A charming hillside city in Oregon’s northwestern corner, Astoria was established as a fur trading post in 1811, taking its name from business mogul John Jacob Astor (although he never visited!). Astoria is the seat of Clatsop County, named for the Clatsop Indians, and is the oldest American city west of the Rocky Mountains. While today’s population is just over 10,000, a century ago Astoria was the second most populous city in Oregon! Situated just inland from the mouth of the Columbia River, Astoria is a short drive to Oregon beach towns Seaside and Gearheart and an even shorter drive to the historical Peter Iredale shipwreck on the beach at Fort Stevens State Park. Serving as an epic passageway from Oregon to Washington state is the majestic Astoria-Megler Bridge.
As for the town itself, there’s plenty to see and do : the downtown area is walk-able and awash with shopping, art galleries, coffee shops, unique restaurants and a riverfront trolley as well as the Oregon Film Museum. Fans of the 1985 cult hit The Goonies can head to the eastern residential end of Astoria and see for themselves (from the outside, at least) the house where the movie was filmed. Kindergarten Cop, the first two of the Free Willy trilogy, and The Ring Two are further examples of Hollywood’s invasion of Astoria. Beer enthusiasts will also find a number of microbreweries.
Astoria is also home to the Columbia River Maritime Museum as well as the Capain George Flavel House Museum. Located 5 miles southwest is Fort Clatsop, a former winter encampment of the Lewis and Clark Expedition turned national memorial.
Astoria is located approximately 2 hours from Portland via U.S. Route 30 or the coastal U.S. Route 101. The city also houses the Port of Astoria, welcoming cruise ships and deep draft vessels in addition to regulating regional maritime activities.
When you visit the Oregon Coast in the fall, you are never sure what you are going to get. Sometimes it is sunny and crisp, other times it feels like you are visiting a sponge filled with very cold water.
As luck would have it, as I visited the 14th Street Ferry Slip, it was a cloudy and windy day, however the breeze was pretty crisp, and that’s how I found my way to Baked Alaska.
Victorian Bed and Breakfast overlooking the Columbian River.
3652 Duane St.
Astoria, OR 97103
503-325-6172
Beautiful waterfront views and spectacular sunsets located just one mile from downtown.
3420 Leif Erickson Dr.
Astoria, OR 97103
503-325-2000
40 luxurious rooms and suites.
1 9th St.
Astoria, OR 97103
503-325-7546
Unique Northwest luxury boutique hotel resting 600 feet into the Columbia River.
No. 10 Basin St.
Astoria, OR 97103
503-325-4996
Captain George Flavel was a noted bar pilot and entrepreneur in Clatsop County. His piloting business and other investments helped in the development of Astoria. Flavel's 1886 Queen Anne style house now stands as a historical museum, inseparable from the beautiful landscaping that surrounds it.
960 Franklin Ave.
Astoria, OR 97103
509-664-7982
1888 restored Victorian home that is comfortably elegant with 5 rooms with private baths.
847 Exchange St.
Astoria, OR 97103
503-325-2005
When the weather closed it, it hit like a hammer.
Without warning you find yourself in the Pacific Ocean being swallowed up by 30-foot seas - no hope of swimming to the shore you know is mere yards away.
Then, out of the blackness, comes a spotlight and a man hanging off of a boat reaching to pluck you from the ocean's grasp.
That's the first thing you see when you drive up to the Columbia River Maritime Museum - the real life 44-foot Coast Guard rescue boat in action.
Queen-sized beds, private baths, antique and modern furnishings, and full breakfast.
364 Bond St.
Astoria, OR 97103
503-325-4922
