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There is lots to see & do in 210 year old Astoria.
It is perhaps, the most Oregon place in Oregon - 10 hour loop tour-Map (with an 8 hour out & back option-MAP).
The source of Oregon is not Portland, it is Astoria, a wild-west port town which became known as 'The most wicked place on Earth'. Astoria is the oldest American settlement west of the Rockies, established in 1811 at Fort Astoria (reconstruction; right) with other historic forts being Fort Clatsop (reconstruction) and Fort Stevens (original). It is dotted with Victorian-era homes and a 1920s Art Deco-era downtown, set in the backdrop of where the Columbia River meets the Pacific Ocean...the Graveyard of the Pacific! |
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It's a town built on disasters.
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Our Standard Stops: (Described Below)
- Buoy Beer or Fort George Brewery for meals or a beer or Bowpicker Fish n Chips for a quick meal
- Pier 39
- Fort Astoria
- 'Old 300"
- Astoria Column
- Fort Stevens
Customize It! (See Astoria Options below)
Leaving Portland...
We would start in Portland and travel along Scenic Byway Route 30 to the Coast; the road less traveled. And in the Fall; the wildlife/bird sanctuary at Twilight Eagle Sanctuary in Cathlamet Bay-100 acres of wetlands and forest lands where Lewis & Clark camped in 1805. Bring binoculars or telescope and camera.
We would start in Portland and travel along Scenic Byway Route 30 to the Coast; the road less traveled. And in the Fall; the wildlife/bird sanctuary at Twilight Eagle Sanctuary in Cathlamet Bay-100 acres of wetlands and forest lands where Lewis & Clark camped in 1805. Bring binoculars or telescope and camera.
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On arrival in Astoria...
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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. FREE
Pier 39
Pier 39, Rogue, Bumblebee Seafoods & Coffee Girl Espresso
- Image by rjcox is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 Pier 39
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Coffee Girl Cafe - One of our favorite coffeehouses of all time, and how could it not be when you have this as a patio?
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OVER the Columbia River
At the far east end of the Riverwalk and the Trolley line--Pier 39 is the oldest cannery still standing on the Columbia River. Construction began in 1875 under the direction of J.O Hanthorn. The processing lines have been removed, but the original 84,000 sq ft. structure has been faithfully preserved.
At the far east end of the Riverwalk and the Trolley line--Pier 39 is the oldest cannery still standing on the Columbia River. Construction began in 1875 under the direction of J.O Hanthorn. The processing lines have been removed, but the original 84,000 sq ft. structure has been faithfully preserved.
Pier 39 has:
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Summer-run Chinook salmon weighing eighty-five pounds or more once plowed the waters of the Columbia and were named "June hogs" for their hog-like fatness from back to belly. They were prized by lower-river gillnetters in Astoria, Native peoples, and sport fishers. June hogs had economic and cultural importance to Oregon Tribes. For millennia, mid-Columbia Tribes who caught the fish at Celilo Falls used them for food but also for spiritual, ceremonial, and trade purposes. The fish were also prized by canning companies on the river. Francis Seufert, a fish canner at The Dalles, wrote: "Because of their size, when you packed them into cans, only one slice...was necessary to fill the can."
You can read about salmon migrations in the Upper Klamath River watershed prior to the construction of dams in "The Persistence and Characteristics of Chinook Salmon Migrations to the Upper Klamath River Prior to Exclusion by Dams" published in the Fall 2016 issue of the Oregon Historical Quarterly. |
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- 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 kinda tells you what Astoria is all about--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).
But Astoria is all about other things as well...
Flavel House Museum (the 1885 Queen Anne home of Capt. George Flavel) - "File:Flavel House (Astoria, Oregon).jpg" by Visitor7 is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0
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. The interiors and exteriors are both amazingly intact. The 7,300 ft of floor space is complimented by 14' ceilings. The most striking interior feature are the 6 original fireplaces and their surrounds. Each is hand-carved in different hardwoods surrounded by a unique pattern of imported tiles. Complete with period furnishings, the mansion & carriage & grounds covers an entire city block. In December, it's decorated in authentic Victorian style and plum pudding is served 1-4 daily. 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. $6 |
Picnic spots with views
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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:
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Front-Row Ocean Action: (Fort Stevens)
At the 1863 Fort Stevens, you get a feel for the grit of the work and what the environment was like for the soldiers down here. You can’t duplicate this anywhere else – and you’re not going to see this anywhere in the United States – only here in Oregon at Fort Stevens. Visitors are free to explore the concrete batteries and to check out the progress on the reconstruction of the Battery Pratt gun carriage. The gun tube and breech is already there for your inspection. This is a-one-of-a kind project in the nation, maybe the whole world!!!"
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For military buffs, Historical Civil-War Era Fort Stevens (military: built in 1863; Civil War to WWI to WWII) meant to fight the British during the 1859 Pig War and potential Confederate attacks during the Civil War. 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. FREE Underground tours are available.
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 free daily 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 on the fort grounds you can 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. It's also the best sandy beach of the area with views of the Columbia R Bar, Jetty and Mt St Helens in the background. |
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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.
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Details/Info./More Astoria Options:
River Bar/Shipwrecks History:
The river was first sited in 1775 by the Spanish navigator Bruno de Hezeta (aka Heceta) who mistook the estuary for an inland bay, although its seething currents indicated to him that "it may be the mouth of some great river or some passage to another sea." He did not attempt to enter. Before there were lighthouses on the Peninsula, ships bound for Portland and Astoria navigated their way through the high waves and shifting sandbars, focusing on fluttering white flags and notched trees along the shoreline by day and flickering signal fires by night. These methods were crude at best and, despite heroic efforts, the sea offshore the Long Beach Peninsula (the Columbia River Bar') became known as 'The Graveyard of the Pacific'. With more than 2000 shipwrecks on the coast, often with whole crews lost, the Columbia River Bar accounts for about 300 of those, to became known as 'the 'World's Most Dangerous Bar'.
Talk with your tour concierge about customizing your tour stops in Astoria, with more options below.
The river was first sited in 1775 by the Spanish navigator Bruno de Hezeta (aka Heceta) who mistook the estuary for an inland bay, although its seething currents indicated to him that "it may be the mouth of some great river or some passage to another sea." He did not attempt to enter. Before there were lighthouses on the Peninsula, ships bound for Portland and Astoria navigated their way through the high waves and shifting sandbars, focusing on fluttering white flags and notched trees along the shoreline by day and flickering signal fires by night. These methods were crude at best and, despite heroic efforts, the sea offshore the Long Beach Peninsula (the Columbia River Bar') became known as 'The Graveyard of the Pacific'. With more than 2000 shipwrecks on the coast, often with whole crews lost, the Columbia River Bar accounts for about 300 of those, to became known as 'the 'World's Most Dangerous Bar'.
Talk with your tour concierge about customizing your tour stops in Astoria, with more options below.
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- 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. See above, Oregon Film Museum.
- 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. Here you will get the broad historical view of the area, they have lots of photo's and change the exhibits periodically. In the Vice & Virtue Gallery, see a partially reconstructed famous Astoria saloon that illustrates Astoria's seedy past when the town was known along the West Coast for its infamous saloons and brothels. Kids may not like this museum unless they are really into looking at artifacts and pictures. For me, I like it because it gives a historical perspective. Run by the Clatsop County Historical Society, admission is $4 for adults, $3 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 kids will love this one! The museum is located in an 1896 fire station. The Children's Museum offers many activities for play and learning. (503) 325-2203. www.cumtux.org/
- 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)Bring binoculars or telescope and camera- 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
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Ride the wind and waves of the mighty Columbia:
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For the Lighthouse Fans, there are 2:
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Cape Disappointment - (2 lighthouses)
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Cape Disappointment in 1872. Note fog bell and first-order lens.
Photograph courtesy U.S. Coast Guard 
Lighthouse with black band
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Tired of watching mariners die; lighthouse keeper started a rescue service.
http://www.myoregon.com/Hike_Cape_Disappointment.
http://www.myoregon.com/Hike_Cape_Disappointment.
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EATS/DRINKS & LODGING IN 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).
*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
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Many of the old canneries became breweries:
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Rogue Ales
Pier 39, Rogue Ales, Bumblebee Seafoods & Coffee Girl Espresso
- Image by rjcox is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 |
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Recommended for quick bites:
- 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. Serves breakfast and lunch. **
- Bowpicker Fish & Chips, (http://www.bowpicker.com/) - 17th St & Duane Ave, Astoria. A Quick Bite. 4.5 stars. Unique fishing boat restaurant. The line can be long, but moves quickly! 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. The only food offered is "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.
- Custard King - Nice juicy Burgers, Fries, tacos, fish n chips and Ice Cream and Custard, that's it. It's good, super good. **
- 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. Pubfood and seafood is served. Try the sausage sampler with spicy mustard or the Albacore tuna melt. Or 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 their giant fermenters. BTW--Fort George was the original name of Astoria when it was a fur-trading post operated by the British, named for King George. Also, it's 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. *
- 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!*
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- 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!) * **
- Josephsons Smokehouse (Specialty Seafood, Gifts & Historic Smokehouse Since 1920...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. ) Visit the historic smokehouse and to learn about traditional smoking processes and sample delicious seafood. 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. **
- Albatross & Co. was named for the historic fur-trading ship that landed in Astoria. This cozy antler-lined serves up fresh oysters and Oyster Poutine made by the town mascot. Everyone in Astoria knows Eric Bechard. He's the guy with the vintage pickup, the knuckle tattoos, the story of the strip-club fight over the provenance of a heritage pig, the fetish for wild game and the terrific food and cocktails at his booze-happy restaurant. The $9 cocktails are stiff and stirred; the pork-centric Ol' Ironsides ($12) and inspired cross between a Cubano and a Reuben, the Dungeness-topped deviled egg($8) heavenly; and the clam-gravy oyster "poutine" ($12). Fortifying meals like dry-aged steaks, braised rabbit or grass-fed burgers drizzled with cheddar sauce and caramelized onions are also served. Bechard will likely be your bartender: Sit at the bar and ask him what's going on in town. He'll know what's up.)* **
- Please inquire about KFC, Burger King and Family Restaurants or another Astoria restaurant.
Astoria Lodging for our overnight guests
** My Chauffeur Picks
- Cannery Pier Hotel $$$$, Astoria: 1-888-325-4996 www.cannerypierhotel.com Built on the original pilings of the 1897 Union Fish Cannery, this upscale hotel juts out over the Columbia with jaw dropping views of the bridge and passing barges. Indulgences include gas fireplaces in every room, claw-foot tubs, an authentic Finnish sauna and complimentary rides around town in a shiny '39 Studebaker.
- Hotel Elliot $$$
- Commodore Hotel $$, ** (BOUGIE. Set in the downtown, the Commodore is a reclaimed 1920s-era hotel. This euro-styled boutique hotel ("cabin" rooms feature shared bathrooms in the hall) is now instagram-pretty with minimalist white walls with modern paintings, photographs and nods to maritime history like thick braided ropes. It is Astoria's Ace Hotel, complete with a cafe at the bottom which serves Stumptown coffee and plays records in a little downstairs lounge. And if you got some vinyl the hotel will loan you a record player so your not long without your Megadeth. Don't miss the growler hour.)
- Norblad $$, ** (This Scandinavian-style hostel is like a Norman Rockwell painting of a hipster hang, with David Hasselhof vinyl, a fake wood pile next to a fake fireplace and front desk man who looks like Moby playing records. But no one will hang there really. The industrial no-frills rooms has thin mattresses and bathrooms down the hall painted charmingly as if they're under the sea. Across from Fort George Brewing.
- Atomic Motel $$, (HIPSTER. It's a bit like the Jupiter when the Jupiter was a low-priced party motel, a mid-century moto lodge. And so 1960s polka dots, faux Roy Lichtenstein art and diner-kitsch pictures (Oh my God! My mother was right about everything!) reign.
- Astoria Crest Motel $$
- Astoria Rivershore Motel $$
- Rivertide Suites $$*
- Holiday Inn Express & Suites $$$*
- Hampton Inn & Suites $$$*
- Inn at Seaside $$*
- Best Western Bayfront Hotel $$
- Best Western Plus Ocean View $$
- City Center Motel $$
- Comfort Suites $$
- Gearhart by the Sea $$$
- Columbia Inn $
- Ebb Tide Oceanfront Inn $$
- Motel 6 $$
- or another Astoria Hotel/motel.
- Then Gearhart and Seaside
*Garnered 4.5 stars on TripAdvisor
