the beach"
- Ecola State Park - Certain to please bird-watchers, history buffs & photographers. Ample picnicking and romping space".
- The Goonies House: Astoria is also a place for film buffs where a good number of notable movies were filmed here like The Goonies and Kindergarden Cop.
- Heritage Museum, 1618 Exchange St. Open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the summer; 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. the rest of the year; and closed Sundays and Mondays in the winter. Run by the Clatsop County Historical Society, admission is $3 for adults, $2 for seniors, AAA members and students and $1 for youth ages 6 to 17. (503) 325-2203. www.cumtux.org/
- Uppertown Firefighter's Museum and Astoria Children's Museum, 2968 Marine Drive. Explore Astoria's firefighting history with many pieces of antique firefighting equipment and lots of photos of Astoria's great fire. The Children's Museum offers many activities for play and learning. (503) 325-2203. www.cumtux.org/
- Columbia River Eco Tours – Rain or Shine... A Great Adventure ... (On the water)
- Maritime Memorial
- Fall Wildlife Option Details:
We would start in Portland and travel along Highway 30 to the Coast; the road less traveled, scenic byway Route 30. A bit of a whistle stop tour, we will visit the wildlife/bird sanctuaries at Sauvie Island Wildlife Area (watch for Sandhill Cranes), Trojan Pond & Wetlands near Rainer (watch for Tundra Swan-the B-52s of waterfowl), then the Twilight Eagle Sanctuary in Cathlamet Bay-100 acres of wetlands and forest lands. Then to Astoria.
Wildlife option includes: (This tour is offered in the Fall/Autumn for wildlife/bird watching)- Wildlife/bird sanctuaries at Sauvie Island Wildlife area
- Wildlife/bird sanctuaries at Trojan Pond & Wetlands & Twilight Eagle Sanctuary
Astoria History - Astoria Riverfront Trolleyhttp://www.astoriaoregon.com/astoria_museums.php
For the Lighthouse Fans, there are 2:
Cape Disappointment - (2 lighthouses)
Cape Disappointment in 1872. Note fog bell and first-order lens.
Photograph courtesy U.S. Coast Guard
- Cape Disappointment Lighthouse (1856; easy 1.2 mile RT hike). Both Lewis and Clark led exploring parties to Cape Disappointment. Interpretive center focused on the Corps of Discovery with Expedition artifacts and trails to lighthouses, amphitheater, art and boardwalk. 1st lighthouse in the Pacific Northwest; shares the peninsula with the North Head lighthouse (1898). Both are located at the graveyard of the Pacific, the Columbia River Bar. Cape Disappointment is known as the foggiest place in the West. But the mist adds atmosphere to the area, especially those winding trails through mossy forests of old-growth Sitka spruce; it's surreal, something out of the Hobbit. July & August mark the high season for fog, while September and October often see bluebird days. Often, storms arriving early for the winter season can send waves crashing into the rocks with highly photogenic fury. "This is the best place around for storm watching," says Steve Wood, interpretive specialist at Cape Disappointment State Park. Throw in the murals at the interpretive center depicting the Lewis & Clark expedition, and it's fair to say that Cape Disappointment isn't just the foggiest place in the U.S., it's also the least accurately named. The first-order lens is also now on display at the Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center. Cape Disappointment's distinctive black horizontal band (picture left) was added around 1930 to distinguish it from North Head Lighthouse, located just two miles to the north. The Coast Guard planned to discontinue the light in 1965, claiming that the Columbia River Lightship and entrance range lights were sufficient to mark the river, but protests by the Columbia River Bar Pilots kept the light in service. The light was automated in 1973, but the patriarch of Northwest lighthouses, still equipped with its fourth-order lens, remains active to this day.
http://www.myoregon.com/Hike_Cape_Disappointment.
- North Head Lighthouse (1898; easy 1/2 mile RT hike or an extended 4.2 mile hike* over rugged North Head) - Hear the history of this wonderful century-old lighthouse as you make the trip to the top. Enjoy the breath taking panoramic view of the Peninsula and Pacific Ocean from the second windiest spot in North America. The lighthouse grounds are open at no charge, year-round, dawn until dusk. Call (360) 642-3078 for details just before your visit. Call for tour hours, which change seasonally. $2.50/person. Restrictions: Children must be 7 years or older to climb the lighthouse. No flipflops.
EATS/DRINKS ASTORIA:
From Astoria to Brookings, the Oregon Coast offers 363 miles of jaw-dropping coastline and natural beauty — sandy beaches, scenic viewpoints and quaint waterfront towns. But the Coast also serves up a host of culinary gems. Don’t miss the best chowder, fish and chips, craft beer, smoked salmon, oyster "poutine" and world famous hot dogs along Highway 101.
*On the Waterfront & Trolley Route
** My Chauffeur Picks
From Astoria to Brookings, the Oregon Coast offers 363 miles of jaw-dropping coastline and natural beauty —sandy beaches, scenic viewpoints and quaint waterfront towns. But the Coast also serves up a host of culinary gems. Don't miss the best chowder, fish and chips, craft beer and world famous hot dogs along Highway 101.Start early and get a muffin and coffee at the Coffee Girl or Blue Scorcher and lunch or dinner at BRIDGEwater Bistro, Wet Dog Cafe & Brewery or Buoy Beer (see below).
From Astoria to Brookings, the Oregon Coast offers 363 miles of jaw-dropping coastline and natural beauty — sandy beaches, scenic viewpoints and quaint waterfront towns. But the Coast also serves up a host of culinary gems. Don’t miss the best chowder, fish and chips, craft beer, smoked salmon, oyster "poutine" and world famous hot dogs along Highway 101.
*On the Waterfront & Trolley Route
** My Chauffeur Picks
From Astoria to Brookings, the Oregon Coast offers 363 miles of jaw-dropping coastline and natural beauty —sandy beaches, scenic viewpoints and quaint waterfront towns. But the Coast also serves up a host of culinary gems. Don't miss the best chowder, fish and chips, craft beer and world famous hot dogs along Highway 101.Start early and get a muffin and coffee at the Coffee Girl or Blue Scorcher and lunch or dinner at BRIDGEwater Bistro, Wet Dog Cafe & Brewery or Buoy Beer (see below).
- Charley's Chowder and Coffeehouse. The clam chowder is awesome! Not too thick, not too thin, very fresh tasting clams and seasoned just right. We were also thrilled to see a basket of oyster cracker packets on each table. Charlie's serves it all: ice cream, espresso, chowder, fish & chips, burgers, fish tacos, salmon burgers, shrimp cocktails, unique vegetarian options, everything. It has outdoor seating too. The interior feels a lot like an old soda fountain / ice cream parlor, even though in reality I think it may have been an old garage (in Oregon, some of the best food is served in buildings that were once garages).
- Drina Daisy - Bosnian Comfort Food
- Rogue Ales and Public House at Pier 39 in Astoria. If you like good beer you absolutely must make a point to stop at Rogue Brewery. Not only does Rogue make some of the most quality and delicious beers you'll ever imbibe, as well as serve some of the best pub grub, but the brewery is located out on the dock in one of the old canneries. You cannot help but feel like a salty old sailor when you belly up to the bar here. It is very hard not to completely fall in love with this place, especially if you love maritime views, hand-crafted ales and maritime nostalgia.* ** Brewery List
- Buoy Beer Co. - Drink a fine Bavarian beer while watching kids watch sea lions. "It's time for another beer, specifically the helles, only available at this sprawling former fishing cannery. Sip a Czech pilsner while spotting sea lions in the glass 'hole' in the floor; and the food was above average for bar food. The beer was incredible as always." * ** Brewery List
- Drink hazy beer & eat food-cart BBQ
- Reach Break Brewing (Home of hazy New England-style IPA)- Brewery List **
- Astoria Brewing Co.* - Brewery List
- Fort George Brewery - After the complete collapse of the tuna-canning and logging industries in the 1980s-the town's economic salvation took place when Astoria rebuilt on beer with the opening of Fort George Brewery in 2004. Walk past the wings and pizza and slip instead into the bare-bones Lovell Taproom through the door on the brewing floor, which houses all the most interesting brews. Score a fir-infused Magnanimous IPA or the 12% cacao-nib Matryoshka Russian Imperial Stout in the shadow of Fort George's giant fermenters. Also on the site of Fort Astoria (15th and Exchange streets), the site where John Jacob Astor's fur traders originally constructed their post in 1811. Brewery List **
- Wet Dog Cafe & Brewery - Astoria; enjoy a burger and local brew on the dock. * Brewery List
- Shallon Winery
- Coffee Girl Espresso out back behind Pier 39 in Astoria, where you can sip your espresso drinks at the Bumble Bee Cannery Museum next door. One of my favorite coffeehouses of all time, and how could it not be when you have this as a patio? (pictured right)* **
- Columbian Cafe - Seafood and vegetarian cafe on Astoria's riverfront; Uriah Hulsey at the Columbian Cafe is the grandfather of Astoria's food renaissance. Take a seat at the bar where you can chat up the chef, eat some Petrale with asparagus (pictured left) or whatever's fresh from the market and get caught up on town gossip. *
- Blue Scorcher Bakery - The Blue Scorcher Bakery in Astoria has amazing organic pastries, great coffee and tea, and huge windows looking out on the sunrise over the Columbia.
- Bowpicker Fish & Chips, (http://www.bowpicker.com/) - 17th St & Duane Ave, Astoria. Fast-Food. 4.5 stars. Unique fishing boat restaurant. The line can be long, pictured right! Come early (like 11am) to beat the crowd. Located across from the Columbia River Maritime Museum and the trolley route, in the converted gillnet boat. "Firm chunks of Albacore tuna lightly beer battered and fried to perfection by Ron and Linda; they stand ready to soak up malt vinegar and scoop tartar sauce. The bed of thick steak fries, crunchy outside and tender inside, are much more than a side dish." ** 9 Restaurants along the Coast you must try before you die.
- BRIDGEwater Bistro – The BRIDGEwater is a place where you can get a casual meal, a formal dinner, or just happy hour. They offer everything from nicely priced sandwiches, salads, mussel and clam chowder and burgers, all the way up to exquisitely plated tapas, spice-encrusted duck breast and fresh Columbia R. Salmon!*
- Mo's Seafood & Chowder - Cannon Beach, also Astoria, Newport, Tolovana Park, Lincoln City, Otter Rock & Florence. A trip down the Coast wouldn't be complete without a visit to Mo's. Mo's creamy, hot clam chowder has been an institution for more than 70 years. A hot bowl of chowder, oyster stew or seafood cioppino always hits the spot. You can also find house recipes on their website. Their clam chowder was featured as one of the Smithsonian's "Best American Regional Foods".
- Fulio's Pastaria, Tuscan Steak House, and Delicatessen – Fulio's specializes in absolutely wonderful traditional and progressive Italian cuisine. The Spedini appetizer and the Ravioli di Zucci are crowd favorites. For sandwiches to go, the adjacent Deli is a great option.
- Clemente’s Seafood – The incredibly fresh, regional cuisine of Clemente's is served up in a smartly decorated historic downtown location. Local art adorns the walls and a very comfortable Martini Bar and lounge area anchors the rear of the restaurant.*
- Baked Alaska – Dining Room, Pizzeria & Bar. Chef Christopher Holen has created something special at Baked Alaska. The cuisine is inventive and features high quality, locally sourced and sustainable ingredients. Located on a dock overlooking the Columbia River, Baked Alaska is the rare venue where the food lives up to the view. Fresh Dungeness crab is synonymous with winter in Oregon. While crab is almost always on the menu's, the top season is Dec through mid-August, peaking in February. A visit to the Oregon coast just isn't complete without a steaming hot bowl of clam chowder.*
- Marie Antoinette's Cupcake & Espresso Parlor - Like going in to an old Tim Burton movie.
- The Ship Inn (British; Opened in 1974 and named after The Ship Inn in Exeter, England, which was frequented by Sir Francis Drake in the 1560s and '70s. They specialize in fish & chips, English specialties and clam chowder. They have a full bar with domestic and imported beers, fine wines, and specialty drinks.)*
- The Portway Tavern (Locals bar with grub. Drink with the fishers)*
- Northwest Wild Products (Buy Fresh Fish. Where the locals go for seafood on the cannery pier. There, in a little dockside canning shop where fishers clean their catch before selling it to the cannery, you can get crab, crawdads, oysters and chowder ($12.50), so thick with crabs and shrimp it might as well be etouffee. Get the clam chowder, open faced seafood sandwiches, fish n chips and other seafood things in their cafe. Also available is python, alligator, frog legs, kangaroo, a goat-rib special & more exotic meats!) * **
- Have a Scandinavian morning
- Josephsons Smokehouse (...and try the Salmon bagel breakfast with some of the finest fresh smoked salmon you'll find--lox-style, maple-smoked or pepper-crushed. You can also eat Salmon straight, like a happy animal and take some salmon jerky for the road. Specialty Seafood, Gifts & Historic Smokehouse Since 1920.) A visit to the Oregon coast just isn't complete without a steaming hot bowl of clam chowder.* **
- Have dessert at 107 year old Home Bakery (astoriacinnamontoast.com) where the Tilander family is famous for its $.50 crackery cinnamon toast made according to the old Finnish tradition. **
- Eat Oyster Poutine made by the town mascot
- Please inquire about KFC, Burger King and Family Restaurants or another Astoria restaurant.